Tammy Palmer
Chief of Staff
In November, 2022, Tammy Palmer was named the chief of staff at the SC State Housing Finance & Development Authority (SC Housing), where she oversees and directs the day-to-day operations of the agency on behalf of the executive director. In this role, she is responsible for directing the strategic alignment and coordination of resources across divisions to address the agency’s mission-critical goals.
Palmer also oversees the operations of the Internal Audit, Research, and Quality Control and Compliance departments, ensuring remediation of issues in consultation with the executive director and other authorities.
Prior to joining SC Housing, Palmer was the chief operations officer and vice president of Africa programs for the Jane Goodall Institute, where she led global efforts to provide strategic direction to more than 300 program employees. Palmer also served as the executive vice president of strategy and business management for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, where she provided leadership for the organization’s executive team to deliver strategic support of the organization’s overall strategy and tactics. She also served as a Career Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development, known as USAID, where she held overseas and domestic assignments.
Palmer is a recognized leader in strategic planning, international development, and organizational management with a robust career in diplomatic and executive management roles in the public and private sectors in nations across the globe. She has earned numerous awards, including the Department of State Meritorious Honor Award, the Congressional Hunger Center Leadership Award and the USAID Meritorious Honor Award, and serves on numerous boards.
Palmer holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College and a master’s degree in development from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs & Public Policy.
Palmer is a native of South Carolina (Richland County).