Greenville, SC---Liberty Fellowship, the statewide leadership initiative sponsored by Hayne Hipp, Wofford College and the Aspen Institute, today announced the 20 accomplished South Carolina leaders who will serve as Mentors for the Class of 2008.
Each Fellow in the leadership class is provided with a mentor, who provides principled guidance throughout the two-year Fellowship. “We are very thoughtful and deliberate in our pairing of Mentors and Fellows,” says Hayne Hipp, founder of Liberty Fellowship. “The role of Mentor is to challenge, motivate and provide counsel, but it goes beyond that. We have chosen Mentors who are inherently inspiring both personally and professionally, and their impact on the lives of their Mentees is likely to be profound.”
The Mentors selected for Liberty Fellowship’s class of 2008 are:
G. Ashley Allen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Milliken & Company. He received his B.S. in 1966 from Washington & Lee University; then earned a PhD and post doctorate Fellow from Cornell University in 1969. In 1992 he received a degree from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. Dr. Allen’s professional and community service activities include work with the American Chemical Society, the Charles Lea Foundation, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness. He is a native South Carolinian, born in Chester, SC. Allen will mentor Karen Kanes Floyd, Chief Executive Officer of the Palladian Group.
Gayle O. Averyt began his career with Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company in 1958 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1970 until 1993. He has served as a member of the Boards of Directors of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, Unum Corporation, and NationsBank. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Health Insurance Association of America and Secretary of the South Carolina Insurance Commission. He is past President of the South Carolina Orchestra Association. Gayle Averyt was inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 1998 by Junior Achievement and The State. In 1994, he was awarded The Order of The Palmetto which is the highest civic honor given by the Governor of South Carolina to individual citizens for outstanding service to the state. Averyt will mentor David P. Agnew, Founder and President of Civic Square, LLC.
William Barnet, III is the Mayor of Spartanburg, and CEO of The Barnet Company and Barnet Development Company. Barnet serves on the boards of Bank of America, Duke Energy, and the Duke Endowment, and is past president of the South Carolina Textile Manufacturers Association. Barnet earned B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from Dartmouth College. Barnet will mentor Jo Watson Hackl, an attorney with Wyche Burgess Freeman & Parham, P. A.
Paula Harper Bethea is Director of External Relations for the McNair Law Firm, P.A. Mrs. Bethea serves as Chair Emeritus of the United Way of America's Board of Governors, having been Chair in 1996-1997. In addition to her national leadership, Mrs. Bethea serves as a former Chair of the United Way of South Carolina. She is a Board Member of First Financial Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, First Federal of Charleston, and she is a Founding Board Member of the Palmetto Institute where she serves as Secretary. She is a life member of Independent Colleges and Universities of South Carolina and a member of the Board and Executive Committee of Presbyterian College. She is a past Chair of the Board of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Columbia College (1998-2000). Bethea will mentor Toya Green, a partner with the law firm of Hampton Green, LLC
Lee Bussell has been Chairman and CEO of Chernoff Newman since its founding as a result of the merger in 2003 between two of the South’s most visible communications firms, Newman Saylor & Gregory and Chernoff Silver. A graduate of The University of South Carolina’s College of Journalism he is recognized nationally for his expertise in corporate communications, issue management and marketing of high growth technology start-ups. Mr. Bussell has recently served as the chair of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He served as a member of the advisory board for South Carolina Competitive Initiative and as a member of the Vision South Carolina Team that established the State’s long term vision of moving South Carolina’s per capita income to the national average. Bussell will mentor Timothy Drummond, Founder of Pindrum Staffing Services, Inc.
Luther Fredrick Carter has served as the president of Francis Marion University, a public liberal arts institution located in eastern South Carolina, since 1999. Dr. Carter took a sabbatical year in 2003 to serve as the chief of staff to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Previously, he served as the executive director of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, the state’s central management agency, from 1991-1999, and as the senior executive assistant to South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell from 1987-1991.Presently, he serves on the S.C. Bar Association’s Commission for an Independent Judiciary, the Board of Trustees of Carolinas Hospital System, and he chairs the South Carolina Commission for International Cooperation and Agreements. President Bush appointed him to the Presidential Commission on White House Fellowships in 2001 where he served until 2004. Dr. Carter received his BA degree from the University of Central Florida in 1972 and was recognized as its distinguished alumnus in 1999. He earned his MPA (1976) and PhD (1979) degrees from the University of South Carolina. He is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Carter will mentor Dwayne M. Green, a partner with the law firm of Hampton Green LLC.
Eric Friberg is Director, Emeritus of McKinsey and Company, with whom he worked from 1969 through 2002. He served as a Senior Advisor to Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. from 2002 through 2005. Mr. Friberg is Chairman of the Spoleto Festival, USA, Chairman of the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary, and First Vice President of the Gibbes Museum of Art. Previously he worked with the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Atlanta Opera, and the American Chamber of Commerce (Belgium.) He currently sits on the Board of Willis Group Holdings, and was previously a Board member of Yellow Pages Group – Canada. He is an Officer in the Order of Leopold II in Belgium. Mr. Friberg received his A.B. in Engineering and Applied Physics from Harvard College, and his S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Friberg will mentor W. Leighton Lord III, an attorney in Columbia and Chair of the Board for Nexsen Pruet.
Lindsey O. Graham is United States Senator from South Carolina, a position he has held since his election in 2002. After active duty with the Air Force for six years, Graham in 1989 joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. Graham is the only U.S. Senator currently serving in the Guard or Reserves, where he is a colonel. In 1988, Graham went into private law practice and in 1992 was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1994, he became the first Republican to represent South Carolina's Third Congressional District in Washington since 1877. Graham will mentor Franklin G. Daniels, Chief Legal and Strategic Planning Officer of the Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc.
Tecumseh “Tee” Hooper is the Chief Executive Officer of General Wholesale Distributors, the Trane HVAC distributor for South Carolina. Mr. Hooper is the current Chairman of the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Mr. Hooper is also Chairman of the Board of FGP International Inc., an executive and temporary placement service company and Sign Crafters, USA, a sign manufacturing and service company. Mr. Hooper graduated from The Citadel in 1969 and received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina in 1971. Mr. Hooper has served as Chairman of Patriot’s Point Development Authority in Charleston and is the immediate past president of the Greenville Urban League. He currently serves on the Board of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness and the South Carolina State Infrastructure bank. He is a Greenville native. Hooper will mentor Steven B. Singleton, M.D., a sports medicine physician and orthopedic specialist.
Robert Hughes, Jr., is chairman of Hughes Development Corporation, a real estate company which develops and manages commercial, residential and industrial real estate in the southeast. He is also a managing member of InRe Financial, LLC and Institutional Resources, LLC, both joint ventures with the goal of securing major project financing for public schools and overseeing their construction. Hughes is on the board of directors for Artisphere and formerly chaired the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and is Chairman of South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities. He is also a Member of Medical University of South Carolina Foundation and the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness. He earned a B.A. in economics and political science from Duke University and a law degree from the University of South Carolina. Hughes will mentor Deepal Eliatamby, President of Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Bob Inglis is a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, representing the Fourth District of South Carolina, a position he has held since 2004. In this capacity, he chairs the Research Subcommittee of the Science Committee and serves on the Judiciary Committee and on the Education and Workforce Committee. He co-chairs the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus. Inglis also represented the Fourth District in the House from 1993 to 1998. After an unsuccessful challenge to U. S. Senator Fritz Hollings in 1998, Inglis rejoined the law firm of Leatherwood Walker Todd & Mann, P. C., where he practiced commercial real estate and corporate law. He graduated from Duke University in 1981 and from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984. Inglis will mentor Darryl F. Owings, Superintendent of Spartanburg County School, District Six.
Harry M. Lightsey, III is State President – South Carolina for BellSouth Telecommunications. Prior to becoming State President, Lightsey spent most of his career in various legal positions with BellSouth and Southwestern Bell. Lightsey sits on the Boards of Directors of the Central Carolina Economic Development Alliance, the College of Charleston Foundation Board, the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, the Hollings Cancer Center, the Palmetto Project, the SC Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics Foundation, the U. S. C. Educational Foundation, and Spoleto. He was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Hodges and has been Columbia Corporate Citizen of the Year. He received his B. A. from Princeton University in 1978 and his J. D. from the University of South Carolina in 1981. Lightsey will mentor Ray Lattimore, Founder, President and CEO of Marketplace Staffing Services, Inc.
John H. Lumpkin, Jr. is Interim Executive Director of Innovista, the University of South Carolina research campus initiative. Prior to this, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Edens & Avant Real Estate Services. Mr. Lumpkin earned his B.A. from Princeton in 1966, and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1969. He is a Member of Board of South Carolina Competitiveness Council; Past member of South Carolina State Development Board; Chair of Midlands Business Leadership Group; member of the Board and Executive Committee of Engenuity SC; and the Board of Trustees for Columbia College. Mr. Lumpkin has also served as Past Chair of Board of Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce; spearheaded organization of Central Carolina Economic Development Alliance and Central Carolina River Alliance (both public/private multi-jurisdiction organizations). Lumpkin will mentor Darrin Todd Thomas, Vice President of Thomas-McCants Media, Inc.
Francis P. (Frank) Mood, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Assistant Secretary of SCANA Corporation, was previously a partner at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., and the firm’s lead attorney in its regulated utilities and administrative law practice. He has served as Chairman of The Citadel’s governing board, President of The Citadel Foundation, Chairman of the South Carolina Board of Bar Examiners, and has recently completed a term as Interim Dean of the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar and the American Bar Association and a permanent member of the Judicial Conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Mood is a graduate of The Citadel and the University of Virginia School of Law. Mood will mentor D. Garrison (“Gary”) Hill, resident Circuit Judge for the Thirteenth Circuit.
Darla Moore, a partner in Rainwater, Inc., is founder and chair of the Palmetto Institute, a nonprofit think tank aimed at bolstering per capita income in South Carolina. She serves on the boards of the University of South Carolina and New York University Medical School and Hospitals. The University of South Carolina's business school is named in her honor and she is the first woman profiled on the cover of Fortune magazine and named to the List of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business. She has served on numerous corporate boards, including Hospital Corp. of America (HCA) and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She currently serves on the board of The South Financial Group and MPS Group and the national advisory board of JP Morgan and was formerly a managing director of the predecessor Chemical Bank. She recently received the Business Person of the Year Award from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Moore earned an M.B.A. from George Washington University. Moore will mentor Ann Kulze, a physician with Just Wellness.
David J. Posek retired from Lockheed Martin Corp. in July, 2005 after 39 years of service. Twenty-eight of those years were with General Electric Co.’s Aerospace Group before it was acquired by Lockheed Martin Corp. in 1995. At the time of his retirement, Posek was president of the company’s Aircraft and Logistics Centers business, a $950 million business, supporting aircraft, aircraft design, and modification. He earned his B.S. degree from St. Louis University in 1966, and his MBA from Drexel University in 1975. He has served on a number of Boards, including the Red Cross, Urban League, Peace Center, Metropolitan Arts Council and the Appalachian Service Project. He currently serves as Secretary of the Ports Authority. Posek will mentor Chad Prosser, Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks.
Joseph P. Riley is the Mayor of Charleston, SC, a position he has held since December 1975. He is now serving his eighth term. Mr. Riley served as President of the U. S. Conference of Mayors 1986-87 and currently serves on the USCM’s Executive Committee. He was given the Outstanding Mayors Award by the National Urban Coalition, the Distinguished Citizen Award by the National Association of Realtors. Mayor Riley has received the Order of the Palmetto and been named South Carolinian of the Year. In June 2000, he was awarded the first President's Award from the U. S. Conference of Mayors for outstanding leadership. He was honored as the first recipient of the Urban Land Institute J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development, and he
Joseph P. Riley is the Mayor of Charleston, SC, a position he has held since December 1975. He is now serving his eighth term. Mr. Riley served as President of the U. S. Conference of Mayors 1986-87 and currently serves on the USCM’s Executive Committee. He was given the Outstanding Mayors Award by the National Urban Coalition, the Distinguished Citizen Award by the National Association of Realtors. Mayor Riley has received the Order of the Palmetto and been named South Carolinian of the Year. In June 2000, he was awarded the first President's Award from the U. S. Conference of Mayors for outstanding leadership. He was honored as the first recipient of the Urban Land Institute J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development, and he was given the Keystone Award, given for exemplary leadership to those who use architecture to transform their communities, by the American Architectural Foundation. Mayor Riley received his undergraduate degree from The Citadel (1964) and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law (1967). In 1968, Mayor Riley was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he served for six years. Riley will mentor Vincent A. Sheheen, an attorney with Savage, Royall and Sheheen LLP.
Andrew A. Sorensen was named the 27th President of the University of South Carolina in 2002, after serving as president of the University of Alabama, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Florida and executive director of the AIDS Institute at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He has also served as a visiting faculty member at the Harvard University School of Medicine and the University of Cambridge School of Medicine. Author or editor of seven books and more than 100 articles, Dr. Sorensen is professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at USC's Arnold School of Public Health. He holds a bachelor's degree in ethics and master's and doctoral degrees in medical sociology from Yale University. He also earned a B.A. in history from the University of Illinois and a master of public health degree from the University of Michigan. Sorensen will mentor John C. Few, a Circuit Court Judge.
John Spratt grew up in York, where he still lives. He graduated from York High School and Davidson College. At both schools, he was president of the student body. He won a Marshall Scholarship to Oxford and earned a law degree from Yale. After serving as a captain in the Army from 1969-71, he came home to practice law. He was county and school district attorney, president of the Bank of Fort Mill, owner of a farm and small insurance agency. Active in his community, he was an elder at First Presbyterian Church, and president of the Chamber of Commerce and United Way. First elected to Congress in 1982, John Spratt is lead Democrat on the Budget Committee and a negotiator of the Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997. He sits one seat from the chair of the Armed Services Committee and is Assistant to the Democratic Leader in the House. He co-chairs the Textile Caucus, the Bearing Caucus, and the Nuclear Energy Caucus. Spratt will mentor Laurie Slade Funderburk, an attorney in Camden.
Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal is the first and only woman to serve as a Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. She began her service as an Associate Justice; was installed as Chief Justice in 2000 for the balance of the term of her predecessor; and was re-elected and installed as Chief Justice in 2004 for a ten-year term. Toal practiced law for 20 years prior to her election to the South Carolina Supreme Court, first as an associate with the Haynsworth Law Firm, then as an associate and partner with Belser, Baker, Barwick, Ravenel, Toal & Bender. As a lawyer, she appeared frequently in all levels of trial and appellate courts in the state and also had considerable experience as a litigator in U.S. District Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to practicing law, Toal served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for 13 years. She was the first woman in South Carolina to chair a standing committee of the House of Representatives. She earned a B.A. in philosophy from Agnes Scott College and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina. Toal will mentor Frederick D. Gibbs, President and CEO of Banc Capital & Financial Services, Inc.
The first gathering of the Class of 2008 will take place October 11-15, 2006 at Wofford College.
For more information, visit www.libertyfellowshipsc.org
