James Bennett arrived at the University of South Carolina in August 1979. He remembers the day well: It started early, around 5:30 a.m., because he worked the morning shift at the Wiener King in Cheraw, South Carolina — a job he had held since he was 14. He clocked out after lunch and drove the 90 miles to USC by himself, to a campus he had never stepped foot on until that afternoon.
Bennett, ’83, was raised by his grandmother, who worked second shift at a textile mill and wasn’t able to take time off to help him move in. She needed the job to pay off a loan she had taken to help send him to USC — to become one of the first members of the family to attend college.
His first stop on campus — before he even moved into his dorm — was the work-study office, where he found a position as a front desk assistant at Sims residence hall. He worked his first shift that night.
Bennett’s life story mirrors that day. It’s a story of hard work, of seizing opportunities, of understanding the importance of connecting with people. And it’s a story of career success. Bennett used his USC political science degree as preparation for the business world, where his 40-year career has taken him to top banking positions in South Carolina’s capital city.
“USC taught me so much about life and people,” says Bennett, who now is executive director of external affairs for First Citizens Bank.
That education started early. USC was the only school Bennett applied to, and he was accepted as part of TRIO’s Opportunity Scholars Program. The small classes and tutoring sessions were especially valuable to Bennett, who had rarely traveled outside Cheraw. Once on campus, he found himself living and sharing meals with people who had completely different backgrounds.
“USC taught me so much about life and people.”
“That was a terrifying experience initially,” Bennett says. “But in hindsight, one of the best things any university can do is put unlike people together. Being a freshman on this campus forced me to get to know others that did not look or think like I do. It was a life-changing experience.”
At USC, he took his first steps on the leadership ladder when he was elected president of the Association of Afro-American Students.
“That was a launching pad for me to get involved in the university system,” he says. “As president of Afro, I would say to the African American students, it’s not enough to be a member of Afro. It’s not enough to be in what we call the Divine Nine, the Black Greek organizations. We have to use that as a stepping stone into the university system. If we didn’t do that, then we would have insulated or segregated ourselves from everything that the university has to offer.”
The following year, he ran unsuccessfully for student government vice president. He says that loss was the best thing to happen to him because he caught the attention of the university president, who offered him a job. His time in the president’s office exposed him to opportunities and connections, and a casual meeting with the president of Bankers Trust turned into a spot in the bank’s management training program and a springboard for his career.
“I was not a business major. I was a good student, but I did not have a 3.5 or above,” he says. “So the truth of the matter is I never would have gotten an interview, but because of interacting with the president of the bank, I got a chance. I got an interview. And I got the job.”
And once he got the job, he just kept going.
From the 1980s through today, he has been a leading figure in banking circles in South Carolina. He was CEO of South Carolina Community Bank (now Optus Bank), South Carolina’s first Black-owned financial institution, and he was the youngest bank president in South Carolina when he took the helm at Victory Savings Bank in 1989. In his current position at First Citizens, the country’s 15th- largest bank, he is responsible for nationwide community engagement and strengthening relationships with state and federal government officials, members of Congress, trade groups and other public policy stakeholders.
Bennett currently serves on two corporate boards, Dominion Energy and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. He also was the first Black chairman of the South Carolina Bankers Association and former chair of the USC Education Foundation. He is the former chairman of the Claflin University Board of Trustees, has been involved with the Columbia Urban League for more than 35 years and was named the United Way of the Midlands Humanitarian of the Year in 2022.
“It really started out by volunteering for nonprofit organizations, and I can assure you that I got more out of that than they probably got from me,” Bennett says. “It was just part of my DNA, of who I am. I think it’s my obligation to give back. You put yourself out there and you get to meet people and interact with people that don’t always think like you think. And you get to know and see the best of people.”