The SC Progressive Network is pleased to announce that Nilanka Seneviratne has accepted our invitation to join the organization’s board of directors.
“Nilanka was a stand-out at the Modjeska School and was well-respected by his peers,” said Network Executive Director Brett Bursey. “I know he will be an asset to our board, as he brings a global perspective, fresh ideas, and valuable skills to the table.”
Nilanka has a Master’s in Public Administration from the George Washington University (with a concentration in budgeting and analysis), and Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and International Studies.
He is Director of Operations and Systems at The Horizons Project, which works to connect US social justice, peace building, and democracy communities. He serves as President of the Board for Street Meat Bicycle Club, and is the Social Committee Chair for Earlewood Community Citizens Organization.
He is also a one-day Jeopardy! Champion and avid Learned League Llama. His hobbies? “Music, hiking, riding bikes, reading, beer, and trivia. Especially the combination of the last two.”
As the child of Sri Lankan immigrants who periodically returns to the island, Nilanka said he has “borne witness to the horrific outcomes of a polarized society riven by ethnic violence and a breakdown in the rule of law.”
Nilanka first became aware of GROW when he attended shows at the old building while in high school. In 2005, he joined the SC Progressive Network shortly before moving to DC for grad school.
After he returned to Columbia, he started attending the regular lunches at the new GROW. There, he learned about the Modjeska School, which he completed in 2024.
“Attending the Modjeska School was one of the most transformative experiences of my life,” he said. “I learned about our state’s outsized connections to major historical events, the deep history of those organizing for change in South Carolina, and I made friends and comrades who I work with locally.”
Nilanka was so affected by his experience that he persuaded his mother, Nilmani Seneviratne, to attend the school in 2025. Both have since become champions of the Thursday jazz and blues nights at GROW.
When approached to join the board, Nilanka said “at this moment, we all need to find how we can chip in, and for me that means building community locally as well as representing South Carolina in the national spaces I participate in and bringing resources back home.
“Given my background in nonprofit management, joining the board of the Progressive Network was a no brainer. I look forward to working with all of you to make South Carolina a better place. There’s much to do, so let’s get started!”