Lander University has announced eight appointments to the Board of Trustees of The Lander Foundation, the independent, nonprofit organization that receives, manages and invests gifts for the welfare of the university. The new appointees are:
David Buckshorn, of Greenwood, president and chief executive officer of Wesley Commons in Greenwood. He has an MBA from Clemson University and is a member of Lander's School of Management Advisory Council. He is also vice chair of the South Carolina Board of Long Term Health Care Administrators and chair of its Long Term Health Care Review Committee.
Heather Simmons Jones, of Greenwood, chief executive officer of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance. She has bachelor's and master's degrees from Clemson University. A former president and executive committee member of the S.C. Economic Developers' Association, she is on the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce Board, Lander University's Board of Visitors, and the Clemson University Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Brent Parris, of Greenwood, the human resources manager of Eaton. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in human resources management from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, vice chair of the United Way of Greenwood and Abbeville, and a member of the board of Beyond Abuse.
John Pillman, of Greenwood, is rejoining The Lander Foundation Board, having served from 1998 to 2011, and for 10 years as chair of its investment committee. The chief executive officer and treasurer of Velux, he has a degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University. He is also a member of the Self Regional Healthcare Board of Trustees
Lee Prather, of Augusta, Ga., graduated from Lander University in 1977 with a degree in history. He has a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and a master's of law in taxation from Emory University in Atlanta. A practicing attorney in Augusta, he is a member of the American, Georgia State and Augusta bar associations.
Kirk Smith, of McCormick, the general manager and chief operating officer of Savannah Lakes Village in McCormick County. He is a 2000 Lander graduate with a business degree with a marketing and management emphasis, and he has a master's in business and management from Southern Wesleyan University. He co-founded and serves on the board of Outdoor Initiatives, Inc., which includes the Little River Blueway Adventure Region and Lake Thurmond Tourism Initiative. He also chairs the McCormick County Chamber of Commerce.
Kerry Trapnell, of Greenwood, chief executive officer of Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital. He has a business degree in accounting from Valdosta State University, and his civic activities include leadership roles with the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, the Greenwood Partnership Alliance and March of Dimes. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Gerald Witt, of Greenwood, assistant superintendent for administration for Greenwood School District 50. He obtained bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the Self Regional Healthcare Board of Trustees and the S.C. School Administrators Association. He chairs the association's Student Personnel Roundtable Division.
Ralph Patterson, Lander's vice president for University Advancement, and The Lander Foundation's executive director, said, "We're pleased to add an incredibly strong group of leaders from Greenwood and the Lakelands area to serve as board members. We look forward to their contributions as we do good work for Lander."
The new appointees join current foundation board members Stephen Baggett Jr., Wayne Carstens, A.R. Charnes, Emmett Davis Jr., Kevin Dempsey, Bill Dixon, Lisa Emily, the Rev. Alvin Green, the Rev. Doug Kauffman, Theo Lane and Wes McAllister, the board president for 2014-15. The other trustees are Jeff Humphrey, John Patrick, Charlie Rogers, Don Scott, Jan Smoke, Jerry Stevens and Ferol Stroud.
Drs. Renee Love, dean of Lander's College of Arts and Humanities, and Paige Ouzts, professor of physics, are faculty appointees to the board. Dr. David Mash, Lander's provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and Gary McCombs, vice president for Business and Administration, are administrative appointees. Jack Lawrence and Holly Bracknell are Lander Board of Trustees appointees, and Frank Ridlehoover, president of Lander's Alumni Association is the Alumni representative.