The election of a new board chair, a new Council of College Presidents chair, and seven new trustees highlighted the Sept. 28 virtual business meeting of the SCICU Board of Trustees.
Lucy Grey McIver, deputy general counsel for BlueCross Blue Shield of South Carolina, was elected to a two-year term as chair of the SCICU Board of Trustees. McIver joined the SCICU board in 2014 and has been active on the board’s Public Policy committee. The board named McIver chair-elect in 2019.
Jerry Cheatham, outgoing SCICU board chair, passed the gavel to McIver in SCICU’s virtual fall board meeting Sept. 28.
“Jerry Cheatham led the SCICU Board of Trustees through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing strategic guidance on how SCICU could best serve the member institutions and their students,” said Jeff Perez, SCICU president and CEO. “We are grateful for Jerry’s leadership and I am thankful for his friendship.”
Newberry College President Maurice Scherrens will serve a full term as chair of the SCICU Council of College Presidents. Dr. Scherrens had been filling the vacancy left with the departure of Converse President Krista Newkirk. The SCICU Council of College Presidents comprises the presidents of the 21 SCICU member institutions.
Seven South Carolina business leaders were elected as new trustees on the SCICU board. These newly-appointed trustees will serve a three-year term and will select committee appointments in the areas of development, finance, and public policy. SCICU is pleased to announce the following new board members:
- M. Blake Dowd – Market President, Synovus (Lexington)
- Steve Growth – SVP / Director of Government Lending, First Citizens Bank (Columbia)
- Dennis Lynch – Member/Attorney, Nexsen Pruett (Columbia)
- Jada McAbee – Shareholder / CPA, Halliday, Schwartz & Co. (Spartanburg)
- David Murphy – VP / Growth and Risk Operations, Unum and Colonial Life and Accident (Columbia)
- D. Shannon Stephens – Midlands President, United Community Bank (Columbia)
- John Sullivan – President, Allegiance Industries (Lexington)
Bios for the new trustees may be read here.
Seven existing trustees were nominated and elected for a second three-year term on the SCICU board. These trustees will continue to serve on the board through August 31, 2024 and include:
- Cynthia Bennett – Chief Diversity Officer, S.C. Chamber of Commerce (Columbia)
- John Garrison – Counsel, Internal Operations, Aflac (Columbia)
- Steve Hall – Vice President of Business Development, Find Great People (Greenville)
- Brandolyn Pinkston – Retired Consumer Affairs Administrator (Columbia)
- Ben Porter – Market President, First Citizens Bank (Spartanburg)
- Leigh Ann Puryear – Community Relations Liaison – Duke Energy Carolinas (Greenville)
- Trey Simon – President and CEO, S.C. Student Loan Corporation (Columbia)
SCICU is grateful for the service of the following outgoing trustees:
- Kin Britton – Upstate Market President, First Horizon Bank (Spartanburg)
- David Charpia – Market President, HomeTrust Bank (Greenville)
- Holt Chetwood – SVP/Manager Commercial Banking, First Citizens Bank (Columbia)
- Russell Cook – Senior Advisor, S.C. Research Authority (Columbia)
- Joe Gillis – President, Gillis Specialty Advertising (Columbia)
- Ben Green – President and COO, Insurance Advantage (Columbia)
- Tyler Hudson – Director, Commercial Real Estate, Synovus (Columbia)
- Ray Lattimore – President and CEO, Marketplace Staffing (Greenville)
- David Parker – Vice President, Business Partner Foundation, Darla Moore School of Business (Columbia)
“We are deeply grateful that our board officers and new trustees will be putting their leadership and experience at the disposal of SCICU,” said Perez. “As our new chair of the Board of Trustees Lucy Grey McIver will continue the progress championed by outgoing chair Jerry Cheatham.”
