Our Mission & Vision

Sandra Stanton brings a rare and powerful combination of movement science, entrepreneurship, digital strategy, and community health advocacy to her role as Executive Director of HealthySC. A graduate of The Juilliard School (B.F.A.) and alumna of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Sandy built her career at the intersection of physical wellness and public engagement.

Sandy performed professionally as a principal dancer with Twyla Tharp's internationally acclaimed touring company, where she developed a deep understanding of how movement, discipline, and physical health transform lives. She subsequently taught Tharp repertoire at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad, most recently serving as a Senior Lecturer at Hamilton College, where she designed and led curriculum connecting the performing arts with broader themes of health, embodiment, and human potential.

As founder and owner of her own private ballet and yoga instruction businesses, Sandy guided hundreds of students of all ages and abilities toward greater physical literacy, mindfulness, and lifelong wellness — the very principles that animate HealthySC's mission. Her work as a small business owner also sharpened her instincts for community outreach, client engagement, and building sustainable programming from the ground up.

Sandy's leadership portfolio extends beyond the studio. As Director of Digital Marketing for an IT company, she developed and executed data-driven strategies encompassing content creation, brand development, social media, and public relations — equipping her with the digital fluency and communications expertise essential for advancing a statewide health initiative. Her ability to translate complex messages into compelling, accessible content positions her to amplify HealthySC's reach across diverse communities throughout South Carolina.

Sandy's life work reflects an unwavering belief that movement, wellness, and community connection are fundamental to human thriving — making her an ideal champion for a healthier South Carolina.

John Pelicano brings nearly four decades of professional experience to his role as Development Manager at HealthySC, where he leads the organization's efforts to cultivate the partnerships, donor relationships, and community investments that fuel a healthier South Carolina.

Over the course of his career, John has built a reputation as a skilled connector — someone who understands that lasting change requires trust, sustained relationships, and a genuine commitment to the communities being served.

That philosophy has guided him across roles spanning organizational leadership, community engagement, and development strategy, and it remains the cornerstone of his work at HealthySC. He brings to the role a practitioner's instinct for identifying shared interests between organizations and translating those connections into meaningful, mission-aligned collaboration.

As Development Manager, John plays a central role in advancing HealthySC's capacity to grow — stewarding existing partnerships with member organizations, cultivating new funding relationships with public and private stakeholders, and helping to align resources with the priorities that matter most to South Carolinians' health and well-being. His approach to development is relational rather than transactional: he believes that funders, partners, and community leaders are most compelled not by pitch decks, but by authentic stories of impact and a shared sense of purpose.

John's nearly forty years of experience across organizational and community-facing roles give him a unique vantage point — he understands how institutions work, how communities think, and how to build the bridges between them that turn good intentions into lasting progress. At HealthySC, he channels that experience every day in service of a mission he believes in deeply: that every South Carolinian deserves the opportunity to live a healthy, thriving life.