The 10 highest paid Columbia city government workers make over $150K a year. See who earns the most
Of some 2,200 employees at the city of Columbia, 48 make more than $100,000 a year, city records show.
The highest paid employee is City Manager Teresa Wilson, who earns $254,329.25 annually after 11 years on the job.
Hired in January 2013 at an annual salary of $190,000, Irmo native Wilson oversees all city operations including economic and community development, police and fire and government affairs.
She previously worked for the city as a coordinator for government affairs and assistant city manager and is a graduate of the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law.
By law, governments in South Carolina must release the salaries of employees making more than $50,000. See Columbia’s list for 2023 here.
The other nine of the 10 highest paid city employees are:
Teresa Knox, city attorney, $184,501.13
A Union County native, she graduated from USC-Spartanburg and USC law school. When she was hired as city attorney in 2014 her salary was $125,000. Previously she worked as a lawyer for the state probation department and the attorney general’s office.
William “Skip”Holbrook, police chief, annual salary $184,015.67.
Chief since April 2014, Holbrook was previously chief of the Huntington, West Virginia Police Department. His starting salary in Columbia was $121,500 per year. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and an MBA from Pfeiffer University. Previously he worked as an officer with the Charlotte Police Department, special agent with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and assistant special agent in charge of the bureau’s Charlotte office. After that, he spent three years running a real estate development company before going back into law enforcement in West Virginia.
Aubrey Jenkins, Fire Chief, $168,884.02
Jenkins took the helm of the Columbia-Richland Fire Department in July 2011. He began as a firefighter with the department in 1979 and worked his way through the ranks, including battalion chief and deputy chief. He is a graduate of Eau Claire High School and the South Carolina Executive Institute and he received his undergraduate degree from Columbia Southern University in fire science.
Melissa Smith Gentry, assistant city manager/Development, $168,868.98
Gentry began working with the City of Columbia as an intern while studying civil engineering at the University of South Carolina. She also holds an MBA from the University of South Carolina. Before being named to oversee operations and development services, she worked as a civil engineer, city engineer and Operations involves Community Development, Office of Business Opportunities, General Services, Parking, Planning and Development Services, Public Works and Utilities & Engineering.
Jeffrey Palen, assistant city manager/chief financial officer, $166,369.40
Palen has been chief financial officer since 2013 and earned an MBA from USC.
Clint Shealy, assistant city manager/Columbia Water, $166,035.96
Shealy oversees the city’s water and wastewater utilities and hold a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Clemson University. He has worked in the water and wastewater field for more than 25 years.
Pamela Benjamin, assistant city manager/administration, $164,178.77
Benjamin is responsible for managing the Human Resources Department, the Safety & Risk Department, and the Municipal Court.
Henry Simons, assistant city manager/operations, $156,652.50
Simons was appointed in 2019 and was formerly system director of support services for Palmetto Health. He oversees parks and recreation, fleet services and the Columbia-Richland communications center. He earned a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Benedict College.
Dana Thye, deputy city attorney, $154,700.00
Thye earned a law degree from Indiana University in 1997.
Each of the 10 top-paid employees received raises in 2023: Wilson $7,408.05; Knox $5,373.82; Holbrook $7,210.51; Jenkins $ 6,306.75 Smith Gentry $4,918.52; Palen $4,845.70; Shealy $4,836; Benjamin $4,781.90; Simons $4,562.69 and Thye $14,063.89.
