Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

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MOUNT PLEASANT TOWN HALL
supposed to be studying,” she said.
After graduating from Clemson, Sims returned to
the Lowcountry for graduate work at the College of
Charleston. One of her classes required her to interview a
public administrator. She did some research and discovered
that Eric DeMoura had earned an undergraduate degree in
Political Science and a master’s in Public Administration
at Clemson – one degree she already had and another
she was working toward. Even better, he was the town
administrator of her
hometown – Mount Pleasant.
While interviewing him
for the paper she had to write,
Sims learned that the town
had an internship program.
Not long after, they got
to know each other better
when she took a Finance and
Budget class that DeMoura
taught at the College of
Charleston. Later, now on
the nonprofit administration
track at C of C, she needed
some working hours in
her quest for a master’s in
Public Administration. She
decided that her future was in
municipal work and contacted
DeMoura about an internship
during the summer of 2012.
“I admire people who
work for nonprofits, but I
realized I was best suited to
serve the community through
local government,” Sims
commented.
That September, she was
hired full-time, learning the
ropes of town government by
working on special projects.
By 2013, she and DeMoura
were co-managing the
construction of the new Town
Hall.
DeMoura has never
regretted giving her the
opportunity to serve her
hometown and to play a key
role in the construction of the
new Town Hall.
“Lauren is a very talented and capable person. She
is exceptional in working with people. She’s very smart
and organized and works hard,” he said. “She has the
fundamentals and basics to do whatever she wants to do.
She’s got all the stuff you need to be really successful.”
Sims pointed out that her job as day-to-day point-
of-contact for the new Town Hall wasn’t all that difficult,
but “it’s just a lot to do.” One of her major challenges was
moving 250 employees from the town’s former collection
“To be a part of this
building is a very
exciting and humbling
experience,” according
to Mount Pleasant
Executive Programs
Manager Lauren Sims.
Photo by Jenn Cady.