2020-21 Board of Directors

Bachelor of Arts – Communication
Masters of Tourism Management – Temple University

Ms. Dority is the Director of Marketing for Explore Charleston, also known as the Charleston Area CVB, where she has worked for more than twenty years. She is responsible for the coordination and implementation of their advertising and marketing plan to attract leisure and group businesses to the Charleston area. Ms. Dority and her husband, Roland Dority ’91, reside in Charleston with their daughter, Simmons. The Dority family are members of Grace Church Cathedral in downtown Charleston.

Affiliations: Member of Board of Directors for the SC Restaurant and Lodging Association; member of the National Board of Trustees of the Institute for Organizational Management of the US Chamber of Commerce; member of SC Association of Tourism Regions; member of the SC Travel and Tourism Coalition; member of the Southeast Tourism Society; former board member of the College of Charleston Cougar Club; former member of Governor Sanford’s Budget Task Force; Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

Bachelor of Science—Business Administration

Mr. Eastman is a founding partner and President of Stokesman Luxury Homes, a custom home building company in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr Eastman was previously with IBM, also in Atlanta, where he lives with his family which includes one son, Gavyn.

Mr. Eastman is a Volunteer Pilot for Angel Flight Soars, Inc., where he invests his own pilot time and plane to provide transportation for patients in need of medical treatment far from home.

Affiliations: Sigma Phi Epsilon; Atlanta CofC Club past president.

Bachelor of Science – Business Administration
Juris Doctor – North Carolina Central University School of Law

Ms. Edwards lives in Lake Wylie, South Carolina, just across the state line from Charlotte, North Carolina, where she is an employment and business lawyer. Her practice handles business law, which includes entity formations, HR consulting, and advising clients on equal employment opportunities and compliance. Ms. Edwards owns two other companies and speaks, writes, and volunteers to serve her community in meaningful ways. As an extension of her legal practice, she sees her role as an employee advocate while helping businesses understand the strategic benefits of helping their employees navigate the workplace using collaborative efforts.

Affiliations: College of Charleston Graduate School Advisory Board; 1770 Society; GOLD Society. 

Bachelor of Science – International Business
Bachelor of Arts - French

Ms. Exell is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch. Starting her financial services career in New York in 2007, Sarah has worked in different capacities within the industry including analytical and trading support roles as well as banking and financial advising. Ms. Exell is an active part of the local art community and lives on Johns Island with her husband, Eric.

Affiliations: Board member, CofC Student Affairs Board of Advocates; past President, Student Alumni Associates; Senior Class President ’07; past recipient ExCEL Student of the Year – School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs.

Bachelor of Science – Accounting

John Flack is a native of Rutherfordton, NC. After graduation, John remained in South Carolina in the Midlands and Grand Strand. After nearly 20 years in the automotive industry, John has recently moved to Charlotte, NC, and is the CFO for the Mills Automotive Group.

Affiliates: Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Student Alumni Associates.

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Bachelor of Science—Business Administration
Masters in Business Administration — The Citadel

A South Carolina native with more than 25 years accounting experience in the Charleston area. She is an accounting and tax consultant serving high net worth individuals and businesses with less than $100 million in assets. Ms. Hammond has extensive experience with: IRS Compliance, IRS Defense, GAAP Compliance, and small business accounting.  She is a Quickbooks-certified pro-advisor for the following programs: Quickbooks for Mac, Quickbooks for Windows, Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions and Quickbooks Online.

Affiliations: ADPi

Bachelor of Science—Business Administration

A native of Rock Hill, SC, Mr. Hart is the son of Terri Joseph and Dominic Hart. Mr. Hart has one sister, Dominique. He attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, SC. In 2015, he was named South Carolina Mr. Baseball. Mr. Hart was named 2015 High School Sports Report Class AAAA Player of the Year, and became a four-year starter at the College. 

Currently, Mr. Hart is a Manager at Enterprise Rent-a-Car and resides in Charleston, SC.

Affiliations: Former baseball player

Bachelor of Arts—Political Science
Juris Doctor — University of South Carolina

Mr. Land has spent his career dedicated to law. After completing law school, he spent the early part of his career as the Law Clerk for Circuit Court Judge L. Henry McKellar. In 1998, he joined the law firm Land Parker Welch LLC as a partner where he currently practices. His primary areas of practice are personal injury, family court, and criminal court.

He and his wife Amy Anders Land, reside in Manning, SC, with their three children James Ceth Land, Carolina Elizabeth “Bitsy” Land '20, and William Anders Land.

Affiliations: Pi Kappa Phi; Clarendon School District Two Board of Trustees 2004-Present (Board Chairman 2009-11); Clarendon County Disabilities and Special Needs Foundation, Foundation Chairman 2009-Present; Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, Board Member 2016-Present; Clarendon County Community Development Corporation, Board Member 2009-Present; Congaree Land Trust, Board Member 2017-Present.

Bachelor of Arts – History
Master of Arts – History — University of South Carolina
PhD – Higher Education Administration – University of South Carolina

Dr. Mahan is the President of Aiken Technical College. With 25 years in the South Carolina Technical College System, Dr. Mahan began as a history instructor at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and later became Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Northeastern Technical College before arriving in Aiken. Focused on the mission to provide affordable, accessible higher education to the greater Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), Dr. Mahan champions the development of a highly-skilled workforce to serve the industries in the region.

Affiliations: South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce, Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness, Aiken County United Way, Savannah River Site – Community Reuse Organization, Rotary Club of Aiken, Aiken Performing Arts, and South Carolina Technical College Association.

Bachelor of Science – Business Administration 

Mr. Moore is President and Chief Executive Officer of TW Metals, Inc., a global full-line specialty metals distributor, headquartered in Exton, PA. He has held the positions of Vice President, Finance and Administration; and Chief Financial Officer at the company since joining them in 2002. He began his career in public accounting and transitioned to Manager of Financial Reporting for both MEDIQ and PCI. He became corporate controller for Owosso Corporation in 1997.

He has been married to Patty Fralinger '84 for 32 years. They have three daughters and a son. Their oldest daughter, Caitlin, graduated from the College in 2010 and their second daughter, Allison, graduated in 2016.

Affiliations: 1770 Society;

Bachelor of Science- Business Administration
Juris Doctor- Charleston School of Law

Mr. Nance is an Attorney in Florence, SC, and is a shareholder in the law firm, King, Love, Hupfer & Nance, LLC. The primary focus of his practice is on personal injury cases arising from motor vehicle accidents, trucking accidents and premises liability matters. He also represents clients in criminal cases, family law matters and agricultural cases as well. He and his wife, Danielle Blaker Nance, have two children: Blaker and Eloise.

Mr. Nance is very active in the Florence community. He is a founding member of the Pee Dee Alumni Club for the College of Charleston and has served as President. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Florence County and is a Founding Member of the Circle of Excellence at McLeod Health. He’s a member of the Fellows in Education, Florence County School District, an Advisory Board Member at Signature Wealth, and is a Basketball Coach at Trinity Byrnes Collegiate School.

Affiliations: South Carolina Bar Association, Florence County Bar Association, Criminal Justice Act of 1964 Panel – United States District Court, District of South Carolina, Pee Dee Alumni Club, College of Charleston, Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Bachelor of Arts – Political Science
Juris Doctor – North Carolina Central University Law School
Masters of Laws – St. Thomas University School of Law

Ms. Reese is the General Counsel for South Carolina State University where she serves as the Chief Legal Officer for the University. Her duties include reviewing contracts, evaluating risks, and advising its Board of Trustees, President, and senior administration. Ms. Reese is a former Assistant General Counsel for the College of Charleston.

Affiliations: Member of the North Carolina State Bar; member of South Carolina State Bar; member of the Charleston Country Bar Association; member of the National Association of College University Attorneys.

Bachelor of Art – Political Science; Minor in Communications
Juris Doctor – New York Law School
Masters Media Studies – New School University
Graduate School of Banking – ABA Stonier at The University of Pennsylvania

Mr. Rutenberg is the Regional Vice President for TD Bank, leading the commercial banking function of the bank for the greater Grand Strand, Pee Dee and Cape Fear regions. Prior to joining TD in 2011, Mr. Rutenberg held various commercial banking positions across his 17 years in banking, including roles in both management and sales.

Mr. Rutenberg grew up in Myrtle Beach. After graduating from the College in 1992, he moved to New York City where he lived for 13 years. While living in New York, Mr. Rutenberg worked as a Producer for CNN-New York and CNN-United Nations before attending law school. While in law school, Mr. Rutenberg worked for the New York City Law Department's Medical Malpractice division. He moved back to Myrtle Beach in 2005.

He and his wife, Kim, have a daughter and son and live in Myrtle Beach.

Affiliations: Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Finance Committee Member; Coastal Carolina University Athletic Foundation Board Member; Horry-Georgetown Technical College Foundation Board Member; 2012 graduate of Leadership Grand Strand.

Bachelor of Science – Business Administration

Mr. Smith is the Managing Director of CBRE’s South Carolina office, where he has executive oversight over all operations in the Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville-Spartanburg offices including the Advisory and Transaction Services and Capital Markets teams. With more than thirty years of experience in commercial real estate, Mr. Smith has a passion for connecting the right people and the right skills on every opportunity. Mr. Smith focuses on integrating CBRE’s diverse service lines, including property leasing, management, project management and investment sales to provide comprehensive and creative solutions to clients across the state. Mr. Smith’s first nine years after graduation were spent in Charleston, where he specialized in commercial sales and leasing.

Affiliations: SIOR Designation; Greater Greenville Association of Realtors Member; Board of Governors for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce; March of Dimes Real Estate Committee; Member of the Greenville YMCA Board of Directors; past President for Carolina’s Chapter of SIOR; Past Regional Director and Board of Directors member for SIOR

Bachelor of Arts - Communication; Concentration in Corporate Communication  

Miss Striplin is the owner of The Tiny Tassel, based in Charleston, SC. She is a former president of the Student Alumni Associates ‘13-’14, and former vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa ‘13-’14. Mimi is originally from Spartanburg, SC and has lived in Charleston for the past 10 years.

Affiliations: Student Alumni Associates, Omicron Delta Kappa, Leadership CofC, Charleston Visitors Bureau, The Rising Tide Society Summerville co-leader 

Bachelor of Professional Studies – Organizational Leadership and Management  

Ms. Timme is President/CEO of Indigo Asset Services, an advisory firm for commercial real estate partnerships and family offices. With over 25 years of industry experience, she acts as an Owner’s Representative, overseeing the financial performance of real estate portfolios. Prior to launching Indigo in 2017, Suzette was President of Weissberg Corp. overseeing real estate investment activity for its retail, office, multi-family, and industrial assets. She was previously Vice President of Asset Management and Leasing for Spectrum Partners and spent over 15 years in mall management including with Simon Property Group as General Manager of Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

Throughout her career, Ms. Timme has served on numerous industry-related, civic, and non-profit boards. She has participated in several mentoring programs and holds four professional designations. She is a former Commissioner for Arlington County Economic Development and past President of Women in Retail Real Estate. She currently serves as a Board Member of Rosslyn Business Improvement District. She is a certified ski instructor and was President for Wintergreen Adaptive Sports.

A native South Carolinian who now resides in Arlington, Virginia, she is married to Rear Admiral William G. Timme (USN, ret.), and they have two daughters.

Affiliations: Rosslyn Business Improvement District, Board Member; Arlington County Economic Development, former Commissioner and Retail Task Force chair; Women in Retail Real Estate, Past President; Capital Speakers Club of Washington, DC; Urban Land Institute; Women’s Leadership Initiative of ULI; International Council of Shopping Centers; Building Owners and Managers International; Leadership Loudoun; Wintergreen Adaptive Sports, Past President, Board Member and Volunteer Ski Instructor; Professional Ski Instructors of America; and Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

Bachelor of Arts - English  

Mr. Wakefield is a Founding Principal of VW Multifamily, a private equity investment sponsor and asset manager that specializes in generating long-term wealth and current income for its investment partners through multifamily real estate assets. His company is headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, SC with an office in Tampa, FL. Mr. Wakefield began his career in banking where he held various positions in corporate and investment banking. During the eight years prior to forming VW Multifamily in 2014, Mr. Wakefield served as VP of Corporate Business Development and Strategy for a longstanding Florida family business called Lykes Bros where he lead numerous growth initiatives. Mr. Wakefield lives in Tampa, FL with his three daughters.

Affiliations: Gasparilla Music Foundation, Founding Board Member and Past President; Frameworks of Tampa Bay, Former Board Member, Development Committee; Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Founding Chair, Startup Scholars Committee; Downtown Tampa Partnership, Growth and Commerce Committee.

Bachelor of Science – Mathematics
Masters of Business Administration, Finance Emphasis - University of South Carolina

Mr. Ward owns Merchants Gate, LLC, a real estate development company, specializing in infill and historic rehabilitation/development located in Pendleton, SC. He returned to upstate SC in 2004 to pursue a second career in real estate. Previously, he retired from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Smith based in New York City. His last assignment with ML was as CFO of Equity Linked Derivative Trading. He spent 10 years abroad with ML residing in London, Hong Kong, and Toronto.

Affiliations: Councilman, Town of Pendleton; Board of Regents, Leadership Pendleton; Financial Advisor, Pendleton Historic Foundation; Treasurer and Smart Growth Chair, Pendleton Pride in Motion; Community Council, Anderson District Four Schools; Omicron Delta Kappa; Pi Kappa Phi.

Bachelor of Science- Sociology
Masters of Arts- Business Administration and Human Resources, Webster University

Ms. Williams currently serves as the Community Engagement Director for Joint Base Charleston in Charleston, SC. Her current career began after she retired from the U.S. Army in April 2018 after 22 years of service. Her last position was as the Public Affairs Specialist for Moncrief Army Health Clinic at Fort Jackson training base in Columbia, SC. Prior to that, she worked at the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, as the Director of Public Affairs and Media/ Community Relations at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Ms. Williams lives in Charleston, SC.

Affiliations: Member, Hardin County Rotary Club, Elizabethtown, KY; The Palmetto Chapter of the Association of U.S. Army; Shaw AFB; SC The Boys and Girls Club of America; Veterans Across America; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Bachelor of Science – Political Science

Mr. Eleuteri is the founder and owner of Charleston Beverage Company, a locally owned company that sells and produces Charleston Mix Bloody Mary nationally. Founded in the Lowcountry and still made locally, Charleston Mix is the #1 selling craft mix in the nation, and #5 overall. Born and raised outside Philadelphia, Mr. Eleuteri moved to Charleston in 1998 to attend the College of Charleston.

A 2002 graduate of the College, with a degree in Political Science, he resides in downtown Charleston with his lab Tyson.

Affiliation: College of Charleston Athletic Fund Board, Sigma Nu Fraternity, Student Alumni Associates Past President, 1770 Society; GOLD Society. 

Bachelor of Science - Biology
Doctor of Optometry – Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Dr. Draisin has been a practicing behavioral optometrist for more than 40 years, having founded his practice, Draisin Vision Group, in 1972. While a CofC student, Neil was a member of the men's tennis team. He is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Bachelor of Arts – Spanish
Bachelor of Science – International Business
Master of Public Administration — University of Charleston, SC
Master of Science – Environmental Studies — University of Charleston, SC

Mr. Bailey is the Director of Marketing and Admissions for the College of Charleston Honors College. He is also the director and head coach for Without Limits Charleston, a team for endurance athletes.

Affiliations: GOLD Society; Men’s Cross Country; Honors College; Aiken Fellows Society; Schottland Scholars.

Bachelor of Science: Marketing; minor in Business Language in Spanish 

A native of Irmo, SC, Ms. Ramsey is a senior at the College of Charleston. She currently has an internship with Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative and works for Lake Weekend Wear as a sales associate. When she’s not busy with work and academics, you can find her at the beach or exploring the Charleston.

Affiliations: President of the Student Alumni Associates; Sigma Kappa; American Marketing Association; Real Estate Club