Bluffton woman tapped as interim director of state lottery

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina Education Lottery has hired a Bluffton civic leader who was one of the games' original commissioners to be its interim executive director, an official said Wednesday.

Paula Harper Bethea, a McNair Law Firm executive, is expected to take over daily operations of the $1 billion-a-year lottery later this month, saidlottery commission chairman Tim Madden.

Bethea will succeed executive director Ernie Passailaigue, who resigned July 1 to start the Arkansas lottery, expected to begin sales later this year.

Bethea will be paid the same $237,000-a-year salary that Passailaigue drew, Madden said.

A national search is under way to find a permanent executive director, a process Madden said should take about six months.

Bethea said she does not intend to apply for the permanent post. She has taken a leave of absence from her job as director of external relations at the law firm, to which she intends to return.

Bethea was one of nine original commission members who oversaw the lottery's start in 2002. She left the commission to pursue an appointment as chairwoman of the state's Centers for Economic Excellence, she said.

Bethea said she hopes to bring energy and enthusiasm to the lottery until its leaders can hire a permanent director.

"I'm honored they would put this trust and confidence in me, so I'm going to go do it," she said Wednesday.

She began work on the lottery when it had no employees and no facilities. Many of the employees who arrived during her tenure remain with the lottery.

"I did an awful lot of on-the-ground legwork," she said. "We learned a lot very quickly."

Madden said Bethea is familiar with the lottery, respected across the state, and brings good leadership and business skills.

"It's a win-win," Madden said. "She's a very natural fit, and we're fortunate to have her."

Bethea said she asked state Attorney General Henry McMaster for an opinion on whether she should step down from her post at the Centers for Economic Excellence.

In that role, she oversees lottery dollars that go to the state's research universities.

Bethea said she will follow McMaster's recommendation.

Bethea, who serves in several other civic roles, said she doesn't expect any of those positions to pose ethical concerns.

"The rest of my boards shouldn't be a conflict," she said.

Island Packet reporter Josh McCann contributed to this report.