Lander University has announced seven appointments to the Board of Trustees of The Lander Foundation, which was created in 1948 as the policy-making board of the university. In 1973, it was reorganized into an independent, non-profit organization responsible for receiving, managing and investing gifts for the welfare of the university. The new appointees are:
A.R. Charnes, of Savannah Lakes Village in McCormick County. A native of Indiana, he graduated from the University of Findlay in Ohio, where he is vice chair of the Board of Trustees, and attended the Dartmouth-Tuck Business School executive management program. He retired after more than 30 years in executive positions with Marathon Oil Co. and Getty Petroleum. He is a past member of the Board of Counselors of Erskine College where he was on the adjunct business faculty.
Wayne Carstens, of Ninety Six, a retired actuary consultant and insurance company executive. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has extensive training in management and strategic and tactical planning. A Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and member of the Academy of Actuaries, Carstens began his career as an entry-level actuarial student and rose to become vice president of Lincoln National Life's reinsurance division. He was chief actuary and chief operating officer for the Acacia Group in Washington, D.C., and, later, he and two partners formed a consulting firm.
Emmett Davis Jr., of Greenwood, chairman of Davis & Floyd. He obtained a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from The Citadel and served for 12 years with the U.S. Army Reserve's Corps of Engineers. Davis is an elder in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Greenwood and served on the Erskine College board, four years as chair. Davis is active in several professional societies and, in 2008, he received the Service to Profession Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies. In 2009, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian award.
Kenneth Johnson, of Greenville, is the executive director of the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and held executive positions in human resources with IBM and Lexmark. He is on the Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University Divinity School and served as executive director of the Greenville Symphony from 2007-2011. He has also been active as a member of the board of the Hendersonville N.C. Symphony, Habitat for Humanity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other organizations.
Claude Robinson, of Greenville, is the president Upstate of Countybank. He has held executive positions with Countybank for more than 30 years. He is a 1979 graduate of Lander University with a degree in business administration and, in 2000, he was the recipient of the Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a former member of the Alumni Association Board and Lander's Board of Visitors. He has served on the advisory board of Greenwood School District 50 and is a former president of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce and Greenwood Kiwanis Club. He has served as a trustee of the Self Regional Hospital Foundation and member of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors.
Jerry Stevens, of Greenwood, is the marketing president and senior vice president of Park Sterling Bank. He is a 1993 Lander graduate with a degree in business with a marketing management emphasis. He is an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Greenwood and his community activities include the Rotary Club, Red Cross, Piedmont Technical College Foundation and Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. He received the Outstanding Young Banker Award from the South Carolina Banking Association in 2004 and, five years later, he received the Independent Banks of South Carolina Leadership Award.
Mark Warner, of Honea, Path is the chief executive officer of Greenwood Partnership Alliance. He is also a Lander graduate, having received a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a business emphasis in 1984. He served as director of the Alliance's workforce development and existing industry programs and held supervisory and management positions with Robert Bosch Corp. in Anderson, and Cooper Power Systems in Greenwood. He is a member of the Human Resources Association of Greenwood, member and past president of the Society of Human Resources Management in Anderson, and a member of the Greenwood Rotary and South Carolina Economic Developers Association.
Other members of the Lander Foundation Board are Kevin Dempsey, Lisa Emily, Charlie Rogers, Sandra Anderson, W.A. (Bill) Barnette Jr., LeBron Bright, Linda Dolny, Larry Hammond, Wayne Justesen, Doug Kauffmann, Jim McDonald, Wes McAllister, Denise Medford, Gus Ramage, Don Scott, Nancy Scott, Jan Smoke, Ferol Stroud and Audrey Witherspoon. Renee Love and Paige Ouzts are faculty appointees to the Board; David Mash and Glenda Ridgely are administrative appointees; Jack Lawrence and George Starnes are Lander University Board of Trustees appointees; and Erin Layland, president of the Alumni Association is the association's representative.