Our Board

Board of directors

The SC Shellfish Growers Association represents clam and oyster growers and harvesters. Our Officers and Board members serve without pay and are elected on a rotating basis by our membership.

Jared Hulteen

President

Jared is the co-owner of Barrier Island Oyster Company on Wadmalaw Island. Jared cut his teeth for nearly a decade as a marine biologist for the SC DNR, focusing on oyster restoration and conservation. He manages day-to-day operation of the farm, which includes setting and repairing gear, thinning oyster crops to allow proper density for growth, farm tours, inventory management, and sorting product for quality assurance before sale. Jared is a proud graduate of the College of Charleston. On a mission to hand raise the finest oysters in Charleston, Barrier Island Oyster Co. grows premium singles from seed to market size entirely in floating baskets.

Trey McMillan

Vice President

Trey is the owner and president of Lowcountry Oyster Company, located in the ACE Basin where he grows his signature Lowcountry Cups. Before getting into the oyster industry, Trey “Cricket” McMillan spent 15+ years carving out a successful career as a professional sportfisherman up and down the East Coast and Caribbean. Despite all of the travel, Trey always kept one eye firmly on his hometown of Charleston, SC where he grew up fishing, shrimping, and crabbing in and around Mt. Pleasant’s Old Village. The Lowco farm is located about 34 miles south of Charleston in the ACE Basin Wildlife Refuge. They use a sustainable, floating-cage oyster farming system to raise the oysters from 4mm seed to 3-inch single oysters.

Bob Baldwin

Treasurer

Bob is a clam farmer in McClellanville and has been in the business for decades. Bob has been involved in shaping the shellfish mariculture industry from day one in South Carolina; from developing technologies to crafting regulations. He is happiest on the water and takes pride in producing a great product and doing his part to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Caitlyn Mayer

Secretary

Caitlyn is the business manager and an oyster grower for Charleston Oyster Farm. She is also an adjunct Geology Professor at the College of Charleston studying water quality. While obtaining her degrees she worked at several restaurants around Charleston, and became passionate about sustainable local food and flavor

Brad Blake

Board Member

Brad Blake, Executive Chef of Skull Creek Boathouse, has been a Hilton Head local for over 29 years and began his career in the Lowcountry as Executive Chef of Wexford Plantation’s Clubhouse. Thereafter, he was Chef at Sunset Grill for 9 years before opening his own restaurant, Blake’s and Blue Coyote. Chef Blake joined the SERG Culinary Team in 2008 at Marley’s Island Grille. He currently serves as a board member for the South Carolina Shellfish Growers Association and brings his valuable chef’s perspective to the board.

Deja Knight

Board Member

Deja serves as a board member for both the South Carolina Shellfish Growers Association and Be A Mentor. She is the Founder and CEO of Pearl Public Relations in Charleston, S.C. She has worked in the communications field for nine years—as a reporter for five years and in public relations for four. Her work as a broadcast journalist was featured on CBS, CNN, FOX, and The Weather Channel and was nominated for two Emmys. As a publicist, she has successfully launched, rebranded, and elevated brands all over the country by executing high-level public relations strategies. In 2020, she was hired as the South Carolina Communications Advisor for presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) – an assignment she won’t soon forget. She was also named “Top 40 under Forty” by the Charleston Regional Business Journal based on her professional accomplishments and community service. Deja is passionate about mariculture and sustainable farming.

Jeff Massey

Board Member