Baltimore, MD: Last month, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) awarded the Prestigious Powers Award to the South Carolina Education Lottery’s (SCEL) Chief Legal Counsel, Hogan Brown.
Brown was nominated among 12 other top lottery professionals from nine different lottery jurisdictions for their outstanding contributions by their lottery organizations. Also included in those nominations, was the SCEL’s Director of Human Resources, Ernestine Middleton.
“It is an honor just being nominated,” said Brown. “I was pleased to accept this award on behalf of the entire lottery family.”
Brown was hired in August 2001 when the SCEL consisted of two employees.
“Set before them was the tremendous task of establishing a quasi-state agency and launching a lottery by January 7, 2002, within the strict legal guidelines and restrictions of the Education Lottery Act,” said SCEL’s Executive Director, Ernie Passailaigue.
Given these constraints, Brown worked with Passailaigue to ensure that the lottery was in compliance with not only the “black letter” of the law but with the legislative intent as well.
Prior to joining the SCEL team, Brown was Assistant Clerk and Assistant Director of Research for the South Carolina Senate. He came from an environment of diverse needs, interests and demands, all of which helped prepare him in developing an agency from its infancy to a record-breaking success story.
Middleton was nominated for her excellent work in establishing a nationwide search for the “best and brightest” staff to lead the SCEL. She was hired in August 2002 as the second full-time lottery employee. More than 4,000 applications were received within the first week of her employment. The SCEL now staffs 120 employees.
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