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S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will be nominated as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a cabinet-level position in the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Haley and her family attend Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington.

Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, resident bishop of the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, praised Haley’s “notable leadership in our state during difficult times.”

Bishop L. Jonathan Holston

Bishop Holston

“In the midst of the North Charleston and Emanuel AME shootings, as well as two natural disasters, she has given guidance in very challenging circumstances,” Holston said. “I wish her well in her new role as U.N. ambassador and encourage United Methodists to pray for all of our government leaders at the local, state and national level.”

The Rev. Jeff Kersey, Mt. Horeb’s senior pastor, believes “God’s hand is upon her.”

“She has a chance to change the world through serving there,” Kersey told The State newspaper. “Her experience with the flooding and the Charleston church shooting have all prepared her to solve problems on a bigger scale.

Rev. Jeff Kersey

Rev. Kersey

“When you walk through our church’s door, there’s a statement there that you are ‘Now Entering the Mission Field.’ I think she’s going to represent the church, Lexington and South Carolina well.”

Haley said the nation “faces enormous challenges here at home and internationally.”

“I am honored that the president-elect has asked me to join his team and serve the country we love as the next ambassador to the United Nations,” she said.

Born in Bamberg, the daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was elected South Carolina’s first female governor in 2010 and is the youngest governor in the country. Prior to becoming governor, she had represented Lexington County in the State House of Representatives since 2005.

Haley is a graduate of Clemson University, where she earned a degree in accounting. She and her husband, Michael, a captain in the Army National Guard, have two children, Rena, 18, and Nalin, 15.

 

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