GREENVILLE, South Carolina (January 24, 2012) – Without their vision, acumen and community involvement, South Carolina would be a different state. The 24 mentors selected as Senior Advisors to the newest class of Liberty Fellows are leaders in every sense of the word and span academic, nonprofit and business sectors. The names and faces are familiar because their impact on South Carolina is conspicuous.
“Liberty Fellowship is an intellectually demanding program, and the Fellows are dealing with hefty issues where they work and in their community leadership,” said Liberty Fellowship founder Hayne Hipp. “The mentors are change agents with extensive experiences that, when shared, offer keen insight.”
Being paired with a Senior Advisor is one part of the Fellowship experience, which also includes attending four seminars over two years. One seminar – the Aspen Institute Globalization Seminar – brings Liberty Fellows together with Fellows from similar programs in some of the most interesting cities in the world. One of the main functions of the mentor relationship is to provide principled guidance to the Fellows in their personal project, the final component of the program.
“When you look at the great thinkers and doers that have excelled throughout history, most can point to a significant role model who challenged and helped guide them,” commented Jennie Johnson, Liberty Fellowship Executive Director. “We carefully matched these Senior Advisors with the Fellows to do just that.”
Following are the Senior Advisors for the Liberty Fellowship Class of 2013:
Jimmy Addison, Senior Vice President and CFO of SCANA Corporation, is mentoring David Cote, Assistant Vice President and Assistant Treasurer at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Addison and Cote both have a background in accounting and are alike in their commitment to family and strong personal convictions. A member of the first class of Liberty Fellows, Addison is on the board of the SC Chamber of Commerce, SC Future Minds, South Carolina Bank & Trust and the USC Moore School of Business Partnership Foundation (vice-chair) and is a member of the USC Athletics Garnet Way Cabinet.
Gerald (Jerry) Barber, an entrepreneur and lifelong inventor, is mentoring Craig Kinley, CEO and Principal of WiProwess. Barber and Kinley are heavy on good ideas and strong execution, a powerful duo of strengths in the business world. Barber owned and operated the second largest amusement ride manufacturing company in the United States for 18 years. He has over 50 patents, including the “Free Fall” amusement ride which can be found in almost every amusement park worldwide, and currently has patents pending for his wind turbine design.
James Barker, Clemson University President, is mentoring Scott Clark, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Michelin North America. Barker and Clark are visionaries and innovators, and both have led the charge in connecting South Carolina industry with academia. Named president in 1999, Barker has led Clemson to being recognized as one of the nation’s premier universities, consistently ranking in the Top 25 public universities in the US News guide to “America’s Best Colleges.” He is former president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and is past chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
Nella Barkley, CEO and Cofounder of Crystal-Barkley Corporation, is mentoring Mindelle Ziff, Founder and President of Kaleidoscope Marketing Group. Drive and ingenuity fuel the proven business instincts shared by these two from the Lowcountry. Barkley specializes in organizational development and training and has authored two books including “How to Help Your Child Land the Right Job.” She was founding chair of Horizon House and currently chairs the Charleston Regional Alliance for the Arts and SC Future Minds. She is on the board of the Charleston Education Network.
David Black, former President/CEO of Liberty Life Insurance Company and previous Director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance, is mentoring Daniel Johnson, Solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. Black shares Johnson’s legal background, and they both are notable in their service to this state. Black serves on the Executive Advisory Board in the College of Business and Behavioral Sciences at Clemson University and the Advisory Board at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. He has been on the board of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the Association of South Carolina Life Insurance Companies.
David Dukes, Managing Partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, is mentoring Forrest Alton, CEO of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy. Leaders who emerged early in their careers, Dukes and Alton also carve out time to be significant players in their communities. Dukes is known as one of the top product liability lawyers in the world. He is trustee of the Business Partnership Foundation – USC Moore School of Business and is on the board of the Foundation for the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics.
David Ellison, Wealth Management Advisor at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, is advising William (Bill) Logan, Jr., a physician with Network Geriatric Services. A love for the Upstate and contributing to the quality of life here connects these two. Ellison has a long history of service to his alma mater, Furman University, including chairing the Board of Trustees and presiding over the Alumni Association. He is past trustee of United Way of Greenville County and former director of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.
Jane Frederick, Principal at Frederick & Frederick Architects, is mentoring James Simmons, physician and owner of All Children's Pediatrics. Though decidedly different in their occupations, Frederick and Simmons share an entrepreneurial spirit and effectively pair subject matter expertise with a knack for business. Frederick is chair of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Small Firm Round Table and is an incoming member of the AIA National Board. She is past president of AIA/South Carolina. Frederick is founder and member of Friends of the Beaufort County Rail Trail and was in the inaugural class of Liberty Fellowship.
Elizabeth Hagood, Executive Director of Lowcountry Open Land Trust, is mentor to Tiffany Spann-Wilder, Sole Proprietor – Spann-Wilder Law Firm. Both are driven, and each is a force for change in her occupation and civic involvement. Hagood is former chairwoman of the Department of Health and Environmental Control Board and is a trustee of Woodberry Forest School, the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina and the Historic Charleston Foundation. Also a Liberty Fellow, she is on the Lowcountry Advisory Board of the Dorothy and Gaylord Donnelley Foundation.
Don Herriott, Director of USC Innovista Partnership, is mentoring Vicki Young, Department Head for Clinical Quality Improvement, South Carolina Primary Health Care Association. Herriott and Young both have a pharmaceutical background and are strategic thinkers. Herriott is former Head of Roche Global Chemical Manufacturing and serves on the South Carolina Board of Economic Advisors, the Palmetto Institute and New Carolina (co-chair, Education and Workforce Development Task Force). He is the founding chair of the School Foundation for Florence District One.
Robert (Bob) Hughes, Jr., President of Hughes Development Corporation, is mentoring Benjamin Wall, President of WJ Partners. A passion for the economic prosperity of South Carolina is the bond linking these two highly successful businessmen. Hughes has received statewide acclaim for the NEXT Innovation Center, a home for fast growing technology companies, among other significant development projects. He is chairman of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities and is on the Board of Trustees for the University Center, the Greenville County Schools Foundation Board and the ETV Endowment.
Harris Pastides, University of South Carolina President, is mentoring Sue-Ann (Susie) Shannon, Director of Research at the Palmetto Institute and an attorney with McNair Law Firm. Pastides and Shannon are both ardent supporters of K-12 education and devote their expertise and energy on the topic at a professional and personal level. Pastides serves on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors Executive Committee and America’s Manufacturing Initiative with the U.S. Council on Competitiveness. Prior to becoming University president, he was vice president for research and health sciences and dean of the Arnold School of Public Health.
Etta Pisano, MUSC Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine, is advising Andrea Cooper, a Lowcountry community activist and vice-chair of the SC Coastal Conservation League. Pisano and Cooper have logged countless hours in their individual quests to improve health and wellness worldwide. Pisano is an expert in breast cancer imaging. She recently co-founded a company commercializing a breast imaging device which will provide superior image quality at a radiation dose that is substantially lower than is currently available. She also is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Rick Throckmorton, retired Vice President and Lead Partner of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., and Edith Howle, also a retired partner from Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., are mentors to Cameron Blazer, Assistant Federal Public Defender and owner of Cottage Industrialist. Though manifested differently in each one, Blazer, Throckmorton and Howle share a special aptitude for creativity. Howle volunteers with various Lowcountry organizations including with the Virtual Job Shadows project for students in the state. Throckmorton is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the College of Charleston and is on the board for a start-up in personalized medicine.
Michael Riordan, President and CEO of Greenville Hospital System, is mentoring Jason Premo, CEO and Co-owner of ADEX Machining Technologies. Riordan and Premo are resolute in their commitment to economic development, specifically through workforce development models than can be replicated. Riordan is board chairman for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of Health Sciences South Carolina, the South Carolina Hospital Association and the Rutland Institute for Ethics (Clemson University). He is former board chair of the Urban League of the Upstate.
Ben Rook, Chairman/CEO at Design Strategies, is advising Walt Wilkins, Solicitor – Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Greenville and Pickens Counties. Both Rook and Wilkins are deeply involved in the Upstate and make a noticeable impact in the area. Rook is on the President’s Advisory Board at Wofford, is chairman of the Urban League of the Upstate and is on the boards of Artisphere, United Way and the March of Dimes. He previously chaired the National American Institute of Architects Convention and South Carolina Endowed Chairs Program.
Joel Smith III, Dean Emeritus of the USC Darla Moore School of Business, and Kit Smith, former Director of Government Relations with Chernoff Newman, are mentoring Tameika Isaac Devine, Founding Partner of Jabber & Isaac. The Smiths and Devine are well-known leaders in Columbia, always striving to carry the region forward to improve the quality of life for its residents. Kit Smith retired last year after serving 20 years on Richland County Council and continues to be active in conservation and land use planning as well as teen pregnancy prevention and the arts. Joel Smith is on the boards of the Columbia Museum of Art, SC ETV Endowment, and Spoleto Festival and is an organizer and director with The Palmetto Institute.
Diane Smock, Executive Director at the Upstate Community Mediation Center, is advising Amy Picklesimer, physician with the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center and medical director of the Greenville County Nurse-Family Partnership program. Neither Smock nor Picklesimer is satisfied with the status quo, and they both use expertise and hard work to effectively advocate for the underserved. Smock is a former Greenville County Probate Judge and served on Greenville City Council. She is on the Greenville Housing Fund board and previously served on the SC Mental Health Commission and the Metro YMCA of Greenville (chair).
Richard Stanley, Vice President and General Manager of the Engineering Division at GE Energy, is mentoring Brian McSharry, Chief Operating Officer and Founder of SAGE Automotive Interiors. Intelligent and focused, both Stanley and McSharry have in-depth knowledge in their respective fields that comes from hands-on experience at all levels in their organizations. Stanley has been awarded five patents, is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and is a recipient of the University of Notre Dame Distinguished Alumni Engineering award.
Harold Stowe, Principal with Stowe-Monier Management, is mentoring Patrick Cawley, Chief Medical Officer/Medical Director at MUSC. Stowe and Cawley are natural leaders in their professions, both with long lists of civic involvement as well. Stowe served 10 years on the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee and chaired the Myrtle Beach Air Base Redevelopment Authority. He is current chair of Smith Medical Clinic and is on the boards of Baskerville Outreach, Inc., SCANA Corporation and Ruddick Corporation.
William M. (Billy) Webster IV, Chairman of the Board of Advance America, is mentoring Scott Cochran, Dean of the Center for Professional Excellence at Wofford College. Webster and Cochran thrive in high-energy, high-impact situations and know how to make things happen. As a White House Fellow, Webster served as Assistant to the President of the United States and Director of Scheduling and Advance. He is on the Board of Trustees of Converse College, Washington and Lee University, Spartanburg Hospital and Greenville Hospital System and is on the Board of Visitors of MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Neal Workman, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trehel Corporation, is mentoring Windsor Westbrook Sherrill, a Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University. Workman and Sherrill have in common a passion for service. Both are constantly working to connect their community’s needs with their own personal strengths to maximize the benefit to those living there. Workman is cofounder of the Oconee Alliance and The Foothills Gala. He is former Area Commissioner for Tri-County Technical College and state chair of the Heritage Corridor and served on the SC Commission on Higher Education.
About Liberty Fellowship
Liberty Fellowship is a statewide leadership initiative founded by Hayne Hipp, Wofford College and The Aspen Institute. Through the Fellow program, Liberty Fellowship seeks to inspire outstanding leadership in South Carolina, empowering the state’s leaders to realize their full potential. Fostering a values-based approach, Liberty Fellowship exposes rising leaders to diverse perspectives, critical thinking, and intellectual and personal development. For more information: www.libertyfellowshipsc.org.
