26 CityLight.org
april 2012
h
onorAry
h
ost
c
oMMittee
Michael R. Brenan
served as the State/
Group President of
BB&T for South
Carolina since Janu-
ary 2000. BB&T
Corporation
is
among the nation's
top financial-holding companies with
$174.6 billion in assets. Based in Win-
ston-Salem, N.C., the company operates
approximately 1,800 financial centers in
twelve states and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Brenan began his career in banking
in 1975 as in a management trainee. In
1988, he became the President and Chief
Executive Officer of Bank One, Ports-
mouth, N.A. In 1994, he became Chair-
man, President and Chief Executive Offi-
cer of MainStreet Financial Corporation,
a multi-bank holding company, headquar-
tered in Virginia. In 1998 MainStreet
was acquired by BB&T Corporation and
Mr. Brenan subsequently moved to Co-
lumbia to assume his responsibilities with
BB&T. Mr. Brenan holds a Bachelor of
Arts in Economics from Bowling Green
State University.
Mr. Brenan currently serves as chairman
of the board of directors of the Greater
Columbia Chamber of Commerce. While
he runs BB&T of South Carolina, chairs
the Chamber, keeps his faith grounded,
and finds family time, Brenan also sits
on several boards and commissions, of a
number of organizations, including the
University of South Carolina's Business
Partnership Foundation (Past Chairman),
President's Advisory Council of Clemson
University, Claflin University, the South
Carolina Bankers Association (Past Chair-
man), United Way of the Midlands (Past
Chairman), South Carolina Independent
Colleges and Universities (Past Chairman),
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
(Chair-Elect), Greater Columbia Chamber
of Commerce (Chairman), Good to Great
Foundation, Governor's School for Science
and Mathematics Foundation (Treasurer),
SC Economics, BIPEC (Treasurer), Cen-
tral SC Alliance, Midlands Business Lead-
ership Group, Midlands Housing Alli-
ance, Palmetto Business Forum, InvestSC,
Palmetto AgriBusiness Council, Palmetto
Health Foundation, and he is also Gover-
nor Nikki Haley's appointee to the South
Carolina Board of Education. Mr. Bre-
nan and his family are members of Christ
Church of the Carolinas.
Mr. Brenan is married to Julie Brenan,
they have four children, Erin, Andrew,
Rob, Molly and they make their home in
Columbia SC.