Columbia, S. C. - Governor Hodges today appointed General Steve Siegfried to serve as Special Advisor to the Governor for Homeland Security and chairman of the newly created Governor's Security Council.

"Now more than ever, our state and military must be ready to protect the welfare of South Carolinians," Hodges said. "General Siegfried is the right person to coordinate these efforts on a state and national level for South Carolina. His experience makes him an invaluable advisor."

Siegfried will work closely with President George W. Bush's new National Office of Homeland Security and its director, former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. Additionally, Siegfried will chair the Governor's Security Council. The council is a bipartisan group, charged by Governor Hodges with the task of assisting General Siegfried in collecting relevant security information and coordinating responses to homeland security issues. The Governor's Security Council will be comprised of law enforcement, health, public safety, and state officials.

"I am honored Governor Hodges has chosen me to perform the important task of coordinating local, state and federal resources to ensure the safety and security of this state," Siegfried said. "I look forward to serving South Carolina in this new capacity."

General Siegfried served in the United States Army for over 34 years. From December 1991 to March 1994, he served as the Commanding General of Fort Jackson in Columbia. From 1994 to 1995, Siegfried served as the Army's Inspector General. Following his retirement in 1995, the Secretary of the Army recalled him to active duty in 1996 to chair the Senior Review Panel on Sexual Harassment. Siegfried led the panel in conducting a global assessment of the Army's human relations environment. Since his second retirement from the Army in 1997, General Siegfried has worked as a consultant and has provided training services in leadership development and the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Siegfried is a native of Elizabeth City, N.C. and a graduate of the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in business and a master's in industrial management. He and his wife, Maggie, currently reside at Lake Murray.