College of Charleston Magazine Summer 2024

College of Charleston Magazine
the ART OF
HoSPITALITY
How the School of Business and alumni like Chef James London ’07 keep Charleston the No. 1 tourist destination
Chef James London
Winter 2025
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Contents
College of Charleston Magazine

Winter 2025 Volume XXIX, Issue 1

Editor
Tom Cunneff
Art Director
Jennifer Hitchcock ’97
Managing Editor
George Johnson
Associate Editor
Alicia Lutz ’98
Photography
Mike Ledford
Catie Cleveland

Contributors
Marissa Bamonte ’18
Kip Bulwinkle ’04
Zeniya Cooley
Vincent Fraley
Darcie Goodwin
Amanda Kerr
Lizzie Koschnick
Andrew Thomas Lee
Margaret Loftus
Andrew Miller
Reese Moore
Trevor Paul
Erin Perkins ’08 (M.P.A.)
Mike Robertson
Becca Starkes ’16
Amy Stockwell

Copy Editor
Maureen Schlangen
Alumni Relations
Joe Erickson
Ann Pryor ’83
Brianna Sabacinski ’16

VP Marketing and Communications
Ron Menchaca ’98
Contact us at
magazine@cofc.edu or 843.953.6462
On the Web
Mailing Address
ATTN: College of Charleston Magazine
College of Charleston
Office of Marketing and Communications
Charleston, SC 29424-0001
College of Charleston Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing & Communications. With each printing, approximately 82,000 copies are mailed to keep alumni, families of currently enrolled students, and friends informed about and connected to the College. Diverse views appear in these pages and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the official policies of the College.
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  • Head in the Cloud
    26 A first-generation college student, sophomore Simon Salazar-Marin left his parents in Colombia at age 17 to come to America, where he’s hoping a specialty in data storage will lead to a better future for him and his parents.
  • American Dream
    32 Disappointed with the quality and overseas production of American flags, three alumni – Max Berry ’13 (MBA), Wes Lyon ’13 (MBA), and Katie Morgan Lyon ’14 (M.Ed.) – founded Allegiance Flag Supply and are flying high.
  • At Your Service
    40 Charleston’s spot atop travel rankings is due in large part to graduates of the College’s hospitality and tourism management program, such as the ones profiled in this feature.
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LETTER FROM PRESIDENT ANDREW T. HSU

The Secret is Out

The College will now host a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, reflecting our rising academic reputation.
As the oldest institution of higher education south of Virginia, we at the College of Charleston like to boast about our age. In business and in higher education, age can be a proxy for excellence – a shining badge of honor that differentiates us from the more than 2,600 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.
Andrew T. Hsu clapping while walking down an aisle with people seated on either side
| photo by Mike Ledford |
In our 10-year strategic plan, Tradition & Transformation, one of our key pillars is focused on academic distinction – the cornerstone of our reputation as a top university. Some of the success metrics in this work are rankings, program enrollment, admissions selectivity, and retention and graduation rates. I am proud to say that our success metrics are trending in the right direction – a credit to our remarkable faculty and staff who are doing great collaborative work to enhance the academic experience.

Another specific initiative within our academic distinction pillar was to host a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa on our campus. Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776, is the most recognized academic honor society for the liberal arts in the country. It only made sense that the College – as the public flagship liberal arts institution and the oldest university in the state – should be among those universities housing a chapter. At this time, only 10% of colleges and universities have the honor of hosting a chapter. While its exclusivity is certainly part of its distinction, its values touting liberal arts – its letters are initials for a three-word Greek phrase that translates to “the love of wisdom is the guide of life” – completely align with our institution’s own belief in the power of a broad education to instill a love of knowledge and prepare thoughtful, lifelong learners and leaders.

In 2021, we began the multiyear application process – an effort led by our academic affairs team and faculty in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (with special thanks to Provost Suzanne Austin; Gibbs Knotts, former dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Beth Meyer-Bernstein, dean of the Honors College; and Beth Sundstrom, health communication professor).

It only made sense that the College should be among those universities housing a chapter.
In August, the Phi Beta Kappa Society voted to establish three new chapters: at the College of Charleston, Gonzaga University and Texas State University. This spring, the College will start its chapter and induct its first cohort. Traditionally, membership is extended to undergraduates with an appropriate courseload of liberal arts and sciences study who are in the top 10% of their class. Past members from other colleges and universities include present and former U.S. Supreme Court justices (42), former presidents (17), acclaimed writers and scientists and more than 150 Nobel laureates.

The College of Charleston is joining a prestigious membership that reflects the rich tradition of our liberal arts curriculum on campus as well as our rising academic reputation on the national stage. We are no longer the “best-kept secret” when it comes to our academic excellence, and the word is out about the types of amazing graduates we produce.

As a university with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, we will continue to elevate our brand, which is in keeping with our quality and certainly befitting our age.

Andrew T. Hsu signature

AROUND THE CISTERN

CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT five questions EXECUTIVE ACCELERATOR

Strike Up the Band!

The return of Homecoming included the first Homecoming parade on Nov. 13 and featured athletics teams, Clyde the Cougar, student organizations, President Andrew T. Hsu, and other members of the College community. The golf cart caravan kicked off near the heart of campus at George and Glebe streets, traveled around the block spreading maroon pride along the way, and concluded back on George Street. It will surely be a Homecoming highlight for years to come.
| photo by Catie Cleveland |
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AROUND THE CISTERN
A two-panel architectural rendering of the renovated Theodore Stern Student Center at the College of Charleston. The left panel showcases the front exterior, featuring large glass windows and a welcoming entrance under a tree. The right panel depicts the inner courtyard with modern seating, greenery, and students socializing, highlighting the building's inviting and functional design.

on a tear

Following three years of planning, the Theodore S. Stern Student Center closed in September to undergo a major three-year renovation inside and out.

The exterior of the four-story building, which dates to 1974 and is named after the College’s 16th president, will get a new brick facade and more, larger windows designed to allow in much more natural light while also keeping birds from flying into them.

Inside, students will socialize and eat on the first floor, or “living room”; collaborate on the second floor, which will have student organization offices and an e-sports section; and work out on the third floor in the two new fitness rooms. The fourth floor will be administrative offices and a ballroom.

The Stern Center Garden will also get a refresh and will include a plaza of monuments honoring the College’s National Pan-Hellenic Council African American fraternities and sororities.

“It’s going to be transformative,” says Alicia Caudill, executive vice president for the Division of Student Affairs, adding that the new Student Success Center right down George Street will also open right around the same time as the Stern Center in the summer of 2027. “The evolution of this corridor of campus in support of student engagement and success will be incredible.”

And don’t worry about the beloved turtles. They will get a new home at Rivers Green before being returned to their pond.

Renard Harris, a College of Charleston faculty member, smiles while wearing headphones and sitting in front of a professional podcast microphone. He is dressed in a blue shirt, set against a softly lit background with a window, emphasizing a creative and engaged workspace.
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

public education

A new radio segment puts a spotlight on what the College does best: teach. Airing on South Carolina Public Radio on Fridays, Teachable Moments is a one-minute education segment for students and parents. From the prevalence of cellphones in classrooms to the intricacies of homework management, mental health awareness and combating childhood obesity, each episode is designed to introduce pressing educational issues. The host is Rénard Harris, an associate professor of management in the School of Business who has a doctorate in teacher education.

“I’m a big fan of simplicity, positive impact and good communication – Teachable Moments does all of that,” says Harris, who plays the harmonica for the show’s musical intro and outro. “The things I share are topics that anyone can engage with and encourage conversation whether you are in your car, at the workplace or at home. And they are topics we all think about at some point in our daily life.”

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AROUND THE CISTERN

Five Questions for Jayme Klinger Host

The new dean of the School of the Arts
Jayme Klinger Host smiling while resting her arms on a wooden bar
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

What are you most excited about in this new chapter in your life?

The opportunities are so vast. I am most excited about the opportunity to collaborate with our incredibly talented faculty, students and the broader Charleston arts community. Above all, I’m excited to help shape the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in the arts world.

What do you think of the new facilities?

They’re beautiful, and it’s been so great to welcome the students and activate those spaces, see them in classes, in the rehearsal spaces, in the studios. It’s really quite exciting, particularly the three Simons Center performance spaces right next to each other. It’s akin to Charleston’s version of the Lincoln Center, serving as a premier cultural hub for the arts in the region.

How did you become interested in the arts?

My parents exposed my sister and me to the arts from a very young age, fostering a love for creativity that has stayed with me throughout my life. I’ve been moving – quite literally – since I was little, and I found a home in dance at the age of 6. Dance gave me a sense of belonging and expression, and it quickly became a foundation for my passion for the arts. Growing up, I took voice, piano and clarinet lessons and played the oboe for eight years. 

What are some of your highlights as a performer?

In high school I performed as an oboist with our symphonic band, culminating in a final performance at Carnegie Hall. As a dancer, I had the privilege of performing internationally with Tandy Beal Dance Company in Tokyo, with the Pennsylvania Dance Theatre in State College, Pa., and as an independent artist. I’ve created over 50 original works. One of my choreographic works was even performed at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. In terms of teaching, I have been in residence at Riverside International School in Prague, Czech Republic; taught master classes with Artists for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya; and at the Young Theatre Festival in Bale, Croatia.

How did you get into education?

I was profoundly influenced by a luminary mentor at Goucher College, Chrystelle Bond, whose guidance inspired me to embrace teaching as a way to empower others. And coming from a family of educators, my parents instilled in me a deep respect for learning and the transformative power of knowledge, which taught me that education isn’t just about acquiring skills; it’s about fostering curiosity, encouraging creativity and building connections that help us understand and improve the world around us.

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AROUND THE CISTERN
orchestra playing on stage

how to get to Carnegie Hall

man playing violin
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, students in the College of Charleston Orchestra will have the experience of a lifetime performing in one of the most prestigious venues in the world — Carnegie Hall. Their performance, together with performances by the Charleston Symphony and Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra, will give a taste of the cultural jewels of Charleston. 

Under the direction of Yuriy Bekker, conductor of the College’s orchestra, these artistic powerhouses will pay tribute to Charleston’s exceptional musical legacy and connections to New York City. The College’s ensemble will play Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony Finale, which premiered in Carnegie Hall; professor of music Yiorgos Vassilandonakis’s Corsaro, which will have its New York premiere; and former CofC music professor Trevor Weston’s Subwaves. A Charleston Concerto by music professor Edward Hart ’88 will be performed by the Charleston Symphony.

To celebrate the debut of the CofC orchestra at Carnegie Hall, a pre-concert alumni happy hour will be held in the heart of New York City, and on the eve of the concert, a lavish College of Charleston/Charleston Symphony reception will be held at the University Club, a premier social club.

Many thanks to Bekker, the Charleston Symphony, the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra and the College’s donors, including Frank and Peggy Oldham, for making this event possible.

Information and tickets for the concert and related events can be found at go.charleston.edu/carnegie-hall.

Fast Track to Success

The College has introduced an accelerated Executive MBA program – the only one of its kind offered in South Carolina. Tailored for working professionals seeking to elevate their business careers, the program is designed to empower individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in executive roles while also accommodating their demanding schedules.

Recognizing the commitments of working professionals, the program will utilize a hybrid class format to provide flexibility without compromising academic rigor. The 18-month curriculum is crafted to cover a comprehensive array of foundational business topics, including leadership, strategic management and executive decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating real-world experience and case studies tailored to address executive-level challenges.

“The diverse perspectives of regional and national business leaders working in a cohort environment is an attractive feature for individuals looking to advance their careers in business,” says Ron Magnuson, executive director of graduate and executive programs for the College’s School of Business.

Fortune magazine says people typically receive a $10,000 to $15,000 annual salary increase after completing an EMBA. Research also shows that EMBAs have a higher median return on investment than other advanced business degrees. Visit go.charleston.edu/emba to learn more.

LIFE ACADEMIC

POPULAR PROF molding minds faculty fun

Show of Force

The Department of Health and Human Performance just acquired a dual force plate system that Kate Pfile, associate professor and department chair, is using in her kinesiology class to capture vertical ground reaction force data during the jumping and landing phases of a countermovement jump. “Understanding forces related to human movement (kinetics) is directly applicable to exercise science graduate programs and professions in the areas of human performance, physical therapy, sports medicine, and strength and conditioning,” says Pfile.
| photo by Kip Bulwinkle-Karson Photography |
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Life Academic
Jarod Charzewski using an angle grinder on a wheel-shaped sculpture
| photo by Paul Cheney |

Standing On Their Own

Associate professor of sculpture Jarod Charzewski hopes to build a strong foundation with his students, in both themselves and their art.
Jarod Charzewski’s first sculpture as a college student was completely out of control.

There was nothing he could do but watch as it spun so violently it fell over and continued to shake in front of his class at University of Manitoba in Canada.

Pieces of the runaway hunk of metal – a welded steel drum with a propeller, rods and an electric motor from a heater fan attached to the bottom – started to fly off, and the extension cord began to flap about, wrapping around the metal in fitful spasms.

“It was loud, and it was crazy, and it was frightening,” he recalls. “It was also performative and dramatic.”

Fortunately, that was the assignment: to “do something dramatic, to do something unique. Something performative.”

His instructor loved it.

“It made everybody’s day,” laughs the associate professor of sculpture, who has found a lot more control in his art since then.

But he hasn’t forgotten what it’s like in those early days of studying sculpture.

Jarod Charzewski helping a student with a sculpture
| photo by Catie Cleveland |
“In the early classes, we emphasize that creating a sculpture isn’t a simple equation,” he explains. “It’s about understanding stability – finding the fulcrum point and locating the center of gravity in your piece. It needs to stand on its own. By instilling these principles early on, students create pieces that are much less likely to topple as they develop their skills.”

It’s one of the many things Charzewski emphasizes with new students.

“We aim to build a strong foundation of confidence – confidence in their own abilities, in a group setting, in us as instructors, in the space and with the materials,” he says. This is why he ensures his students dive right in from the start. “From Day 1, they’re creating from scratch, working with raw materials, getting their hands dirty and immediately immersed in the process. We just get to work.”

Charzewski recognizes that many students have to adjust the way they think, the way they work.

“It’s unlike anything they experience in other classes. It’s about learning to see – to truly observe. When they look at an object, they must consider the parts they can’t see. Our goal is to help them think in three dimensions, to visualize an idea and then bring it to life, whatever that may be,” he explains. “At first, shifting to this way of thinking can be challenging. But you see a spark when they realize there’s another side to this. What I love most about teaching is witnessing that moment when someone’s creative light turns on.

“Many students don’t realize what’s truly possible,” he continues. “It can ignite a spark in them – this amazement of, ‘I had no idea I could do that.’ I love telling them, ‘Yes, that’s possible. We do this here every day.’”

With the newly renovated sculpture studio in the Simons Center for the Arts, even more is possible.

“This space is a state-of-the-art facility, equipped with advanced ventilation, modernized tools and a highly sophisticated lighting system,” Charzewski says, adding that his favorite addition is the studio’s new technology room. “Every detail has been carefully considered. Now, everything we need is right at our fingertips.”

His students love the fresh, clean space, too.

“There’s definitely a sense of pride that students bring to the work they create here,” Charzewski says. “They want to spend more time in the studio, working on their projects, sharing what they’re doing with family and friends. I love meeting their parents and seeing them show off a bit because they’re genuinely proud – proud of their work and proud of the space they’re part of.”

He remembers that feeling as an undergraduate, too.

“From the moment I stepped into the sculpture studio, I was captivated,” he says. “I wanted to be part of it. I wanted this to be my place – to walk in, know what every tool and piece of equipment was and know exactly how to use it.”

How else are you going to get your sculpture under control? – Alicia Lutz ’98

works of art

outside view of building with a multi-colored banner with flowing tassels hanging above trees
Triecious Flowers Wilt and Bloom Just Like the Rest of Us, Gracelee Lawrence

| photo by Gracelee Lawrence |
The College’s newly renovated Simons Center for the Arts hosted the Tri State Sculptors Association’s 46th annual fall conference in October. The theme, Breaking the Mold, resonated deeply with the journey the School of the Arts has been on during its recent three-year renovation.

“Just as a sculptor may achieve perfection in casting multiples and then destroy the mold to preserve the uniqueness of their creation,” says Jarod Charzewski, associate professor of sculpture at the College and conference organizer, “this newly renovated space symbolizes our own journey towards achieving something exceptional.”

With Gracelee Lawrence as the keynote speaker and CofC professor of studio art Herb Parker as the featured artist, the conference brought to campus a variety of presentations, installations and exhibits – including a student gallery showcasing 2D and 3D works from the tri-state area – in various locations throughout the Simons Center and the Cato Center.

The conference also presented multiple opportunities to engage with artists, participate in critiques and experience the vibrant art community at the College and around Charleston: hands-on workshops covering various sculpture techniques, including metalworking, stone carving and mixed media; sessions on creating large-scale installations, featuring live demonstrations and interactive components; group critiques where students and new members could receive feedback from longtime members and experienced artists; presentations by invited artists; and special sessions designed for students to develop their skills and engage with professional artists.

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LIFE ACADEMIC

ground-breaking work

Adjunct professor of archaeology Joanna Gilmore has devoted her life to remembering the forgotten by studying human remains.
Professor Joanna Gilmore leaning against a short brick wall and smiling
| photos by Reese Moore |
From age 12, Joanna Gilmore, adjunct professor of anthropology at the College, knew she wanted to be an archaeologist. She volunteered at dig sites near her home in central England, often finding only a nail or a clay tobacco pipe stem, but it didn’t matter because she loved it.

Her passion became clear as a master’s candidate doing fieldwork on a small island in the Caribbean. The fieldwork on St. Eustatius was at a former leprosy colony, or a lazaretto, where she witnessed evidence of the disease’s impact in the victims’ remains. Gilmore decided then and there to dedicate her scholarship to studying and sharing the stories of the disenfranchised.

“The thing that fascinates me is how close you can get to an individual through studying their remains,” she says. “There is real evidence of their lived experience and how they were cared for or neglected as a person shunned by society. We are giving voice to the voiceless when we study human remains.”

That cry for recognition will be most evident this spring when the city of Charleston dedicates a fountain honoring the 36 humans whose remains were found during construction of the Charleston Gaillard Center in 2013. Designed by noted North Carolina–based sculptor Stephen Hayes Jr., the fountain will include earth collected by Gilmore and the Anson Street African Burial Ground research team from 36 of the approximately 80 burial sites of Africans and African Americans on the Charleston peninsula, including one on campus at Rivers Green. Hand molds of 36 Charleston residents will memorialize each ancestor.

“Finding community members to represent the ancestors and collecting soil has been a powerful and meaningful process for all involved,” says Gilmore, the director of research and interpretation for the Anson Street African Burial Ground project. “Hearing the stories shared by the descendants of those interred was unforgettable.”

African burial site on campus for the Gaillard memorial
Gilmore collected soil from the African burial site on campus for the Gaillard memorial.
Gilmore arrived in Charleston in 2014, when her husband, Grant Gilmore, accepted a position as director of the Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program at the College. They soon met Ade Ofunniyin, who was teaching a class at the College documenting local burial grounds. Ofunniyin, who passed away in 2020, was a cultural anthropologist, director of the Gullah Society nonprofit and grandson of Charleston blacksmith Philip Simmons. They quickly connected over their shared passion and got to work on preserving Gullah Geechee burial grounds.

They spent years working on the Anson Street African Burial Ground project. The remains of the 36 individuals are the earliest burials found in Charleston, dating to 1760–1800, and were of African descent. Stable isotope data showed six were born in West/West Central Africa, providing evidence of people who endured the transatlantic slave trade. DNA analysis showed that one ancestor, Coosaw, had Native American ancestry, while two others shared the same mitochondrial DNA type. These were an adult female (Isi) and a male child (Welela), who were buried right next to each other, suggesting a mother and child. The Gilmores’ work has been featured in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine and The Washington Post.

“I feel like the least we can do, after seeing how people are mistreated in life and death through these abandoned burial grounds, is make sure people have a say about their ancestors’ remains,” says Gilmore. “It feels like a gift to be a part of this meaningful work and see the impact on the community.” – Amy Stockwell

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Life Academic

My Favorite Reads

Hollis France, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, spent the first 10 years of her life in Guyana (the only English-speaking country in South America). She earned a master’s in philosophy and a doctorate in political science from the City University of New York Graduate Center, before starting at the College in 2000. Her mainstay classes as chair are International Political Economy and Global Gender Politics.

Her list of favorite books spans from her teenage years to now. “I view a good book as one that produces empathy and allows me to walk in the shoes of someone else,” she says.

  1. Nervous Conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga
  2. Miguel Street, V.S. Naipaul
  3. Love Poems, Nikki Giovanni
  4. The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran
  5. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, David Graeber and David Wengrow
  6. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley
  7. Imperial Intimacies, Hazel Carby
  8. The Psychosis of Whiteness, Kehinde Andrews
  9. How the Word Is Passed, Clint Smith
  10. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
| photo by Catie Cleveland |
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LIFE ACADEMIC

The Ripple Effect

Thanks to funding from the Martin Center, communication professor Xi Cui has brought the real world into the classroom.
outdoor portrait image of professor Xi Cui
| photo by Reese Moore |
University professors epitomize lifelong learning. They constantly study their chosen field and modify their curriculum to reflect our ever-changing world.

To provide another learning channel for communication professors, Beth Goodier, associate professor of communication and director of the Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication, proposed a faculty shadowing program.

“This program allows faculty to shadow practitioners in the field and see how what they are teaching in the classroom is applied on the job,” says Goodier. “Having one professor observe and share current trends and cutting-edge practices can impact up to 300 students a year. It creates a ripple effect of graduates who are better prepared to enter the workforce.”

When Goodier shared her plan with John Cooper and Lynne Eickholt, friends of the Martin Center, they agreed to provide initial funding for the program. With significant faculty and executive experience, they appreciated the value of helping both faculty and students connect theory to practice. One of the first to be accepted when Goodier announced the opportunity was Xi Cui, associate professor of communication. He wanted to see research analytics in action.

Cui connected with Ketchum, a global public relations firm, where staff immersed Cui in their daily operations and asked him about communications from an academic perspective.

Cui’s weeklong immersion over spring break in March 2024 quickly extended into a monthlong deep dive. He attended more than 20 meetings on everything from media landscape analysis and brand-lift surveys to research support for requests for proposals.

“To say that this experience was eye-opening would be an understatement; it was transformative,” says Cui. “Seeing the practical application of research methods I teach was exhilarating. From survey design and measurement validity to qualitative coding — every aspect of my course content was in play. One of the highlights of my experience was an influencer-vetting project that incorporated a comprehensive analysis of the media landscape, brand values, candidate influencers’ audience niches and performance metrics. This inspired my rethinking of the real-world relevance of research methods, from conceptualization to data analysis.”

Determined to delve deeper, Cui visited Ketchum’s offices in Chicago and New York over the summer to observe the leadership and teamwork dynamics firsthand. He saw how research experts there fostered a supportive environment, underscoring the importance of soft skills in research.

Cui also engaged with young analysts who reflected on their college research methods classes, the learning experiences on the job and the new tools and perspectives they had gained. Their stories revealed gaps between academic research and industry practices, highlighting areas where Cui could help bridge those gaps in his classes.

Job shadowing led Cui to refine his teaching approach. He designed assignments that build conceptual depth incrementally to help students connect the dots through smaller, manageable tasks – more like the projects a junior analyst would handle without first seeing the bigger picture.

“I’m excited about the direction of my research class,” says Cui. “We’ll be following industry standards while maintaining academic rigor.”

After Cui’s job shadowing, his students will be more workforce ready. – Darcie Goodwin

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Life Academic

Leisure Pursuits

CofC faculty aren’t all homework and no play, as this latest example of their interests outside the classroom attests.

Name:
Meredith Frazier, assistant professor of biochemistry

Hometown:
Cornelius, N.C.

Hobby:
Curling, the goal of which is to score the most points with each team of four players throwing eight “stones.”

Introduction:
I did my postdoctoral work in North Carolina – not the first state you think of for a winter sport. Several colleagues were looking for a fourth team member at the Triangle Curling Club. I did a learn-to-curl and was hooked!

Frequency:
The Charleston Curling Club has ice time about twice a month at the Ice Palace in North Charleston.

Achievements:
My postdoctoral work team won our Monday league, our last time playing together before I moved here. It was fun to leave on a high note!

I Love It Because:
Curling is a very welcoming and accessible sport. Modifications exist for different abilities, so a wide range of ages can participate. Also, the physics of curling are mind-boggling – it’s still not totally understood! As a science nerd, it is fun to geek out about how the stones curl and how sweeping works. Depending on which way you put spin on the stones when you release them, they move in a left- or a right-curving arc. How you sweep also affects how much the stone curls, which determines where it ends up. You can actually curl a stone behind another that has already been thrown.

What People Say When You Tell Them You Curl:
“Like, with the sweeping?”

| photo by Kip Bulwinkle-Karson Photography |
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LIFE ACADEMIC
Devon Hanahan wearing a bright pink blazer and holding a book while standing in a hallway with flags in the background
| photo by Reese Moore |

Campus Treasure

One of the most popular professors in the history of the College, Devon Hanahan ’87 has been caring for students for 30 years.
Talking to Devon Hanahan ’87 feels a lot like talking to your big sister – like you’re not in an office on the first floor of the J.C. Long Building, but down the hall from your own childhood bedroom, getting a little sisterly advice about whatever worries, wishes or wonders are on your mind.

Because she cares.

“I genuinely enjoy meeting students and learning about them,” she says. “I feel a real connection with all of them. I care for each and every one of them.”

The senior instructor of Hispanic studies’ door is always open to “any student who needs guidance, whether it concerns a grammar concept or a decision on what to do after graduating and anything in between.”

That open-door policy and Hanahan’s personalized, compassionate approach is why, more times than not, there is a line of students outside of her office, waiting their turn to be heard.

“Everyone needs advice at some point,” says Hanahan, who received the College’s 2024 Distinguished Advising Award and a 2024 Outstanding Advising Award Certificate of Merit from NACADA, the Global Community for Academic Advising. “Sometimes all they want is to be heard by someone who cares about them beyond the classroom.”

Hanahan has been caring for students in and outside the classroom since she joined the faculty in 1995 – and she has not just the students’ thank-you notes, but also their accolades to show just how much she is appreciated: In 2015, 2016 and 2017, students voted her the top professor in the country on the popular website RateMyProfessors.com, which also ranked her second place two other years and in the top 10 in several additional years.

Yet she’s unfazed by the praise.

“I am not teaching to be popular,” she says. “Teaching is what I’m all about, but I don’t live in a vacuum. I’m part of a community, and advising is so beyond important. I do love teaching, but I also love being a mentor to my students and to adjuncts in our department.”

That’s right: As basic Spanish language coordinator, Hanahan also guides and advises adjunct professors and instructors. She also serves as a guide to language departments at other universities.

“It makes me feel good to be a resource, but I learn from them, too,” she says. “It’s stimulating for me.”

A big reason for her love for all things CofC: She and her siblings grew up with the campus as their playground. Their mother, Rosanne Wray, was a secondary education professor at the College from 1977 to 1987. Then, years after she and her two sisters, Kieran Wray Kramer ’85 (M.F.A. ’18) and Kristin Wray Wilda ’82, graduated, the next generation – Devon’s son Will Hanahan ’18 and Kieran’s son Jack Kramer ’20 – followed suit.

“The College has been so much a part of my life that it’s hard to imagine life without it,” says Hanahan, adding that the College also has significance on her husband’s side: Two of his ancestors, Charles Pinckney and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, were founders.

“It is truly a family affair.” – Alicia Lutz ’98

Making the Grade

Marathon man First violin crime fighter

Sisterhood

The brainchild of Victoria Thompson ’15, The Sisters of Septima is a new program to empower and support women of color majoring in education. Director Techa Smalls-Brown ’97 (left), who has worked in local public schools for over two decades, believes in the importance of the program and its commitment to making a difference. “With the support of the School of Education, I’m here today, standing on the shoulders of the educators who inspired me,” she says.
| photo by Lizzie Koschnick |
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MAKING THE Grade

Shooting for the Stars

The first in his family to attend college, Gael Gonzalez is among the first at the College to help develop payloads for orbit in space.
Gael Gonzalez looking through a large telescope
| photo by Reese Moore |
At the age of 4, Gael Gonzalez remembers sitting on the back porch of his home in Loris, S.C., with his maternal grandmother gazing up at the night sky, listening to her sing about the moon in her native Spanish. Unable to pronounce luna, he would say moona, adorably so, as the two would sing and point to the sky – a fond memory he believes set the foundation for his interest in astronomy.

Gonzalez’s curiosity for the “unknown” continued throughout his middle and high school years. His adeptness in math paired with his curiosity continued to shape his love for astronomy.

Gonzalez graduated at the top of his high school class and had his mind set on becoming the first in his family to attend college. He chose the College because it’s the only school in South Carolina with an astrophysics program. Six scholarships were also a big incentive, particularly the CofC Foundation Scholarship.

Now a junior double major in astrophysics and physics with an impressive 3.78 GPA, Gonzalez received funding from the Minorities in STEM Research Award Program, the SC Space Grant Fellowship and the Summer Undergraduate Research with Faculty grants to help cover his research expenses over the past summer.

Over the course of the summer, he helped develop two payloads – research instruments – that will travel to the International Space Station in February. One payload will flight-test a liquid lens to look at extremophile microbes – microorganisms that can survive extremely harsh environments – while the other will test an ultraviolet camera to observe stellar outbursts, which greatly impact whether planets can be habitable (large outbursts can sterilize a planet).

“Our primary long-term goal is to gain a better understanding of stellar activity of young stars at the ultraviolet wavelengths and its effects on nearby planets,” says Gonzalez of the UV camera. “This will progress our knowledge of the relationships between a star and how it affects a planet’s formation and evolution.”

The research is a collaboration between CofC astrophysics professor Joe Carson and Marcos Díaz from the University of Chile. The plan is to include a final camera on a small satellite (or CubeSat) next year. This is the College’s first space-based mission and South Carolina’s first space-based technology demonstration. Carson’s hope is for CofC to become a center for CubeSats, paving the way for future missions and workforce development.

“Gael has a lot of drive, enthusiasm and persistence,” says Carson, hailing Gonzalez for being the first in his family, which emigrated from Mexico, to attend college. “They had very few resources. He’s not only a pioneer at CofC, but he’s also a pioneer in his family.”

Gonzalez hopes to work for NASA after graduate school. His family – which includes his mother, grandmother and two younger siblings – couldn’t be more elated. “When I talk to my mom and grandma, they always tell me the same thing: that they’re really proud,” he says. “And they get emotional sometimes.”

The tears turn to looks of bewilderment when he talks about his research, however. “They didn’t understand what it was,” he says, noting it was hard to explain in Spanish. “But they eventually understood after I sent them pictures. Yeah, this research is a really big thing, not just for me, but for my family, too.” – George Johnson

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MAKING THE GRADE

Ending on a High Note

Postbaccalaureate artist resident in performance Emily Oldham ’23 shares her passion for violin all around Charleston.
🔈
Emily Oldham ’23 – the College’s post-baccalaureate artist resident in performance – will end her final year at CofC performing with the College’s Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 26.

It’s Oldham’s second experience of a lifetime. The first was her senior year at the College when she performed with the College’s Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

“We had two standing ovations,” she says. “It is something I will treasure all my life. What a great way to graduate!”

Now she will complete her artist residency (a two-year program designed to allow recent graduates to enhance their skills) with a similar crescendo.

Oldham knew the violin had her heart at the age of 5, when a one-quarter-size violin was placed in her hands. When it came time to go to college, she chose the College because of Yuriy Bekker, conductor of the College of Charleston Orchestra and violin instructor.

“I had heard about the talented Yuriy Bekker,” explains Oldham, “and knew I had to study with him.”

Upon arriving on campus, she went to see Bekker and told him she wanted to be part of the College’s orchestra.

After listening to Oldham play, Bekker assigned her second violin fourth chair.

Her music education expanded as Michael O’Brien, professor and chair ofthe Department of Music, worked with her to ensure she took the right classes for a comprehensive music experience. Still, she wanted more, which is why she is currently an artist resident, taking lessons and coaching from Bekker and Tomas Jakubek, adjunct faculty in the music department, serving as orchestra librarian and playing first violin third stand with the orchestra.

“Emily has made tremendous progress in the last five years,” says Bekker. “The violin is everything to her, and every week I see improvement. I am so proud of her dedication and commitment to having a career in music.”

For the past two summers, Oldham attended the Nelli Shkolnikova Academy in Sèvremont, France (Loire Valley), where she took daily lessons and coaching in Château de la Flocellière while making friends with students from around the world.

“The diversity of lessons and coaching has helped me improve,” says Oldham. “I am constantly learning something new, and every day I can feel improvement. I always want to raise the bar so that I continue to grow as a violinist.”

To that end, in addition to classes and playing in the orchestra, Oldham plays violin for patients and staff at the Medical University of South Carolina and for the congregation at St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church. Through the Charleston Academy of Music, she is a music teaching assistant at the Meeting Street Academy.

MUSC is particularly grateful to Oldham. “During her three years with us, Emily has graced us with more than 290 hours of violin playing,” says Kelly Hedges, system director for volunteer and career exploration services at MUSC. “Patients, guests and care team members alike gather in the lobby to hear the sweet melodies coming from her strings. No matter how brief a time they spend listening, this gift of music sends them on their way a little lighter and a little brighter.”

That’s music to Oldham’s ears. – Darcie Goodwin

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MAKING THE Grade

off to the races

A record-setting marathoner as a teen, senior Nik Toocheck has new peaks to pursue.
Nik Toocheck running alongside a body of water
| photo by Catie Cleveland |
Nik Toocheck could never sit still.

As a 3-year-old growing up in Kennett Square, Pa., he remembers watching his father lace up his running shoes and go for a run. One day, he asked if he could join him. His father said yes. “I never stopped, and I never got tired,” recalls Toocheck. “I went as far as he did, and it was like, wow, this is kind of crazy.”

At the age of 6, Toocheck ran his first 5K race. A short time later, he started competing in 10K races. Then, a few weeks after his 9th birthday, Toocheck completed his first half-marathon. Afterward, during the long car ride home from the race, he decided to take his racing to the next level. He told his father that he wanted to run a marathon.

Later that year, Toocheck did so in Lewes, Del. He had a blast and wanted to continue running marathons.

Being a kid with big dreams and having parents who loved to travel, Toocheck came up with the idea to run a marathon on all seven continents. In the next two years, he ran marathons in Chile, Antarctica, Australia, Zimbabwe and Switzerland. In September 2014, the 11-year-old Toocheck finished a marathon in the Republic of Georgia and thus completed his quest.

But he was just getting started.

Within days, he began a new pursuit: to become the youngest person to run a marathon in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. After two-and-a- half years, the 14-year-old Toocheck completed his goal. He still holds the record as the youngest person to run a marathon on all seven continents and in each of the 50 states.

But racing was not the only motivation for Toocheck. During his trek worldwide, he created the Running the World for Children Foundation. The foundation raises money and awareness for Operation Warm, a nonprofit organization that manufactures brand-new, high-quality coats and shoes for children in need. When he started his journey to run all 50 states, he decided to raise money and awareness for the Seva Foundation, which develops programming to prevent and treat blindness around the world. Altogether, he has raised more than $50,000 for the two charities.

Now, he is taking his adventures to new heights.

Toocheck is currently on a mission to climb the seven highest volcanic summits in the world. During this new challenge, he will again raise money and awareness for Operation Warm.

Soon, one of his most significant quests will come to an end. This spring, Toocheck will graduate from the College with a degree in finance and a minor in art history. But until graduation day, expect to see Toocheck running around the streets of Charleston.

“It’s the one thing that always makes me relaxed and comfortable,” he says. “And it always makes me feel like a kid again.” – Mike Robertson

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LIFE ACADEMIC

learning on the job

Thanks to a Career Center Internship Award, senior Julia Skladzinski found the perfect internship in AI.
How do you navigate getting an internship when you don’t really know how to go about it, and your parents, having emigrated from Poland to the U.S. when you were just 5 years old, are not familiar with the process, either? For Julia Skladzinski, the answer was simple: Check your inbox.

Skladzinski, a senior majoring in international business, had received emails about the Career Center Internship Award and read positive posts from past recipients. The program offered exactly what she needed to land the ideal internship, so she was thrilled when her application was accepted. In addition to professional development, the award includes financial support to help eliminate financial barriers to pursuing a summer internship.

Julia Skladzinski setting up a phone and ring light in front of laptop
| photos by Catie Cleveland |
“I have been so grateful to have a support system through the Career Center and the other award recipients,” says Skladzinski. “You can really feel alone during the internship search process, but with the program, I had people who had my back and believed in me.”

She especially appreciated the training Kristin Wichmann, associate director for experiential learning, provided.
“School is one thing, but communicating with people and applying for jobs requires a lot of different skills,” says Skladzinski. “Kristin showed us how to present ourselves and had recruiters come in to share what they look for and what stands out.”

Students’ professional development focuses on career readiness skills, one-on-one advising sessions, networking events and mentoring sessions.

Using the skills she developed, Skladzinski applied for some highly competitive internships. While she started the multistep process with some companies, they had fizzled out. Still, she persevered and came upon an internship with Omnisight, an AI tech company, on Handshake, the Career Center’s platform for jobs and internships.

“I felt the internship with Omnisight was a perfect match, especially when I saw that it was my management professor’s company,” says Skladzinski, referring to Aaron Pennell. “I immediately sent him an email to set up a call. I wanted to confirm the internship would be a good fit for me. We shared our goals and felt we were on the same page.”

Julia Skladzinski posing for a photo
Pennell, an adjunct member of the College’s management and marketing faculty, was impressed with her initiative. “She was eager to learn and had a level of professionalism that stood out,” he says.

As an intern, Skladzinski more than delivered – she gained invaluable experience handling digital and print marketing and working with Omnisight’s customer management database.

“I worked with higher-level leadership, developed marketing skills, collaborated with teams, learned more about search engine optimization and discovered what it’s like to work with a business startup,” she says.

She also developed her network.

“I have really had an individual experience at Omnisight,” she explains. “I enjoyed working with Aaron Pennell. He included me in meetings and introduced me to people. I learned so much and developed connections, which will be helpful when I start my job search.” – Darcie Goodwin

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MAKING THE GRADE
Adeline Ríos sitting while smiling for a photo
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

triple threat

After studying in Brazil, senior Adeline Ríos plans to make use of her three degrees to foster community development in Latin America.
This past spring in Rio de Janeiro, Adeline Ríos traveled to the Morro da Providencia favela (slum). Walking through the ghetto, she came across several signs with names and dates on them. In perfect Portuguese, she asked Cosme Felippsen, a community activist, what the signs meant.

“They’re the names of innocent children killed by police in the war against crime,” he told her.

Ríos met a lot of people facing difficult situations while she was in Brazil. As a volunteer with the homeless population, she saw the breakdown in the relationship between the communities and government and how grassroots organizations were trying to fill the divide.

From these collective experiences, Ríos – a political science, Spanish and international studies triple major in the Honors College – realized she wanted to help facilitate community development and social dignity through diplomatic connections and, by extension, work against organized crime, which runs rampant in many Latin American countries.

Ríos – who, having Puerto Rican roots, always had a fascination with Latin America – was in Brazil on a Boren Award for International Study, sponsored by the Department of Defense’s National Security Education Program to help bolster the number of experts in the languages and cultures of nations that are important to U.S. foreign policy.

To receive the award, Ríos had to create an academic program that would demonstrate her full immersion in Brazilian culture and ability to gain an expert-level grasp of the Portuguese language. She did this through her program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and Caminhos Language School, where she engaged in 18 hours of Portuguese each week along with Brazilian culture and language studies.

She gained a multifaceted perspective of the country beyond her experiences in classrooms. She joined the school futsal (indoor soccer) team, helped them win the intercollegiate tournament and was named MVP.

She also volunteered to teach English to teenagers, focusing on cultural diplomacy and overcoming students’ biases, as well as her own.

“Many times, we learn about other cultures through television shows, music and sports,” explains Ríos, a College of Charleston Foundation Annual Scholarship recipient who grew up in Bluffton, S.C. “These sources can create biases, which can be interesting as well as challenging to overcome.”

Ríos plans to pursue a master’s in criminology in the UK after she graduates in May. Once she completes her graduate studies, she will devote a year of government service per the stipulations of the Boren Award. Ríos intends to fulfill her obligation by entering the foreign service.

By then she will be primed for a career in fighting international organized crime. She believes the community-organized strategies aren’t receiving the same attention as militaristic responses and wants to do her part to change that.

“I met incredible activists working against gang and police violence for the betterment of their neighborhoods,” she says. “I want to prioritize community perspectives in the development of strategies against organized crime. That’s how we’ll foster sustainable peace.”

Teamwork

anniversary goal bronze age spotlight

Dig It

For just the sixth time in its 50-year history, the volleyball team won both the regular-season championship and the conference championship. By beating Delaware in the CAA Championship on Nov. 23, the Cougars earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship in Salt Lake City, where they lost to No. 4 seed Utah. Despite the result, outside hitter/middle blocker Olivia Mae Van Der Werff had a dream come true when she got to go up against her older sister, Amelia, who plays for the Utes. This was the Cougars 10th NCAA tournament appearance and third under head coach Jason Kepner.
| photo by Margaret Mower |
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TEAMWORK

Fresh Breeze

After winning a bronze medal in sailing at the 2024 Olympics, new assistant sailing coach Ian Barrows brings fair winds to the program.
A steady, 10-knot breeze blew as the medal race of the men’s skiff (49er) began in front of a packed seawall off the coast of Marseille, France, at the 2024 Olympics in July. Starting in fourth place in the 16-foot boat with wings for hiking horizontally over the water in a trapeze, Team USA, consisting of Ian Barrows and Hans Henken, had to overtake close rival Team Ireland to medal, and that’s just what they did. In a nail-biting finish that was not over until the last jibe, the American 49er team captured the 2024 bronze medal just ahead of Ireland and Poland.

“It was a lifelong dream,” says Barrows, the new assistant sailing coach at the College. “I was training in the 49er for seven years, but Marseille is a tricky place to sail. The wind can come from anywhere. It’s super choppy, super shifty. Winning the bronze medal was an incredible feeling.”

Nothing can top standing on that podium representing your country, but the opening ceremony in Paris was a close second.

Ian Barrows (left) and Hans Henken won posing with their bronze medals at the 2024 Olympics
Ian Barrows (left) and Hans Henken won bronze at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

| photo by Sailing Energy |
“I was able to see all the basketball players, track athletes and tennis players, who I consider to be idols of mine, and that was a really neat experience,” says Barrows. “I had the opportunity to chat with Novak Djokovic and Steph Curry, and they were so personable.”

Not long after winning the bronze, Barrows began his next chapter at the College.

“We are so excited to have Ian join our staff,” says head sailing coach Conner Blouin, who recruited Barrows at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile. “His numerous accomplishments speak for themselves, and we are excited to add his expertise and pedigree to our staff.”

This offer was a no-brainer for Barrows, who previously coached at sailing clubs in the Northeast.

“I’ve always looked up to the College of Charleston program,” he says. “It’s a very historic program. And I love the warm weather. That’s kind of rare to come by.”

Barrows has had his hand on the rudder since he was 5 years old growing up in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Highlights include winning a gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and multiple national titles in the FJ (Flying Junior) and 420 National Championships and the FJ Team Racing National Championships.

“I love the freedom of it,” he says of the sport. “It’s an art form, trying to figure out how to make the boat go fast. There’s no manual. You have to figure it out yourself. You have to feel the boat, which is a really cool part of the process.”

Barrows graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics in 2017, the same year he was named the College Sailor of the Year after winning five national championships. After college, the four-time collegiate All-American turned his attention to his first Olympic campaign sailing in the men’s skiff (49er) class. Inspired by his brother, who went to the Olympics in 2008 and 2016, Barrows teamed up with Mitchell Kiss, but they narrowly missed qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games with a second-place finish at the United States Olympic Trials.

Barrows teamed up with California native Hans Henken in 2021 and secured their ticket to Marseille by winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Miami in January 2024, which he says was more nerve-wracking than the Olympic race itself because it’s such a sigh of relief to qualify.

Everything that followed at the Games was smooth sailing. – Marissa Bamonte ’18

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TEAMWORK

Sport Spotlight

Golfer Emma Schimpf
Emma Schimpf swinging a golf club
| photo by Mike Ledford |
Hometown:
Daniel Island, S.C.

Year:
Senior

Major:
Exercise science

Scholarship:
Terry Florence Endowed Golf Scholarship

Accolades:
2022, 2023, 2024 CAA All-Conference first team; 2023 CAA Golfer of the Year. 2023 CAA Championship medalist; 2023 College of Charleston Female Athlete of the Year

Record:
Lowest single round in school history with a 64 (-7) at the 2021 Edisto Island Invitational

Golf beginning:
I started to play when I was 7 years old. My older sister, Abbey (who competes for Georgia Southern), got me interested in the game.

Favorite moment as a CofC golfer:
Winning conference as a team and individual in 2023

Favorite part of game to practice:
Short game, putting especially

Advice you’d give your freshman self:
To take breaks and days off because sometimes you need it

Question you’d ask your future self:
I would ask myself if I made it playing professionally.

Funniest moment at CofC:
Probably every time in the van traveling to or from a tournament

If you didn’t play golf, what sport would you play:
I think I would play tennis or pickleball.

Go-to mid-round snack:
Twizzler bites

– Andrew Miller

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TEAMWORK
Landscape orientation close-up outdoor photograph of four of the five coaches pictured from left to right in order: Keith Wiggans, Ralph Lundy, Colin Smoak and Ted Miller all smiling posing for a group picture together standing beside each other
Four of the five coaches (l-r) Keith Wiggans, Ralph Lundy, Colin Smoak and Ted Miller.

| photo by Ralph Mancini |

NET GAINS

From borrowed goals to a top Division I program, the men’s soccer program has come a long way in 50 years.

WHEN TED MILLER THINKS BACK ON THE early days of the men’s soccer program, the memories flood back to him like a first-time father recalling those sleepless nights with a colicky newborn.

Sure, there were long days, followed by even longer nights, and there were some messes to clean up and hurdles to clear, but it’s an experience that Miller wouldn’t trade for anything.

“I have so many great memories from my time at the College of Charleston,” says Miller, who coached the team from 1974 to ’78. “The friendships and relationships that I made with the players and coaches are still alive today. It was an incredible experience.”

The soccer program, which celebrated its 50th season in the fall, has grown from its humble beginnings where finding a place to practice shifted depending on the day of the week to its current status as a Division I program with one of the top facilities in the Coastal Athletic Association.

“To watch the program evolve from afar into what it has become has been amazing,” says Miller.

With little in the way of financial support, Miller and his players had to scramble not only to find places to train, but to play matches.

Vintage portrait orientation outdoor photograph of Damon Richvalsky ’97 and Aaron Olitsky ’97 in their soccer uniforms celebrating after a goal at Remley’s Point smiling and screaming in joy
Damon Richvalsky ’97 and Aaron Olitsky ’97 celebrate after a goal at Remley’s Point.
The old “Horse Lot” in downtown Charleston was routinely under water, so Miller had to hunt for other suitable playing fields, which included high school fields in the area.

There were even issues acquiring basic equipment like soccer goals, which Miller routinely had to borrow from The Citadel.

In 1979, one of Miller’s first recruits – Colin Smoak ’78 – took over the program. By this time the Cougars were playing their home games at Porter-Gaud School, which was a significant upgrade. Roby Stahl took the helm four years later.

But Smoak and Stahl were merely caretakers of the program as a transformative coach, who would lead the Cougars from NAIA to Division I, loomed on the horizon: Ralph Lundy. Lundy had built an NAIA powerhouse at Erskine College and wasn’t looking for another job. But the lure of the school moving to the Division I level and his wife’s love of the Lowcountry were too much to overlook.

Lundy took over in 1987 and for the next three decades worked tirelessly to put the Cougars on the national soccer map.

“I don’t think you can overemphasize coach Lundy’s impact on the program,” says current men’s soccer coach Keith Wiggans ’04, who played for Lundy from 2000 to ’04.

Lundy would roam the sidelines for more than three decades, leading the Cougars to previously unmatched heights, which included 323 wins, 19 winning seasons, five conference championships and five NCAA tournament appearances.

“I didn’t score a goal, didn’t make a tackle or a save,” says Lundy. “It was the players that made me a good coach.”

The team had shifted its home matches from downtown Charleston to Remley’s Point in Mt. Pleasant, where mole crickets and bugs became a 12th man for the Cougars.

“Remley’s was a great place to play,” says Chris Terry ’97, who helped lead the Cougars to an NCAA Tournament bid in 1994. “Those huge container ships would sail by during games. It was an incredible venue.”

In 1988, Lundy put the program on the national stage when Notre Dame came to the Lowcountry for a visit. The match drew more than 3,000 fans, and the Cougars came away with a 3-2 victory.

“That match changed everything,” says Lundy. “We were on the verge of going Division I, and that match proved we belonged at that level.”

Two of Lundy’s most memorable squads came in 1994 and 2004. Both were conference champions and NCAA Tournament teams.

The 1994 squad went 19-7 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament – falling to UCLA 3-2.

“It’s been 30 years, but it still breaks my heart to think about the loss to UCLA,” says Terry.

A decade later, with Wiggans in net and Troy Lesesne ’04 (M.A. ’10) patrolling the midfield, the Cougars beat South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament before falling to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“Those two teams were special and had a lot of similarities,” says Lundy. “The players loved to play the game, and they were as competitive as any group I’ve ever been around.”

In 2000, the Cougars moved into their current home at Patriots Point. Lundy hung up his whistle in 2019, passing the program on to Wiggans, who had been an assistant coach with the Cougars for a dozen years.

“The program couldn’t be in better hands,” says Lundy.

The bond between players that helped build the program to current team members is stronger than ever.

“Coach Lundy was instrumental in bringing those generations together,” says Lesesne, who is the head coach for Major League Soccer’s D.C. United. “He’s helped foster those relationships. They have a common bond, a common thread, and that’s unique and very rare at the collegiate level.” – Andrew Miller

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TEAMWORK
Portrait orientation close-up indoor photograph of College of Charleston Women's Volleyball team players smiling and screaming in joy as they pose/celebrate for a group picture together while they are holding up a championship trophy award and a rectangular banner that says CAA Champions 2024 Charleston as they all are standing at center court inside a gymnasium building of some sort
| photo by Ken Morey |

COMING UP ACES

The College has produced more than its share of championship-level athletic programs – the basketball, baseball, golf, soccer and sailing programs have all enjoyed success on a national stage. But one of the most consistently successful athletic programs at the College – men’s or women’s – has been the volleyball team, which is celebrating its 50th season and just won its second CAA Championship.

The team, which took the court for the first time in the fall of 1974, has won more than 1,200 matches, including 750 at the NCAA Division I level, with 15 conference championships in three different leagues and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

“I think about how far women’s athletics and the volleyball program has come in the last 50 years,” says Coach Jason Kepner, who has been with the program for 18 seasons.

In 1974, just two years after the U.S. Congress passed Title IX ensuring equality for men’s and women’s collegiate athletics, Nancy Wilson was coaching volleyball at Garrett High School when the women’s athletic director at the College, Joan Cronan, approached her about starting a women’s volleyball team. Wilson assembled a team on a shoestring budget that was immediately competitive.

“We took a lot of basketball players and converted them into volleyball players,” says Wilson, who spent a decade as coach. “We were very athletic and wanted to play the game the right way. The winning culture was there almost from the beginning.”

In those early days, the players and coaches would routinely pile into a 15-person van for the long road trips around the Southeast. “The van would break down more often than not, and we’d spend a night on the side of the highway waiting for someone to help us out,” chuckles Wilson, who left in 1984 to coach basketball at the University of South Carolina. Amelia Dawley, Laura Lageman and Jewel McRoberts built on her legacy.

“Those early teams did so much to put this program in the position that it is today,” says Kepner. “Each coach brought something different to the program.”

Then came Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan, who compiled an eye-popping 113-22 record during her four seasons (2003–06). In 2005, led by CofC Hall of Fame inductee Tiffany Blum ’08, the Cougars were 32-2 and had a perfect 18-0 mark in the Southern Conference. The Cougars would go on to defeat North Carolina in the opening round of the NCAA tournament – the first postseason tournament victory in school history.

Says Kepner, who took over the program in 2007 after Dunbar left for Indiana: “I just didn’t want to screw up what Sherry and the other coaches had built.” – Andrew Miller

low angle view of Simon Salazar-Marin looking off camera while placed against a background made of clouds and holographic-type lights

Head in the Cloud

Head in the Cloud typography
Head in the Cloud typography

A first-generation college student, sophomore Simon Salazar-Marin left his parents in Colombia at age 17 to come to America where he’s hoping a specialty in data storage will lead to a better future for him and his parents.

by AMANDA KERR

photography by CATIE CLEVELAND

The sound of a whirring coffee machine

wafts across the chatting students as they wait in line at Starbucks inside the Addlestone Library. It’s been a long day, but Simon Salazar-Marin remains focused on the task at hand – filling the fifth tall mocha latte order he’s taken in the last hour.

As his shift winds down, though, his mind starts to percolate on capping gigabytes of storage and better solutions for hosting and organizing terabytes of information. He’s eager to get back to his residence hall to tackle those questions for his Amazon Web Services lesson through Coursera, which he’s taking online as part of his First Year Experience cybersecurity class.

Not the typical train of thought for a first-year college student. Then again, Salazar-Marin isn’t quite typical.

A first-generation college student, Salazar-Marin left his parents in Colombia at 17 to live with family friends 2,200 miles away in Greenville, S.C., to complete 12th grade with the goal of going to college in the United States. He wanted better access to higher education in an environment that would fully nurture his ambitions. When he arrived in Charleston, the computer software engineering major found himself working 40 hours a week to pay for his education while navigating some hiccups with his financial aid.

It was tough, and no one would have blamed him if he had decided to withdraw and head for the comfort of home. Instead, Salazar-Marin buckled down.

“In many countries there are a lot of people who have the skills and commitment to succeed, but they don’t have the opportunity,” he says. “I had the opportunity, so I said, ‘I’m not going to let it go to waste.’ And that’s what I’m doing.”

Different Kind of Java

Cecilia Marin and Guillermo Salazar immigrated to the United States from Colombia in the early 2000s after qualifying for asylum. They eventually settled in North Carolina, where their only child, Simon Salazar-Marin, was born in 2005.

close up photo of Simon Salazar-Marin at the age of four in Columbia
But life in a foreign land while trying to make ends meet didn’t quite feel like home for the young family. His parents decided to return to Colombia when Salazar-Marin was around 4 years old to raise their son among extended family and familiar customs.

From what he can recall at that young age, Salazar-Marin says his transition to Colombia was fairly seamless. He grew up speaking Spanish at home and settled in with little trouble. His mom found work where she could, and his dad taught students as an English instructor before starting his own publicity business. Neither of his parents were able to attend college.

Seeing how thoughtful and curious their son was from a young age, Salazar-Marin’s parents began to foster and support his potential while he was still in grade school. Like all parents, they wanted to help their son succeed.

“Since his first years, Simon always demonstrated great intelligence and the ability to learn with ease,” says Marin. “He was an intelligent, disciplined, sociable and loving child.”

Salazar saw his son’s interest in computers and everything related to new technologies at an early age. “He has always excelled academically, being first in his class until he finished high school,” he says.

In fact, it was at his father’s encouragement that Salazar-Marin initially began to explore coding and computer science through a YouTube tutorial on Java when he was 14. Thinking he could help teach his son, his dad offered to do it, too, but just the opposite happened.
black and white image of Simon Salazar-Marin working on a laptop while standing beside a shelf stocked with computer parts and components

“I felt a lot of happiness the day he told me that I was holding him back because, in every module, he would do the assignments and explain things to me,” says Salazar. “For that reason, he wanted to continue on his own to advance more quickly. Since that day, he hasn’t stopped progressing and studying a lot about that subject.”

Bolstered with confidence, the young teen enrolled in an online introductory computer science certificate program through Harvard University to keep growing his skills.

“I like problem-solving, and I like programming, and it was interesting,” he recalls of his early experiences in coding and computer science. “I feel like it came naturally. I just understood the concepts.”

Just Like Home

As he finished his last semester of his secondary education in 2022, the political landscape began to change in Colombia with a new president and regime. Although some regions of the South American country have always struggled with political strife, Cali, where Salazar-Marin grew up, largely didn’t have those issues until 2021, when civil unrest over class differences and social inequalities led to violent protests. The change in government exacerbated those frustrations across Colombia and quickly led to economic uncertainty and more widespread destabilization that made him worry about his future.

“In many countries there are a lot of people who have the skills and commitment to succeed, but they don’t have the opportunity.”

– Simon Salazar-Marin
When the opportunity arose for him to stay with family friends in Greenville and attend Southside Christian School for the 12th grade, he took it.

“Sending Simon to the U.S. was difficult because he had never been separated from his family before,” says his mother, who now lives in Spain. “But we supported him … because we are confident in his intellectual ability, discipline and perseverance.”

He discovered the College of Charleston somewhat by happenstance while on a retreat to the Holy City with Southside Christian. Salazar-Marin was struck by the city’s similarities to his hometown of Cali – the coastal vibe, the rich architecture and the warm climate all felt right. Then he learned about the computer science and software engineering programs at the College, and his curiosity was piqued.

“I gave the College a visit, and I saw downtown King Street, and I really liked it,” he recalls. “It reminded me a lot of home. That was a really big factor for me, and I’m very, very happy here.”

Love of Learning

Despite the initial financial aid challenges, Salazar-Marin hit the ground running his first semester in the fall of 2023. He quickly caught the attention of Honors Faculty Fellow and Senior Instructor of Computer Science Lancie Affonso ’96 (M.S. ’08) when he began to work ahead on the Coursera course. A member of the College’s chapter of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, which supports historically underrepresented students in STEM fields, Salazar-Marin ended up completing the course and earning the certificate within the month.

Affonso’s class helped pilot the use of Career Academy on Coursera in the fall of 2023 before the College offered the industry micro-credentials for in-demand workplace skills free to all faculty, staff, students and alumni. Salazar-Marin’s enthusiastic response to Coursera, says Affonso, showcases how industry-focused micro-credentials can extend the impact of classroom instruction and give students certificates that make them more competitive for internships and careers after graduation. So far, Salazar-Marin has earned seven certificates through the Coursera platform.

“Simon is what I call highly motivated but intrinsically driven by the love of learning and sharing it with others.”

– Lancie Affonso ’96 (M.S. ’08)
Simon photographed in his second year of school in Cali, Columbia
Simon pictured with his mother and father while wearing his high school grad cap and gown

“He dived in very quickly,” recalls Affonso, adding, “Simon is what I call highly motivated but intrinsically driven by the love of learning and sharing it with others.”

Impressed with Salazar-Marin’s voracious curiosity, Affonso agreed to mentor him as part of a summer 2024 research grant through the College’s School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics to study data lakes using Amazon Web Services platforms. The term “data lakes” refers to repositories for structured and unstructured digital data, which could be everything from text messages and videos on your phone to your browser history to website information. The information gathered in data lakes can be used to generate analytics and dashboards for individuals or businesses.

Not satisfied with just doing a summer research project, Salazar-Marin also did a study abroad program in Trujillo, Spain, where he took a seminar class on computing and society. He also did a micro-internship there with a company called Solar Drone, helping clean up databases and adjust algorithms for solar field data.

When he came back in June, he continued to develop his research on data lakes, planning to make that a long-term project with Affonso. “I delved into it to see how they work and to build my own data lake,” says Salazar-Marin. “I’m planning on doing some comparisons with other types of data lakes, like through Google, and comparing it with Amazon Web Services. It’s a really good project because it can branch into many more things.”

Simon stands outdoors and holds a soccer ball while wearing a vibrant red Adidas soccer shirt

Supportive Ecosystem

Now in his second year at the College, Salazar-Marin serves as an ambassador for some of Affonso’s other classes, where he talks to students about how they can leverage access to Coursera, specifically certificates and training through Amazon Web Services.

His desire to give back and mentor other students hits close to home for Affonso, who is himself a first-generation student who immigrated to the U.S. to attend the College of Charleston. When students like Salazar-Marin support other students, he says, it creates an environment for success.

“It’s the ecosystem that the College creates,” says Affonso. “We’re willing to give back and invest in young students like Simon with advice, with free resources and mentoring. I’m big on this whole idea of ‘mentoring matters,’ and we see it in Simon. And so, in my classes, our sophomore students are mentoring our freshmen, who are now mentoring high school students. I have a high school student in my class right now who’s being mentored by Simon, and we hope he’ll come to the College.”

Salazar-Marin’s friend Keisha Gonzalez-Diaz, a computer information systems major, says his determination and dedication to get the most out of college is inspiring. The two met through a Latin American and Caribbean studies class. They later discovered they were both in the Spanish as a Heritage Language Distinction Program, which offers Hispanic studies courses for Hispanic and Latino students to connect through the Spanish language and the Hispanic world. A native of Puerto Rico, Gonzalez-Diaz says they bonded over being native Spanish speakers and shared cultural connections. The program also helped them meet friends with similar interests and build a sense of community.

“He’s very responsible and very hardworking,” she says. “Even though he was working so much during his freshman year, he still got (all of his coursework) done. He got really good grades. He doesn’t give up, and he demonstrates resilience every day.”

These days, the only coffee Salazar-Marin brews is his own. He has left his full-time job at Starbucks and taken a part-time position with the College’s Division of Information Technology as a digital communications support specialist to get more real-world experience. He continues working on his research and plans to present his project with Affonso on data lakes at the College’s EXPO 2025, which elevates research, creative activities and community research projects from students across the university.

But Salazar-Marin is still decoding his future. He hopes to get more internships and earn more micro-credentials through Coursera and Amazon Web Services. He wants to keep programming a path to a career that allows him to lean into his love of problem-solving.

And, in a couple of years, after he graduates with his bachelor’s degree, he hopes to extend the opportunities he’s had to his parents, especially his dad, whom Salazar-Marin plans to sponsor so he can come live with him in the U.S.

“I know my parents want me to have success and be successful in college, especially because they didn’t. It’s given me a lot of motivation for sure.”

Disappointed with the quality and overseas production of American flags, three alumni – Max Berry ’13 (MBA), Wes Lyon ’13 (MBA) and Katie Morgan Lyon ’14 (M.Ed.) – founded Allegiance Flag Supply and are flying high.

American Dream

American Dream typography
By Margaret Loftus
Photography by Kip Bulwinkle ’04
Allegiance cofounders (l-r) Wes Lyon ’13 (MBA), Max Berry ’13 (MBA) and Katie Morgan Lyon ’14 (M.Ed.)
W dropcap
Wes Lyon ’13 (MBA) was at a conference in New Orleans for his day job in education tech sales in February 2020 when his phone started blowing up. Each cha-ching notification from Shopify indicated a sale at Allegiance Flag Supply, a side hustle he founded with his wife, Katie Morgan Lyon ’14 (M.Ed.), and friend Max Berry ’13 (MBA). The trio’s e-commerce venture – operated out of the Lyons’ Charleston garage in West Ashley’s Avondale neighborhood – sold Made in USA American flags. Since Allegiance’s founding in 2018, however, the cha-chings had been few and far between. 

Wes remembers calling home: “I said, ‘Is the site broken or something?’” But Allegiance was indeed finally reaping the rewards of years of groundwork and fine-tuning by the three cofounders, including a recent reduction in the cost of its product. Plus, it was nearly spring. “We’ve come to find out that’s what we call flag season in America,” says Wes. “It’s almost like being a Christmas tree lot at Christmastime.”

Soon, the pandemic would spark an e-commerce bonanza for homewares of all sorts and stir patriotic feelings among many Americans. (A recent law passed in Congress mandating all federal American flags must be made in the U.S. is indicative of the demand for domestically made flags; alas, Allegiance only sells to consumers and some businesses.) Together, the trifecta was rocket fuel for the made-in-America flag biz: Allegiance grew 4,200% between 2019 and 2020.

“We just kind of dove right in. We all knew we wanted to do something where we could eventually become our own bosses, and we felt really strongly about this idea.”

– Katie Lyon ’14
Five years and five facilities after the founding, the company’s 24,000-square-foot manufacturing center in North Charleston opened last April and employs 52 people who churn out more than 1,000 flags a day (their 3-by-5-foot bestseller costs $85). Another eight employees work at Allegiance’s office at the Industrious coworking space on Upper King Street, and six others staff the phones at call centers throughout the U.S. Katie, Max and Wes credit their success to hard work, lessons learned at the College, a bit of luck and an unshakable faith in their vision.

“We really did not want to give up,” says Katie. “I don’t think we ever had that conversation. It was probably 800 days of no sales. We were like, ‘This is going to happen.’”

flag being inspected for flaws
Each flag is inspected for flaws, and loose threads are trimmed.
Linda Jones smiling while holding flag on table
closeup of American flags ready and packaged
Linda Jones, sewing machine operator, joins stripes and star fields together.

Pledge of Allegiance

It all started in 2015 when Katie and Wes noticed they were regularly replacing the American flag they flew at their Avondale home. “We’d look up every six months or so, and it would be mildewed or moldy or falling apart,” Wes recalls. “We were like, ‘Where is this flag made?’ We looked into it and realized that a lot of the flags weren’t actually made in America, or if they were, they weren’t to the quality that we were looking for, and we started to dig down on that a little bit more.”

It was just the sort of business idea they’d been casting for ever since attending grad school at the College together. Coincidentally, Katie and Max had known each other as middle schoolers at Mason Prep in Charleston, and all three had gone to the University of South Carolina for undergrad. But it wasn’t until Wes, who is from Raleigh, N.C., and Max met at the College that they all became good friends and eventually business partners.

After grad school, all three more or less resumed the careers they had begun post-college. Once he had an MBA under his belt, Max had successfully jump-started his hospitality career in finance for several independent luxury hotels in Charleston. Katie returned to children’s television, taking a job with local production company Litton Entertainment, founded by her father, David L. Morgan (who sits on the College’s School of Business Board of Governors). Wes, who had worked in sports marketing for IMG before business school, landed in education tech sales for various companies based out of Washington, D.C. 

All the while, the three kept their antennas up for business ideas. Despite going back to school to study education, Katie had inherited the entrepreneurial bug from her father. “I knew that business was what I wanted to do,” she says. “I think teaching is the most incredible job, (but) taking more risks is what I was more interested in than a set path.” 

Greisy Rincon putting together a flag set
Greisy Rincon puts together a flag set.
Max and Wes had bonded over a class trip to Dubai. “We got to be really good friends in that program, and outside of that, we always knew we wanted to start something,” says Wes. “We really stayed connected and started working on potential ideas.”

Thanks to the aha moment that exposed a niche for American flags made in the U.S., a plan began to percolate. The friends were intrigued by the modern consumer experience that they were seeing develop with some consumer brands. “It’s creating a community around what you’re selling,” explains Wes, pointing to the weekly “This Week in American History” emails, for example. “It’s not like you’re going to give me money, and I’m going to give you a good. It’s more like I’m going to give you an experience around it. We realized that no one was doing that around the American flag and thought there was a real opportunity there.”

They pooled $5,000 among themselves and wrote up a bar-napkin business plan. “We just kind of dove right in. We all knew we wanted to do something where we could eventually become our own bosses, and we felt really strongly about this idea,” explains Max. To this day, Allegiance is a bootstrap business. Having no outside investors, says Katie, “we felt was the true entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Now I think all three of us have carved out our own American dream. It’s very rewarding, and I highly doubt this would have happened if we hadn’t met at the College.”

– Max Berry ’13
Dilcia Mendez holding up Old Glory flag
Dilcia Mendez with Old Glory.
In addition to the made-in-America aspect, a key to the product’s success is the quality. Allegiance uses first-run 100% American-sourced 200-denier nylon that’s lightweight enough to fly nicely in a breeze but strong enough to take on the elements. Double-needle lockstitching keeps the entire line of stitching from unraveling if one stitch pops, unlike the chain stitching that most flag companies use. And bar tacking at the stress points where the stripes come together locks them into place securely, especially on the fly end, or right-hand side, where the flag takes a beating.

Bursting at the Seams

All three cofounders look back at their time at the College as formative to their decision-making in building the company. For Katie, it was the real-world experience of student teaching in Ladson and North Charleston that had a lasting impact on her. “I felt like I grew up in that program a little bit,” she says. “I learned so many life lessons that I apply to business.” 

Wes was influenced by the entrepreneurs he was introduced to in the MBA program, including Beezer Molten, founder of Half-Moon Outfitters in Charleston, and Baker Motor Co. owner and president Tommy Baker, who came to talk to their class. “That put a seed of inspiration in me to want to go out and do it myself,” he says. “That’s what I remember more than anything.” 

Both Wes and Max fondly recall their professors as well, including Jim Kindley, who teaches the capstone class and who included a case study on Allegiance in his class this past fall semester, which about 60 students, some faculty and School of Business Dean Paul Schwager attended. “Very full-circle experience!” says Wes.

Max, in particular, connected with associate professor Brumby McLeod, who encouraged him to apply to the program. Berry’s focus on revenue management has paid big dividends – literally. “It’s been hugely helpful for the financial infrastructure of the business,” says Wes.

After sales went from 0 to 100 in February 2020, the three went into emergency mode. They immediately leased a space – a 700-square-foot tornado shelter – carved out by their friends over at Smithey Ironware in North Charleston’s Navy Yard and began hiring people to help fulfill orders.

Maira Rangel stitching
closeup of Maira Rangel sewing
Maira Rangel cutting fabric
Maira Rangel stitching.
inside view of the production plant in North Charleston
The production plant in North Charleston employs 52 people.
But by the time summer rolled around, Allegiance was 3,000 orders in the hole. “Our manufacturer at the time in Georgia wouldn’t answer our phone calls,” says Max. “One of our core values is integrity, so we had to just be honest with our customers.” They ended up sending emails to all those customers offering a refund if they chose not to wait for their flags. “Ninety-nine percent of them wrote back and said, ‘Do what you have to do.’”

Despite the supply chain hiccup, the pandemic ended up being a positive for the startup, giving the newbies space to grow into their roles. “With the world being shut down, we got an opportunity to huddle together and figure it out without everyday distractions,” says Katie.

All in all, the partners fondly remember those crucial early days. “It was a really fun time,” says Wes. “You’re pinching yourself every day and saying, ‘I can’t believe this is working.’”

By April 2020, all three cofounders – their official titles – were able to quit their jobs and go full time with Allegiance. Their professional roles developed organically, aligned with each of their strong suits. Max handles the financials and performance marketing, such as Facebook and TV ads; Katie manages the creative marketing and branding; and Wes oversees operations, including the warehouse, sewing and fulfillment, as well as partnerships.

Allegiance has continued to grow like, well, amber waves of grain. After realizing they needed more capacity, the owners transitioned to manufacturing their own flags in 2021 rather than relying on a small network of sew shops. Despite their new facility in North Charleston, they’re already bursting at the seams, says Katie. “We say as soon as the ink is dry, we start looking for another spot.” The company has hired 32 employees in just the last year.

flag being folded by hand in a proper triangle fold before shipping
Each flag is folded by hand in a proper triangle fold before shipping.
🔈
closeup of label being shown on flag
flag being folded by hand
As for the future, Wes says the backbone of the business will always be the American flag, but they’re starting to feel out other products, like a wallet lined with the remnants from manufacturing. “We’re not going to get too far ahead of ourselves,” he says. “We’re going to certainly continue to focus on made-in-America and make sure what we’re doing supports the work of American manufacturers.”

Meanwhile, the trio has remained friends all along and grown their families alongside Allegiance: Katie and Wes have two sons with another on the way, and Max and his wife, Sydney, have a son and a daughter with one on the way as well.

Max admits he didn’t know what to expect when they started the business together out of the Lyons’ garage. Before the MBA program, he says, “I was making $10 an hour working the front desk at a hotel, and now I think all three of us have carved out our own American dream. It’s very rewarding, and I highly doubt this would have happened if we hadn’t met at the College.”

A man wearing a blue shirt and apron stands behind a window with text reflections.
At Your Service
Charleston’s spot atop travel rankings is due in large part to alumni in the hospitality trade, who provide internships and insight to students in the hospitality and tourism management program.
Photography by Reese Moore
T

he College’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the School of Business just wrapped up a yearlong celebration of its 25th year as a program at the College and its 20th year as a major. Travel + Leisure readers have voted Charleston the No. 1 tourist city in the country for 12 years running. Coincidence? Probably not, since it’s a self-perpetuating cycle: As one of the finest of its kind in the country, the program keeps producing alumni like those on the following pages who in turn improve the tourism experience, then in many cases return to the classroom to share their insights and/or offer internships to current students.

Photography by Reese Moore
“One of the characteristics we’re most proud of is our strong relationship with our alumni and industry partners,” says Hunter Kim, the department chair. “We equip our students with a solid academic foundation, combined with extensive business skills in hospitality and tourism, all while utilizing the most up-to-date technology.”

The faculty and staff provide a high-quality education, offering a blend of theoretical, practical and experiential learning opportunities in one of the world’s premier destinations.

“We are fortunate to be able to teach our students in the ‘living laboratory’ of Charleston,” says the ever-popular professor Steve Litvin, who has been teaching at the College for 23 years and supervises student research in the department. “Whether a student has an interest in lodging, event planning, food and beverage, sports management or any other related segment, they find willing industry partners to offer part-time jobs and internships while in school – and wonderful employment opportunities when they graduate.”

About 100 companies in Charleston hosted interns in 2024, according to senior instructor and internship coordinator Jeremy Clement, with 98% of interns receiving positive evaluations from their host organizations.

“As a hallmark of the experiential and deeply impactful nature of our program in our local hospitality community, students from the department’s Events Management class created a series of events for alumni, industry partners and students alike to celebrate our achievements together,” he says. “Between these events, hundreds of College alumni working in the local hospitality industry joined in the celebration. Our hospitality program uniquely creates the next generation of leaders for our industry, and these events were a testimony to that success.”

A bearded man in a light blue shirt sits at a wooden table with a dark bookshelf of eclectic items behind him.

JAMES
LONDON ’07

Owner and chef of Chubby Fish
Charleston

A

s a young boy visiting his aunt and uncle’s home on Edisto Island, S.C., James London ’07 would sit on their dock from sunrise to sunset with a fishing pole in hand, pulling in whiting, redfish, sheepshead and speckled sea trout. He’d proudly deliver buckets of fresh catch to his mother, Donna Sparkman London ’77, who would clean and cook the seafood for family dinner.

“There was this sense of being able to provide for people,” London recalls. “I could feed my family by doing something I love.”

Today, as the owner-chef of the acclaimed Chubby Fish in Charleston, he’s doing much the same thing but on a much grander scale, feeding about 165 people a night, five times a week. The 1,000-square-foot, 38-seat restaurant has won a noted trifecta of awards since it opened in 2018: a Best New Restaurant nod from Bon Appetit (2019), a Global Tastemakers award from Food & Wine as the seventh-best restaurant in America (2024) and a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best Chef: Southeast (2024).

The restaurant’s success stems from London’s jazz-like ability to improvise. He and the other chefs cook more through love and intuition than from recipes. Each morning, he works directly with local fishermen to source the day’s catch, then creates new dishes based on whatever comes in – from massive opah to spiny lobster. The constantly changing chalkboard menu and no-reservations policy (leading to a daily line of eager patrons down the block) have become signatures of the dock-to-table experience at Chubby Fish. (His partner in life and the restaurant, YoYo Tang, came up with the name to reflect the restaurant’s welcoming, unpretentious vibe.)

“We’re not in this business to make money,” says London, sitting inside Chubby Fish on a weekday afternoon as a line starts to form outside. “I’m so passionate about putting the best product on the plate, and you really feel that passion ripple through the food and every interaction you have with every single employee here.”

“I’m so passionate about putting the best product on the plate, and you really feel that passion ripple through the food.”
A man stands in front of a seafood bar counter with blue stools and chalkboard menus above.
London gives a lot of credit to the College (where his dad, Jim, taught economics, 1979–84), specifically former associate professor of hospitality and tourism management Bob Frash, who owned six restaurants before he began teaching at CofC in 2005.

“Chubby Fish would not have happened without Dr. Frash,” says London, who had been working in restaurants since age 14 before Frash expanded London’s ideas of the business in his Restaurant Enterprise class, among others. “I was into restaurants for the food side of things, so hearing Dr. Frash talk about this restaurant and that restaurant he opened was very impactful. He really opened my eyes that I could do that, too, one day.”

Frash remembers London as the quiet kid in the back of the room who always went above and beyond, but he scoffs at the notion that he had anything to do with London’s success, calling him “clearly a prodigy.”

“He told me he walks his dog and gets these sort of visions for what he might do,” says Frash. “They sort of come to him almost like a song would come to Bob Dylan.”

The music analogy is apt, as London was also a drummer in a couple of funk bands while he was in college. A pivotal moment came when the head chef at Carolina Yacht Club noticed London’s natural talent and passion in the kitchen – but, because of his dueling interests, his fellow line cooks had to clean his station when he’d rush out to gigs, while his bandmates had to set up his drum kit and cover his soundchecks.

“Tomorrow when you come in,” the chef told him after sitting him down one day, “you’re gonna tell me if you’re gonna be a drummer or a chef.”

Shelving unit with wine bottles, a framed ship painting, and glassware, featuring a ladder and decorative vines.
He hasn’t touched his drums since, although he does still have multiple kits at his parents’ house in Clemson, S.C. “I’m not ready to get rid of them,” he says, much to his parents’ chagrin. “Maybe one day I’ll slow down and set up my garage with them and just go nuts. But right now, I’m having too much fun in the restaurant business.”

After graduating with degrees in business administration and hospitality and tourism management, London moved to New York City to attend the French Culinary Institute, studying under legends like Jacques Pépin and Jacques Torres while doing internships at revered restaurants like Eleven Madison Park. Seven years in demanding New York kitchens honed his technical skills – and the next four years in San Francisco transformed his cooking philosophy.

“In New York, it was all about technique and presentation,” says London. “San Francisco simplified my food. It became more about quality of ingredients and flavor.”

By 2017, he was finally ready to return to Charleston and open his own place, where he could draw on his culinary toolbox to celebrate the diversity of Lowcountry seafood.

“We’re between two major fisheries – the mid-Atlantic and the South Atlantic,” he explains. “Where those two fisheries overlap is right smack dab at Charleston, so we’re getting double the species of anyone else.”

A lively café on a street corner with people gathered outside and a woman crossing the street.
In the fine-dining industry, where the profit margins are about 3%, Chubby Fish’s is more like 15% thanks in part to a table-turnover rate that’s double the industry average of 2.5 a night.

“Often chef-owners have culinary talent but are terrible businesspeople,” says Frash. “James is rare in that he excels at both.”

But more importantly to London, he has created a family-like culture among his staff of 18, leading to almost zero turnover in an industry known for constant churn. “He always puts his staff in front of profits,” says Frash. “He operates his business as a family.”

London has no interest in expanding, although he did just open a cocktail bar, Seahorse, next door to Chubby Fish, serving small bites to diners on the waitlist. But his main focus remains on mentoring the next generation of culinary talent while maintaining the high standards that have made his restaurant a national destination.

“It’s just so much fun being able to make people happy,” says London. “There are not many careers where we get to put so much focus every single day into trying to ensure that somebody is getting one of the better meals of their lifetime. It’s a special place to be.” – Tom Cunneff

Person in a green dress leaning on a balcony railing with an urban background.

Catherine
Dority ’99

Vice President of Marketing
Explore Charleston

C

atherine “Cat” Dority ’99 chose the College because of its location – appropriate, given her career. Most of her classmates in Florence, S.C., were attending two other universities in the state, but Dority wanted something different.

“Charleston just seemed so cosmopolitan and so exciting,” she says.

The summer of her sophomore year at the College, she passed a tour guide test and began working as a driver for one of the local carriage companies. This would be the catalyst for a career in hospitality and tourism.

When her advisor, Lynn Cherry, associate chair of the Department of Communication, told her to soak up all that she could, Dority applied for an internship with academic credit at the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Explore Charleston). Two weeks into the internship, the assistant to the CEO resigned, and the junior communication major quickly came up with a plan.

“You don’t need to replace her,” she said to the CEO, Helen Hill. “I can do the job.”

Twenty-six years later with job title and duty evolutions (but the same CEO), Dority is still there – as the vice president of marketing.

Sharing why Charleston is a premier destination while helping to promote its hotels, restaurants, tour companies and attractions is Dority’s primary job. One could say it’s an easy task since readers of Condé Nast Traveler have named Charleston the No. 1 Small City in 2024 and Travel + Leisure has touted Charleston as the No. 1 City in the U.S. for the past 12 consecutive years – and the only U.S. destination voted among its 25 Best Cities in the World.

Telling the story of one of America’s oldest cities also affords her the opportunity to proudly showcase the 13th-oldest college in the country. She’s hosted familiarization trips for readers of Travel + Leisure that included lunch with President Andrew T. Hsu and his wife, Rongrong Chen, who also host an oyster roast at their home for state legislators that Dority plans every year during the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.

“We like to show how we work hand in hand with the College,” she says.

That includes working with the School of Business Office of Tourism Analysis, led by Daniel Guttentag, to conduct competitiveness research and monitoring programs and share the resulting insights with decision-makers and stakeholders.

“We are fortunate to work with that office,” says Dority, praising the regular reports it provides on hotel performance, including metrics like average daily rate and occupancy. “They also help us identify who our visitors are, how much they spend and their travel patterns – when they come, when they don’t and possibly why. It’s a very close partnership.”

Dority also serves as the director of the Lowcountry Hospitality Association, advocating for affiliate members and overseeing the scholarships the association awards to CofC hospitality and tourism students. And she regularly speaks about industry standards to students in the College’s Beemok Hospitality Collection Service Leadership Scholars program.

“What better place to go to school, if this is the industry that you want to be in?” she says.

One of the projects Dority is proudest of is the Charleston Locals Guide, a video series that allows tourists to experience the city’s history and culture through some of its residents (including Hsu).

“This campaign makes Charleston feel more personal, and it helps people understand this is a living, breathing city,” says Dority. “It’s not fabricated – it’s our home.” – George Johnson

Close-up of ice cream with cookie chunks in a white cup, held by a hand with a gold-handled spoon.
| photo courtesy Swank Bakery |

Danetra
Richardson ’12

Owner and Pastry Chef of Swank Desserts
Summerville, S.C.

I

t’s been 12 years, but Bob Frash can still taste the bacon-apple fritter Danetra Richardson ’12 cooked up in a deep fryer right there at her display table at the class fair.

“It was decadently good,” he recalls.

Richardson and her teammates were presenting Frash, the now-retired hospitality and tourism management professor in the School of Business, and the other judges with their food concept in their senior capstone project. Frash warned the class that he was going to be a lot tougher on restaurant ideas, so Richardson and the team did some research and decided on a late-night dessert lounge on King Street.

That concept, Swank Desserts, still has the same name, but it has morphed a little from its original plan and is now a popular grab-and-go bakery in Summerville, S.C., thanks to Richardson’s pastry, business and social media skills. One TikTok of her banana pudding (pictured above) drew more than 1 million views last summer. Macarons are another specialty, as are the brownies, like the dark chocolate-Nutella-salted-caramel fudge offering.

“I love the creative freedom,” says Richardson. “I can literally do whatever I want, but the one thing about me is I never like to remain stagnant, so I’m always improving upon our recipes, too.”

Influenced by her mom, the Virginia Beach, Va., native has always loved to cook and knew she wanted to go to culinary school by the time she was in high school. After doing so at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C., she came to Charleston to do an externship at Magnolias and enrolled at the College at her mom’s behest to get a bachelor’s degree.

Person in a white chef's coat smiling against a brick wall.
But the path from classroom concept to successful business wasn’t immediate. After graduating, Richardson continued working in restaurants, including as pastry chef at Kiawah Golf Resort’s Atlantic Room at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, S.C., where she honed her craft creating elaborate plated desserts.

“The chef there allowed me to really be creative,” recalls Richardson. “The menu definitely reflected my style.”

In 2015, she started baking pies for holidays and selling them to friends and family through Facebook. By late 2019, she had opened her brick-and-mortar location in Summerville, strategically choosing the location to fill a niche, as she had learned in her capstone class, after studying the surrounding demographics.

“Downtown Charleston is super saturated,” she says. “I just knew out here I would have little to no competition. It was the perfect opportunity.”

Her parents passed on their strong work ethic, which is a good thing since, as owner and pastry chef, Richardson must wear many different hats, despite employing a staff of five (her father, Norman, was a huge part of her life and business before passing away in October).

“Social media is like a full-time job,” she says. “There’s just always something to do and stay on top of to make sure we keep moving forward.”

Just for the record, Richardson got an A in the class. – Tom Cunneff

Man standing in front of a tropical mural, smiling with hands on a surface.

Ham
Morrison ’98

Owner of the Starlight Motor Inn
North Charleston, S.C.

R

eal estate developers catch a bad rap. Ham Morrison ’98 breaks that mold. A former race car driver and current owner of an eponymous motorsports and marketing company, Morrison operates differently.

It is only fitting that his path began not as a business major at the College but in the humanities.

Speaking of his major, Morrison remembers: “Sociology covers so much – human nature, societal trends, understanding what makes people tick, and how and why they think the way they do. And what better place to soak all that in than Charleston?”

Years after crossing the Cistern and many thousands of laps strapped into his race car, Morrison and fellow College alum Shelby Nelson ’94 began renovating historic properties in Charleston’s Eastside. The experience provided an education all its own.

“We learned what pleased people and what upset people,” says Morrison. “Most importantly, we learned respect for our community.”

Morrison took the lessons to heart. When the Redux Contemporary Arts Center was looking for a new home in 2016, Morrison offered favorable terms to the nonprofit for a large hangar on Upper King Street that was once a skating rink.

“People come here because of the quality of life and because Charleston is cool, and that’s because of the arts,” Morrison said at the time.

In 2019, a property near Rivers and Reynolds avenues in North Charleston caught his attention: the Starlight Motor Inn. He was perhaps the only one who saw its potential; the property had sat condemned for 15 years and was only months away from demolition.

A bit of history bolstered his case to save it – the Starlight may very well be the first modular-built motel in the U.S., which helped get it listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Morrison is proudest of the motel’s bar, the Burgundy Lounge, open to both guests and locals.

“One of the most rewarding things is seeing the locals and motel guests hang out. The stories that room could tell … .”

Looking back over his career, has a mantra emerged?

“Good projects inspire good projects. I like the kind of growth that adds to the local fabric – and doesn’t just feed off it or add to sprawl and traffic. Projects that are a destination and not just a jumping off point.”

Or, as he puts it another way: “I love this city.” – Vincent Fraley

Man with long braids and sunglasses holding a microphone at an outdoor event.

Marcus
Hammond ’08

Founder of the Black Food Truck Festival
Ladson, S.C.

O

n any given Sunday, the aroma of Southern delicacies like collard greens, black-eyed peas, and fried fish and chicken, as well as the sounds of R&B, filled Marcus Hammond’s childhood home in Memphis, Tenn. With his dad manning the grill and his mom in the kitchen, Hammond remembers laughing and playing with family members until the food was ready.

“Those times set the foundation for me to be in the hospitality field,” he says.

The rich Black culture of Charleston, not to mention the weather and the CofC men’s basketball program, which he captained his senior year, brought Hammond to the College.

After graduating with a degree in business administration, Hammond sold everything from cars to furniture before becoming a commercial banker. But he craved something more – something that would allow him to combine his knowledge in business and his love for entertaining.

“I always hosted events,” he says, referring to professional mixers, parties and basketball camps, among other gatherings. “But I wanted to do something that was multigenerational.”

That led to his creation of the Black Food Truck Festival, merging cultural experiences with food and music.

“There weren’t many cultural festivals in Charleston that catered to what Black people wanted,” he says. “Instead of complaining, I figured I would just create the vibe myself.”

Musician playing saxophone on stage with an iPad on a stand.
Man smiling while holding a food tray and a pineapple top.
Person smiling with orange sunglasses, cap, and colorful headscarf.
Since 2021, the three-day festival has taken place every fourth weekend in April at the Exchange Park Fairgrounds in Ladson, S.C.

“There’s a rich Black culture in Charleston that hasn’t been celebrated around the world as loudly as we would like,” Hammond says, noting that the event draws upwards of 18,000 people a year – 70% from outside the state.

People like Clarise Nixon from Laurel, Md., who attended the 2024 festival and plans to return.

“I enjoyed this celebration of Black culture,” she says. “We ate, laughed, sang and danced to the excellent live music. It was more than just a food truck festival; it was an experience.”

Hammond sees the Black Food Truck Festival as a way to promote cultural understanding and appreciation of African food, Caribbean food, soul food, seafood and Gullah Geechee cuisine. Live music runs the gamut from go-go to soul to pop.

A man and woman enjoying food at an outdoor event, each holding plates and eating enthusiastically, with a bright and sunny atmosphere in the background.
A woman with vibrant turquoise hair and oversized reflective sunglasses, smiling and holding up a peace sign while wearing colorful earrings and a purple outfit at an outdoor event.
A woman wearing sunglasses and a white T-shirt, playfully eating with a fork at an outdoor event, with a blurred background of people and tents.
A woman with braided hair wearing a black T-shirt and hoop earrings, smiling while holding a tray with a pineapple cup and a dish topped with food, at an outdoor event.
“We touch on all of the aspects of what it’s like to be Black in America,” he says. “This is a celebration of all the positivity and contributions that Black people have given to America.”

In 2022, the travel website Tripadvisor named the Black Food Truck Festival one of the top Black festivals in the country alongside Essence, Miami Carnival and Afro Punk.

His festival has also helped promote and grow Black-owned businesses. The average gross revenue for the roughly 50 food trucks is about $8,000 each, says Hammond, who just wishes his mother, who helped inspire the festival, were still around to see his success.

“One of the biggest things she would enjoy is seeing how the community is responding to something that essentially she created,” he says, adding that his dad is his biggest cheerleader and hasn’t missed a festival. “He goes around to taste all the food, enjoys the live music and, of course, critiques all of the food.” – George Johnson

Impact

studio art archaeology engineering

Dedicated Donor

At the Live Oak Society event at Stono Preserve on Oct. 19, the College celebrated Sibby Harvey ’58 for 41 years of consecutive giving. She is the definition of an engaged alumna. Harvey has supported everything from the arts to athletics. She has served on the Foundation Board, Alumni Association Board, and Board of Trustees, for which she is a trustee emerita. Harvey received the Alumni Award of Honor in 2015 and an honorary degree at the 2024 winter commencement.
| photo by Reese Moore |
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IMPACT
Three people in an art studio, examining a print on a printing press.
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

A Lasting Imprint

During her four decades teaching printmaking at the College, studio art professor Barbara Duval has made a big impact on her students.
For 42 years, studio art professor Barbara Duval has fostered a family among her printmaking students, who develop their distinct visual voices while learning traditional and experimental printmaking techniques, from lithography and intaglio to relief printing.

“We have had such a great time in my classes that it is hard to get them out of my classroom at the end of the semester,” chuckles Duval.

One such student is studio art major Peyton Cochran ’04.

“Barbara gave me the freedom to explore and create in a controlled environment with support and encouragement,” says Cochran. “She was tough but understanding – and I had a deep connection with her in a way I cannot pinpoint, but she felt like home to me, and a comfort and challenge all at the same time.”

How appropriate that a printmaker has made such a lasting impression on her students. Inspired by Duval’s imprint on his daughter, G. Moffett Cochran established the Barbara Duval Endowed Scholarship of Studio Art.

The gift enables the studio art faculty to review nominations and collectively select a scholarship recipient each year. This year they chose two students: Thomas Hicks and Ella Waldron-Noren.

Hicks, who has taken all three of Duval’s printmaking classes, has a passion to learn that grabbed Duval’s attention.

“He was always working hard, focusing on his tasks at hand and doing his best in an area where he had no previous experience – printmaking,” says Duval. “Not to mention: When we did critiques, he would always have feedback for all his classmates, which pleased me. It is a hard thing to do, and he did it compassionately. He took to printmaking and is a very talented student.”

For Hicks, who plans to pursue his photography and sculpture focus in graduate school, the scholarship validated that he is on the right path.

“I remember when Professor Duval told me the good news – I was thrilled,” he says. “It meant a lot to me that she noticed and acknowledged my hard work. I’ve built a strong bond with her and really value her support. Receiving the scholarship has boosted my confidence in my art and reinforced my belief that I can truly succeed as an artist one day.”

Duval looks forward to having Waldron-Noren in her class in the spring.

“I have seen her paintings in the students’ shows and the gallery – she is incredibly talented; you can see the passion in her pieces,” says Duval.

Waldron-Noren uses her art to respond to the natural world.

“As I further my understanding of our planet through my scientific studies, my artwork becomes a mirror,” says the studio art major and geology minor. “My work uses visual connections to serve as a reminder that no matter how much we may feel separate from the natural world, we are an integral part of it.”

With the Duval Scholarship, Waldron-Noren is taking an extra year at the College, something that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

“In the future, I want to find or create a job that combines both of my main passions: nature and art,” says Waldron-Noren. “I am unsure what that looks like right now, but I am confident with this extra year to build on my knowledge and with the support of the art community, I will find a way.”

Peyton Cochran is thrilled that students are seizing opportunities.

“I want students to know that they are talented and have an incredible future ahead and to use this scholarship to discover and unlock those talents at the next level,” she says. “I want them to lean in to the hard areas and explore the uncomfortable. Challenge your creativity and find a mentor like Barbara Duval, who can teach you life lessons that will leave an imprint on your artistic future – the way she imprinted mine.” – Abby Albright

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IMPACT
A smiling man in a green t-shirt holds a broken artifact in a workspace with shelves and a microscope.
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

Digging Archaeology

Thanks to the Jon Morter Memorial Award in Anthropology/Archaeology, Josh de Groot had the opportunity to unearth Mesoamerican treasures.
Using a pick and a trowel, Josh de Groot carefully excavated items found in his 2-by-2-meter unit of the archaeological dig in Actuncan, Belize. He and the team were working in a cow field believed to be the home of Mayan ruins — one of the sites where he worked during his four-week course.

De Groot had the opportunity to join the eight-credit class thanks to the Jon Morter Memorial Award in Anthropology/Archaeology. The award honors the memory of Jon Morter, a prehistoric archaeologist who taught at the College of Charleston in 1996–97.

De Groot, a transfer student, hit upon archaeology as a major when he perused the College’s options. His Introduction to Archaeology course with Sarah Platt, assistant professor of anthropology, cinched his decision.

Upon Platt’s recommendation, de Groot applied for the award. “Receiving the award gave me a sense of comfort that my work is working,” says the Greenville, S.C., native.

“Jon’s daughters and I are very pleased this scholarship continues to give deserving students a chance to experience fieldwork in archaeology,” says Morter’s widow, Hillary Hutchinson.

The trip checked many boxes for de Groot. It was his first time traveling abroad by himself, his first time utilizing the Spanish he had been studying and his first time applying what he learned in class.

Initially, de Groot found small artifact fragments, or as his archaeology professor, Jim Newhard, calls them, “dog bones.” As the excavation progressed, de Groot and the team began to discover walls and floors.

Each unit is dug in layers so that what is discovered can be timed based on its location and the soil. Everything is studied and measured, including the dirt, which is labeled and sifted to see if any more artifacts can be found. The process continues with the cleaning of the artifacts and then the categorizing and labeling of each piece.

“It was exciting to see what I had learned applied in the field,” says de Groot. “The experience gave me the tools to excavate with precision.” He credits his success to the local field assistants at the site, in particular Renae Ouk, who has worked at the sites for 45 years. He explained and demonstrated the importance of precision and of carefully following procedures when excavating.

The most exciting finds for de Groot were a howler monkey on a piece of a jar and a piece of pottery with a nose, eye and mouth. The four weeks ended way too soon.

“I was there just long enough to start loving what I was doing, and I didn’t want to leave,” he says, adding that he chose Mesoamerica to see if it would ignite a flame – right now it’s an ember.

“I am so delighted Josh has taken away so much from my classes and advising,” says Platt. “Josh has a great set of instincts and is fantastic at jumping on any opportunities that he knows will make him a better archaeologist. This kind of initiative will serve him extraordinarily well as he grows in the field, and I look forward to seeing where his career takes him.”

Meanwhile, de Groot jumped on another opportunity recommended by Platt. He is interning with the local cultural resource management firm Brockington and Associates. His focus is cleaning artifacts, which will hone his archaeological skills even further. – Darcie Goodwin

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IMPACT
Two people smiling in front of a historic building with columns and blue shutters.
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

Priming the Pump

The Zucker family has given $2 million to scholarships for the newly formed School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics.
Housed in Harbor Walk, overlooking the Cooper River, the School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics is set to produce much-needed talent for the region. To support the momentum of the new school, the Zucker family donated $2 million toward engineering scholarships.

“We are very interested in this area,” says Anita Zucker ’10 (honorary degree). “My late husband, Jerry Zucker, was gifted at math and science. These skills made him the incredible person he was and built our businesses. Couple that with liberal arts, including the importance of communication and writing proficiency, and it completes the person.”

The Zucker family’s scholarship commitment supports President Andrew T. Hsu’s vision for a vibrant School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics. With a preference given to women and minorities, the scholarships will help recruit, inspire and prepare students from across the country who wish to combine a rigorous engineering education with a broad-based liberal arts curriculum, giving them a unique value proposition in the workforce.

“We have been so fortunate to have the Zucker family as part of our campus community over the past 30 years,” says Hsu. “The Zuckers’ latest gift for engineering scholarships will help the College provide a pipeline of talent to our region’s growing high-tech, manufacturing and life sciences industries. We are where we are today because of loyal donors like the Zuckers.”

The Department of Engineering already offers majors in electrical engineering, software engineering and systems engineering and a minor in digital manufacturing technology, with plans to add more. With the critical thinking and communications skills produced by a liberal arts education, graduates from these programs are critical for the aerospace, automotive, logistics, software/IT, medical, and hospitality and tourism jobs that dominate the region. These industries also create opportunities for hands-on experience through internships and co-ops.

The Zucker family’s gift of engineering scholarships is an investment in the community. Having a pipeline of talented engineers to join the workforce will support success in the region. – Darcie Goodwin

Fostering Philanthropy

The Zucker Family Challenge kicked off during the 2024 CofC Day as a way to motivate the College’s existing donor base and encourage new donors. The challenge awarded $100,000 to match the gifts of 2,000 donors.

Thanks to the family’s commitment of $500,000, the Zucker Family Challenge will continue for four more years. Stay tuned to learn what the challenge will be for the 2025 CofC Day, which will take place from 4:30 p.m. March 19 to 10 p.m. March 20.

Alumni Notebook

Class Notes Alumni Profiles Passages

Shell of a Good Time

The Homecoming oyster roast welcomed more than 750 alumni, parents, students, and fans for an evening of delicious food, live music by Whiskey Run, and abundant Cougar pride. During the band break, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Delta Gamma performed Pep Supper’s winning dance routines, while the Cougar Chorale, Charleston Vibes, Chucktown Trippintones, and AcaBelles serenaded guests a cappella.
| photo by Clifford Pate |
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Alumni Notebook
  • GOLD HIGHLIGHTED ALUMNI ARE RECENT DONORS TO THE COLLEGE
  • 1969

    Pete Pillow was named 2024 Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Columbia/Patuxent in Howard County, Md. He was also named a Paul Harris Fellow Plus-2 by the Rotary International Foundation and resides in Columbia, Md., with his wife, Anne.

  • 1973

    Otto German received the Felix “Doc” Blanchard Citizen for Sports Award in May at the 62nd annual South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony and banquet. He was inducted into the CofC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 and resides in Mt. Pleasant.

  • 1974

    Julian Wiles was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre in Washington, D.C. The founder and director emeritus of Charleston Stage, he is married to Jenny Hane, and the couple resides in Mt. Pleasant.

  • 1976

    Nan Jones Banks had her first novel, Death Wish: Tales from Eternity, published by Liminal Books. She and her wife, Jolanta, reside in Asheville, N.C.

  • 1981

    Catherine Salley Koehler is a visual arts instructor at Delta State University. She and her husband, Ronald, reside in Cleveland, Miss.

  • 1982

    Charlene McCutchen Grice is a board-certified ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon and member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She and her husband, George, reside in Mt. Pleasant.

  • Sharon Fitzgerald Maiewski is an associate professor in physician assistant studies at James Madison University. She practices with Blue Ridge Free Clinic and the Healthcare for the Homeless Suitcase Clinic and resides in Harrisonburg, Va.
  • Steve Warner is a managing partner of Slick Rock Consulting. He and his wife, Jan, reside in Charleston.
  • 1983

    Scott Cracraft has been named to the Forbes list “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” for the fourth consecutive year. He is a managing director of Raymond James in Charleston. He and his wife, janet heath Cracraft ’85, reside in Mt. Pleasant and have two children, Chip and Kellee Ann Cracraft DeVore ’15.

  • Fredalyn Frasier is the director of planning for the city of Spartanburg, S.C.
  • Laurie Minges is president of the College’s Alumni Association for the next two years. She is a broker for Dunes Properties and resides in Mt. Pleasant.
  • Frances Montgomery Pickens is a project manager at the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic. She and her husband, Kenneth, reside in Mt. Pleasant.
  • 1984

    Beth Boone is the recipient of the United States Artists organization’s 2024 Berresford Prize. She resides in Miami Shores, Fla.

  • Roy Howell is a partner and attorney at Trask & Howell in Mt. Pleasant. He is a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and resides in Mt. Pleasant with his wife, Ginger Taylor Howell ’89.
  • Donnie Shaw is an owner and vice president of Shaw Resources and serves on the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He and his wife, Angela, reside in Greer, S.C.
  • Christopher Thornton is a Charleston Harbor pilot who received a Meritorious Public Service Award from the U.S. Coast Guard in June after he piloted a runaway container ship for more than 20 nautical miles on the Cooper River and under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
  • Suzette Jeffries Timme is president and CEO of Indigo Asset Services and a vice president of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She resides in Arlington, Va., with her husband, U.S. Navy retired Rear Adm. William G. Timme.
  • Skip Utsey is a partner and attorney at the firm Clawson Fargnoli Utsey and president of the Charleston chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He also is a chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. He and his wife, Judy, reside in Charleston and have two children.
  • 1985

    janet heath Cracraft (see Scott Cracraft ’83).

  • Burny Kearney Drumheller see (Brian Drumheller ’87)
  • Fred Jeffers is an asset analyst with the Charleston County government. He earned his MBA from Charleston Southern University in 2019 and resides in Ladson, S.C.
  • Martha Sue Barnes Smith is an account executive at Partnerships in Education and Resilience. She and her husband, Scott, reside in Mandeville, La.
  • 1986

    Zac Collins is a senior vice president for commercial banking at Penn Community Bank in Perkasie, Pa.

  • Mitchell Crosby is the CEO and founder of the event planning company JMC Charleston and resides in Charleston.
  • Pete Ferrara is a business development manager for digital services at Spirax Sarco USA in Blythewood, S.C.
  • Christina Speight Perry is the president of Perry Global Marketing. She and her husband, Todd, reside in High Point, N.C.
  • 1987

    Sally Davis (M.P.A. ’92) is a special education teacher for Arlington Public Schools. She earned a master’s in special education and teaching from the University of Virginia in 2021 and resides in Alexandria, Va.

  • Brian Drumheller retired in August after 37 years in the quality assurance profession. He and his wife, Burny Kearney Drumheller ’85, reside in Covington, Ga.
  • Ed Nierstedt is a vice president for regional sales for the Middleby Corp. He and his wife, Jane, reside in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
  • 1989

    Ginger Taylor Howell (see Roy Howell ’84)

  • Dave Lobo is a sales and marketing operations team leader at Spectrum Enterprise and a professor of digital marketing and brand management at Collin College in McKinney, Texas. He earned his doctorate in applied learning sciences from the University of Miami in May and resides in Frisco, Texas.
  • Jean Vinel is a teacher at Woodville-Tompkins Technical and Career High School in Savannah, Ga., and resides in Bluffton, S.C., with his wife, Andrea.
  • 1990

    Jackson Davis is the head of diversity, equity and inclusion for MassMutual and resides in Miami.

  • Jamie Moon is president and CEO of the Institute for Child Success and a vice president of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He resides in Greenville, S.C., with his wife, Sommer, and four children.
  • Otis Robinson is the founder and managing principal of Robinson Business Consulting and a vice president on the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He and his wife, Angela, reside in Chapin, S.C.
  • Marty Viser is a community relations and communications manager at BASF in Charlotte, N.C., and serves on the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
  • 1991

    Brian Freese is a deputy chief of police for the Georgia College and State University Department of Public Safety, located in Milledgeville, Ga.

  • Ed Macy (M.A. ’98) is a historic journalist and the owner of Ed Macy Tours. The author of Haunted Charleston, he also teaches English at Trident Technical College and resides in Charleston.
  • Scott Moody and his family are partnering with the College’s Office of Student Wellness and Well-Being to create the Lynn L. Moody Endowment for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. The endowment, named in honor of his late wife, Lynn luckey moody ’93, funds OSWW’s Emotional Distress Prepared Certification course, among other programs and events. The Moody family resides in Ruffin, S.C.
  • 1992

    Shannon Foster Condon (see Mark Condon ’01)

  • Christy Daughtridge Galloway (see Meriwether Galloway ’22)
  • Christa Smith Gogstad is a bookstore and resource center associate at the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. She and her husband, Eric, reside in Decatur, Ga.
  • Beau Schweikert is the chief financial officer for Beatty Management Co. and resides in McLean, Va.
  • Tripp Sellers is a vice president of CBRE and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He and his wife, Ashley, reside in Greenville, S.C., with their five children.
  • 1993

    Jessica Fulton Bachand is a broker and real estate agent at Lake Realty and resides in Mooresville, N.C.

  • LoriAnn Leuci Beck is a paralegal at the law firm Willson Jones Carter & Baxley. She and her husband, Robert, reside in Summerville, S.C.
  • Byron Gipson is a solicitor of the 5th Judicial Circuit and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He resides in Columbia, S.C.
  • Cordelia Jenkins is an interim assistant superintendent of academics and student affairs for the Charleston County School District and resides in Walterboro, S.C.
  • 1994

    Tricia Arnold Howard is vice president of advanced practice services at ExperCARE Health and a doctoral candidate in the Northern Arizona University Doctor of Medical Science program. She and her husband, Chat, reside in Savannah, Ga.

  • Cherisse Jones-Branch (M.A. ’97) is the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication at Arkansas State University. She and her husband, Ezell, reside in Jonesboro, Ark.
  • David Mendelsohn (M.S. ’02) is a computer scientist and integrated product team lead for Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic and secretary of the Hibernian Foundation. He and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Charleston.
  • Catherine Kirkpatrick Smith (see Chad Smith ’95)
  • 1995

    Hope Ashley Gethers is a senior paralegal/senior analyst for a national real estate company and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She lives in Charleston with her husband, Carroll, and three children.

  • Amanda Mottorn is a business development representative for Atmire, based in Belgium. She published a book, Finding Moksha: One Woman’s Path in Uncertain Times, in 2021 and the following year exhibited paintings in Paris and New York City. She resides in Pittsburgh.
  • Chad Smith is vice president of operations for Georgia and Tennessee at ABA Centers of America. He and his wife, Catherine Kirkpatrick Smith ’94, reside in Alpharetta, Ga.
  • Neysa Williams is the community relations director for the International African American Museum and serves on the College’s Board of Trustees. She resides in North Charleston with her two children.
  • 1996

    Patrick Manning is a database administrator for The Citadel Foundation. He and his wife, Mary Margaret, reside in Charleston.

  • Joynicole Martinez is the founder of The Alchemist Agency and the president and chief advancement and innovation officer at Rising Tide Capital. She is a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and resides in Charlotte, N.C., with her husband, Terrell Headen.
  • Myra Whittemore is an adjunct faculty member in the College’s Department of Communication and a faculty member at Trident Technical College. She resides in Charleston.
  • 1997

    Jessica Clancy Crowson is a managing member of the Crowson Walker law firm in Columbia, S.C. She resides in Lexington, S.C., with her husband, Jim, and three children.

  • Pat George is an executive director at Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management. He and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Mt. Pleasant.
  • Kristin Harkey is the director of development and admissions at the Odyssey School in Asheville, N.C.
  • Anthony Johnson was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. The all-time career assists leader in men’s basketball at the College, he was the first CofC player to be selected in the NBA draft and resides in Mableton, Ga., with his wife, Crystal.
  • 1998

    Jenna Turner Bohannon is a professional development coach at Dorchester School District 2, where she has taught for 26 years. In 2019, she was named the Honor Teacher of the Year of her school district and earned a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University. She resides in Summerville, S.C., with her husband, Brian.

  • Warren Cobb is a research and instruction librarian at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. He earned his master’s in library and information science from the University of South Carolina in 2020 and resides on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
  • Janine McCabe, the artistic director of CofC Stages and an associate professor of theatre at the College, received the Excellence in Theatre Design and Technology Award from the South Carolina Theatre Association. She resides in North Charleston.
  • Mindy Brodsky Noce married U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in August in Mt. Pleasant. She is a design and renovations manager at Atlantic Properties of the Lowcountry and has three children.
  • 1999

    Rosheene Adams is the founder and owner of DataRose Solutions. The senior adviser to the Charlotte (N.C.) CofC Club, she resides in Charlotte with her daughter.

  • Griffin Bettencourt is a senior vice president and private banking officer at TowneBank. He is married to Jaime Gauthier Bettencourt, and the couple resides in Charlotte, N.C., with their two sons.
  • Ray Borkman (see April Orvin Borkman ’00)
  • Carolus Daniel, a director of financial planning and analysis with the Jacksonville Port Authority, earned an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University in August. He and his wife, Erin, reside in St. Johns, Fla., with their two daughters.
  • Michele Knaggs Reneau is the representative for District 27 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. She and her husband, Chris, reside in Signal Mountain, Tenn., with their five children.
  • Elizabeth Smith is the director of advancement for the New Orleans Jewish Community Center.
  • 2000

    David Baltzegar (see Jen Fountain Baltzegar ’04)

  • April Orvin Borkman is the program manager for the Division of Infectious Diseases at MUSC. She and her husband, Ray Borkman ’99, reside in North Charleston.
  • Jennifer Bucher Ladd is president of the Daniel Island Business Association and publishes Stroll Daniel Island magazine. She and her husband, Todd, reside on Daniel Island with their daughter.
  • Tameka Pooser-Baker is a global human resources director for GlobalWave Consulting. She resides in West Columbia, S.C., with her two children.
  • 2001

    Mark Condon is a senior account executive for Trade Mining. He resides in Charleston with his wife, Shannon Foster Condon ’92 (M.P.A. ’01), and their sons, Paul Condon Jr. ’24 and Jameson Condon ’24.

  • Matt Igoe is the founder and owner of Afuera Coffee Co. He and his wife, Beatriz, reside in Cos Cob, Conn., with their son.
  • Sarah Morgan is a director of human resources for Kiawah Island Golf Resort. She and her husband, Josh McLaughlin ’09, reside on Johns Island, S.C., with their son.
  • Zach Trogdon (M.P.A.) is the director of Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation in Richmond, Va.
  • 2002

    Melanie Wilson Adams is a recruitment manager at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. She and her husband, David, reside in Alexandria, Va., with their daughter.

  • Meredith Clark is director of professional learning at the Prosper Independent School District. She resides in Dallas.
  • Andy Steinhauser is director of sponsorship and business development for the Los Angeles Auto Show and AutoMobility LA.
  • 2003

    Rhodes Bailey formed a namesake law firm in 2024 and resides in Columbia, S.C.

  • Melissa Buchanan is a curator for the National Park Service who recently obtained her certified public manager certification from the state of South Carolina. She resides in Goose Creek, S.C.
  • Alexis Heifner Carrico is a senior instructor of management at the College and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She resides in Mt. Pleasant with her husband, Tim, and their daughter.
  • Leslie Burdett Hart (M.S.) is an associate professor of public health at the College. She resides on Daniel Island.
  • Jason Loring is a partner and co-chair of privacy on the data strategy and artificial intelligence team at the law firm Jones Walker. He and his wife, Julie, reside in Atlanta with their three children.
  • Michael Rabhan (see Erica Rovner Rabhan ’04)
  • Kristen Hess Wurster is deputy clerk of council for Charleston County, S.C. She and her husband, Doug Wurster ’11 (M.P.A.), reside in Charleston.
  • 2004

    Jen Fountain Baltzegar (M.S. ’10) is an assistant professor at Augusta University. She earned a doctorate in genetics from North Carolina State University in 2020. She and her husband, David Baltzegar ’00, reside in Augusta, Ga.

  • Thea Gaillard is a financial management analyst for the U.S. Department of the Navy. She earned an MBA from Webster University in 2014 and resides in Arlington, Va.
  • Tom McCarty has been named to the 2024 Forbes list “Best-in-State Top Financial Security Professionals” for the fourth consecutive year. He is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and resides in Mt. Pleasant with his wife, Beth, and their three children.
  • Erica Rovner Rabhan is the southeast regional philanthropy officer for the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. She and her husband, Michael Rabhan ’03, reside in Charleston with their children.
  • 2005

    Kelly Flaherty is the collections information specialist at the Princeton University Art Museum. She married David Banovetz last year, and the couple resides in Ewing, N.J.

  • Carolina Davila Jewett and her husband, Kevin, are the owners of Tínto y Crema and Tínto Café & Provisions in downtown Charleston.
  • Atyia Sapp is a product manager for digital solutions for the American College of Cardiology. She resides in Charlotte, N.C.
  • Caroline Bell Stowe is an advanced practice provider manager in virtual care for ChenMed and an adjunct faculty member at the George Mason University School of Nursing. She also serves on the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She resides in Annandale, Va., with her husband, jon stowe.
  • 2006

    Piper Reiff Byzet is a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Brucie Howe Hendricks ’83. She and her husband, Matt, reside in Charleston.

  • Dan Mroz is a senior vice president and relationship manager at Synovus. He earned a certificate in business strategy from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2023. He and his wife, Erica, reside on Daniel Island.
  • Claire Griffin Porter owns and operates Lighthouse Real Estate with her husband, Joe Porter. She also is a vice president on the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. The couple resides in Charleston with their two children.
  • Alexis Schade is a Department of Defense consultant for the Logistics Management Institute. She earned her master’s in adult education from National University in 2015 and resides in Cary, N.C.
  • Miles Smith IV (M.A. ’08) is a history professor at Hillsdale College and resides in Hillsdale, Mich.
  • 2007

    Lea Anderson is an R&B soul recording artist in New York City. In 2019, she independently released her first album, Pronounced Lee Deluxe.

  • Megan Smith Goettsches (see Patric Goettsches ’08)
  • Hunter Lappen is a finance manager at BMW of North America and resides in Annapolis, Md.
  • Renee Ross Marongwe is the lead philanthropic adviser for philanthropy strategy and environmental, social and governance investing for William Blair & Co. She earned an MBA from Loyola University Chicago in 2022. She and her husband, Dave Marongwe ’09, reside in Chicago.
  • Ryan Moncman works for Holy Cross Health as a neurosurgeon. He and his wife, Tara, married in 2019 and reside in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
  • 2008

    Stacey Lathem Bailey is an executive leadership coach and strategic planning facilitator at the Intention Collective. She and her husband, Adam Bailey ’12, reside in Charleston with their two children.

  • Andrew Dana is a co-owner and founder of Timber Pizza Co. and Call Your Mother Deli. He and his wife, Daniela, reside in Washington, D.C., with their daughter.
  • Patric Goettsches is a senior manager of vehicle export operations and customs for Mercedes-Benz USA. He and his wife, Megan Smith Goettsches ’07, reside in Mableton, Ga.
  • Ryan Morris (MBA ’21) is a senior human resources consultant for Anthology and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He and his wife, Rachel, reside in Mt. Pleasant with their two children.
  • Brady Quirk-Garvan is a member of impact investment firm Natural Investments and president of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He resides in North Charleston with his wife, Angela, and their daughter.
  • Katie Nemecek Smith is a partnerships director at One80Place. She and her husband, Greg Smith ’09, reside in Johns Island, S.C.
  • 2009

    Dave Marongwe (see Renee Ross Marongwe ’07)

  • Josh McLaughlin (see Sarah Morgan ’01)
  • Elena Rodriguez is the interim head of research and instruction services for CofC Libraries.
  • Nick Rummell is an associate professor of history at Pellissippi State Community College. He earned his doctorate in history and public health from the University of Memphis in 2024. He and his wife, Nicole, reside in Crossville, Tenn., with their daughter.
  • Greg Smith (see Katie Nemecek Smith ’08)
  • 2010

    Jessica Colie McClellan is an investigations associate in the Philadelphia office of the law firm Troutman Pepper. She earned a law degree from the Temple University School of Law in 2024 and resides in Philadelphia.

  • Kyle Rees is a senior market research manager at Amazon who earned an MBA from George Washington University in 2015. He and his wife, Emily, reside in Silver Spring, Md.
  • Aaron Rowland (see Madelyn Stoneburner Rowland ’14)
  • Jesse Sandole (see Kyle Norton ’11)
  • Anwar Staggers (see Jenesha Nance ’18)
  • Kelley Elder Wilds is an operations and release manager at Apothesource. She and her husband, Hunter, reside in Mt. Pleasant.
  • 2011

    Maeve McKenna Gallivan is the founder of Emyvale Golf. She earned a master’s in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University in 2016. She and her husband, Matt, reside in Mt. Pleasant.

  • Kyle Norton is celebrating the 10th anniversary of 167 Raw Oyster Bar. He co-founded the restaurant in 2014 with Jesse Sandole ’10 and Darren Harrison-Panes and resides in Charleston.
  • Kerry Tipple Watkins is an assistant director of continuing education programs at the University of South Carolina and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She and her husband, Will, reside in Columbia, S.C., with their two children.
  • Meghan McCormack Watson is the operations and marketing director for the College’s School of Education. She earned her master’s in higher education leadership from The Citadel in 2022. She and her husband, Kip, reside in Charleston with their daughter.
  • Doug Wurster (M.P.A.) (see Kristen Hess Wurster ’03)
  • 2012

    Elaine Alford teaches third grade at the American School of Barcelona. She is pursuing her master’s in teaching and learning at the University of Bath. She and her husband, David, reside in Barcelona, Spain.

  • Adam Bailey (see Stacey Lathem Bailey ’08)
  • Katie Schafer Barker (MAcc ’13) made the 2024 Charlotte Regional Business Journal list “40 Under 40.” She is vice president of accounting for Morningstar Properties and president of the Charlotte, N.C., chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Women Network. She and her husband, Thomas, reside in Charlotte with their son.
  • Laney Talbert Friedman and Matt Friedman celebrated the birth of their son, Parker, in June 2024. Laney is an advancement executive associate and foundation board liaison at the College. The couple resides in Charleston with their two children.
  • Javier gomez-lavin is an assistant professor of philosophy at Purdue University and the winner of the 2024 Oxford University Press Teaching With Technology Prize. He earned a doctorate from the City University of New York in 2018 and resides in Lafayette, Ind.
  • Casey Darling Kniffin (M.S.) is a conservation policy director for the Florida Wildlife Federation and resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
  • Brooke King Neisler is a dentist with the U.S. Navy who earned her dental degree in 2021 and a master’s in biomedical sciences in 2015, both from MUSC. In 2024, she received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. She and her husband, Cameron, reside in Beaufort, S.C., with their daughter.
  • 2013

    Will Danforth is a senior vice president of wealth management at Danforth Wealth Management. He and his wife, Madeline, reside in Marblehead, Mass., with their daughter.

  • Victoria Davis (M.P.A. ’17) was accepted into a fully funded doctoral program in political science at the University of California, Merced.
  • Peter Lawson-Johnston (see Eliza Ghriskey ’14)
  • Simón Muñoz-Alvarez is a lead control officer at Wells Fargo. He resides in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife, Sallie Funderburk Muñoz-Alvarez.
  • Sammy Snider (M.P.A. ’23) is an event and contract lead at Queen Street Hospitality and resides in Johns Island, S.C.
  • Irene Viana is a senior manager at Adidas. She earned a master’s in management in 2017 from the ESSEC Business School in Cergy, France, and resides in Amsterdam.
  • 2014

    Ashley Cafasso is an associate director of audit management at Apellis Pharmaceuticals in Boston and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She earned a master’s in public health in health systems management and policy from Tulane University in 2015.

  • Demetrius Doctor is the director of the Charleston Jazz Academy and resides in North Charleston with his wife, Corinthian, and their three children.
  • Eliza Ghriskey is a pricing and planning manager for Hulu and Disney+ advertising sales at the Walt Disney Co. She and her husband, Peter Lawson-Johnston ’13, reside in Charleston.
  • Chris Piedmont received the Emerging Mentor Award from the College’s Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication in March 2024. He is an associate vice president of communications and insights at Slide Nine in Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Daniel Prentice is the chief financial officer for the Charleston County School District. He earned an MBA in 2021 from Louisiana State University Shreveport.
  • Madelyn Stoneburner Rowland and her husband, Aaron Rowland ’10, are the owners of Pinot and Provisions in downtown Charleston. Madelyn is also the director of learning and development at Actabl, having earned an MBA from The Citadel in 2023. Aaron is a managing partner at Yourpad. The couple resides in Charleston with their daughter.
  • Bri Sanders is a registered nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital. They obtained a master’s in nursing from the University of Maryland in 2020 and reside in Halethorpe, Md., with their spouse, Shannon.
  • Suzelle Santos-Wagner is an assistant vice president of marketing and communications at Fortitude Reinsurance. She and her husband, Brandon Wagner ’15, reside in Braintree, Mass., with their son.
  • 2015

    Kelli Little Delaney teaches physical education at Edwards Elementary School. She resides in Chesterfield, S.C., with her husband, Davis, and their two sons.

  • Justin Herp (M.S.A. ’16) is a senior tax manager in the national tax practice of Elliott Davis and a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He resides in Charleston.
  • Juan Ignacio Maegli was on the Guatemala sailing team at the 2024 Olympic Games.
  • Joe Owayda is a senior analyst for EF Go Ahead Tours. He earned an MBA from Bentley University in May and resides in Medford, Mass.
  • Daisy Sanchez completed the Memorial Healthcare System’s general surgery residency program in 2024. She earned her medical degree from MUSC and is training in plastic surgery at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
  • Craton Simpson (see Jenna Ohlendorf Simpson ’16)
  • Kathryn Vaughn is a management analyst fellow at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She earned a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University in 2022. She and her husband, Gregory Mottla, reside in Washington, D.C.
  • Brandon Wagner (see Suzelle Santos-Wagner ’14)
  • 2016

    Holly Adington is an architectural historian for New South Associates. She earned a master’s in historic preservation and conservation from Clemson University in 2023 and resides in Nashville, Tenn.

  • Canyon Barry represented the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games as a member of the 3X3 men’s basketball team. He earned a master’s in nuclear engineering in 2019 from the University of Florida. He is a system engineer for L3Harris Technologies and resides in Bradenton, Fla.
  • Liam Becker is a co-founder and chief commercial officer of Levity Cannabis Spirits and resides in Charleston.
  • Julia Duda is a principal IT change manager at Blackbaud in Charleston. She earned her master’s in technology management from Georgetown University in 2024.
  • Laurel Fay is a manager of preservation and research at the Preservation Society of Charleston. She earned a master’s in historic preservation and conservation from Tulane University in 2022.
  • Tyquan Morton produced a film, High Water, about his hometown of Charleston. He earned a master’s in education from Vanderbilt University in 2022.
  • Griffin Scott (see Naomi Hillegass Scott ’18)
  • Jenna Ohlendorf Simpson is director of engagement and outreach for the Charleston Library Society. She married Craton Simpson ’15 in 2020. The couple resides in Charleston.
  • Hammed Sirleaf Jr. is the associate director of the University of Pittsburgh’s fraternity and sorority life office. He earned a master’s in educational leadership studies from Oklahoma State University in 2018 and resides in Pittsburgh.
  • Ryan Spraker is an attorney in the education practice of the firm Husch Blackwell and serves on the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He received a law degree from George Washington University in 2019 and resides in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Nickole.
  • Alyssa Dudley Steel is a senior manager of nationwide peer programs for Autism Speaks. She and her husband, Jon, reside in Durham, N.C.
  • Carria Treveiler is a teacher at Great Falls Elementary School. She earned a master’s in curriculum and instructional technology from Coker University in 2022 and resides in Chester, S.C.
  • 2017

    Enrique Arathoon was on the El Salvador sailing team in the 2024 Olympic Games.

  • Emily Beck is pursuing a master’s in criminology and criminal justice from Auckland University of Technology on a Fulbright Scholarship. She resides in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Victoria Blunt is a stewardship and donor engagement officer at the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina and is a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. She resides in Summerville, S.C.
  • Victoria Futrell Bock, the communications director at the Lowcountry Land Trust, earned a master’s in public administration from The Ohio State University in 2024. She and her husband, Andrew Bock, the deputy director of planning and zoning for the city of North Charleston, reside in Charleston.
  • Joseph Fontana is a liquidity program operations coordinator for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He resides in Silver Spring, Md.
  • Bijan Ghom (MBA), a senior counsel in the law firm Saxton & Stump’s Charleston office, made the Super Lawyers list “Rising Stars” for the third straight year. He earned a law degree from the Charleston School of Law in 2017.
  • Gabi Kaye is an intelligence professional with Booz Allen Hamilton. She earned a master’s in national security policy from Georgetown University in May and resides in Springfield, Va.
  • Courtney Pourciaux is a senior consultant at Ruffalo Noel Levitz in Chicago. She earned a master’s in public administration in nonprofit management from the University of Missouri in 2023.
  • Asia Rivers is a program manager at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. She obtained a master’s in public health in behavioral, social and health education science from Emory University.
  • 2018

    Leland Archer is a defender for the Charleston Battery.

  • Dave Austin earned a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics from the University of Central Florida in August. He resides in Casselberry, Fla.
  • Erin Day is an advanced analytical chemist for Eastman Chemical Co. She earned a doctorate in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2023 and resides in Johnson City, Tenn.
  • Katey Miller Dunham is an athletic trainer for Roper St. Francis Healthcare. She earned a master’s in exercise science, health promotion and sport psychology from PennWest California in 2020. She and her husband, Bryan, reside in Charleston.
  • Jane Feddersen is an associate with NetApp’s Managed Services Center of Excellence and resides in San Diego.
  • Cameron Johnson is director of player personnel for Boston College’s men’s basketball program.
  • Hunter MacDonald is a project manager with CBRE’s Charleston office. She obtained her master’s in real estate from Georgetown University in 2023.
  • Jenesha Nance is a grants administrator for the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation. She earned a master’s in public health from the University of South Carolina in 2021 and resides in Columbia, S.C., with her husband, Anwar Staggers ’10.
  • Stefano Peschiera earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games as a member of Peru’s sailing team.
  • Naomi Hillegass Scott is a business support analyst at Safe Harbor Marinas. She and husband Griffin Scott ’16 live in Beaufort, S.C., with their son.
  • Lauren Mowers Tepedino is the owner of Destination Dance and a volunteer assistant coach with the dance team at Charleston Southern University. She and her husband, Tyler, reside in Moncks Corner, S.C.
  • 2019

    Kristine Arnau married Raymond Gross in June. Kristine is a program coordinator with Mecklenburg County, N.C., and earned a master’s in public health from the USC in 2021. Raymond is a designer with 505Design and earned a master’s in architecture from Clemson University in 2022. The couple resides in Charlotte, N.C.

  • William Blanchett is a software developer for Boeing and resides in Ladson, S.C.
  • Kaitlin Cassidy is a biostatistician at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She earned a master’s in public health from Boston University in 2021 and resides in Boston.
  • Trey Catanzaro is an associate at the law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. He earned a law degree from The Ohio State University in 2022 and resides in Nashville, Tenn.
  • Kacey Clayton-Stiglbauer is a doctoral student studying health behavior at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health with plans to graduate in 2028. She earned a master’s in clinical research from Campbell University in 2022. She married Grayson Stiglbauer in 2019, and the couple resides in Cary, N.C.
  • Grace Hartley is director of public relations for Complete PR. She made the GSA Business Report’s “Forty Under 40” list. She resides in Greenville, S.C.
  • Ceili Hesselgrave is a flyman for Disney’s The Lion King Rafiki Tour and resides in Simpsonville, S.C.
  • Anthony Morrell (M.S. ’20) is a software engineer at Blackbaud and resides in Summerville, S.C.
  • Gabriella Natali is a senior manager of media relations at Broadcast Music and resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Marquise Pointer is the head coach of Lucy Beckham High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team. He and his wife, Kennedy Madison Pointer, reside in Summerville, S.C., with their son.
  • Will Rowe (M.A.T. ’22) is pursuing a doctorate at the University of Saskatchewan. He and his wife, Emily Thrift, reside in Saskatchewan, Canada.
  • 2020

    Isabella Agostino is a global student success coordinator at Northeastern University. She is pursuing a master’s in international and comparative education from the School for International Training Graduate Institute.

  • Elif Caynak earned her bachelor of veterinary medicine from the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London last June.
  • Lauren Croghan teaches in Bishop England High School’s Options program and resides in Charleston, S.C.
  • Tanner Crunelle (M.F.A. ’24) is pursuing a doctorate at Cornell University. He resides in Mt. Pleasant.
  • Jabbarrius Ervin earned a medical degree from the USC School of Medicine Greenville and is now in a psychiatry residency at George Washington University.
  • Sam Hutchisson, the club director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana in Louisville, Ky., earned a master’s in public administration at Drake University in December.
  • Mary Geer Kirkland, earned a law degree and an international MBA from the University of South Carolina in May and resides in Charleston.
  • Don Merckle released his fourth solo album, Same Devil New Skin, in September and resides in Goose Creek, S.C.
  • Sunday Dennis Tuk, director of board relations and events for Advocate Health, earned an MBA from Clemson University in December. She and her husband, Joseph, reside on Daniel Island with their daughter.
  • Avery Wallace is a marketing manager for August Health. She earned a master’s in public health from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 and resides in Washington, D.C.
  • Ian Wright is a development associate at the Juilliard School and lives in New York City.
  • 2021

    Dylan Burnell is a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and resides in Charleston.

  • Clare Clever is an air traffic logistics lead at Leidos. He and his wife, Janneke Morin Clever, reside in Johns Island, S.C.
  • Emilie Crossan is an architectural historian at BVL Historic Preservation Research. She earned her master’s in architecture from University College London in 2023 and resides in Summerville, S.C.
  • Ruthie Foster, an arts and cultural events coordinator for the town of Kiawah Island, S.C., earned a master’s in arts administration from Winthrop University in August. She and her husband, Misha Pekar ’22, reside in Charleston.
  • Tyler Futrell is director of basketball operations for Boston College’s men’s basketball program. He earned a master’s in sports administration from Boston College in 2022.
  • Jordan Gordon (MBA ’23) is an accountant for the Grand Bohemian Hotel Charleston. He and his wife, Louise, reside in Charleston.
  • Kaitlyn Hipple is head of commercial property management and operations at Woodlock Capital and resides in Charleston.
  • Jacob Kester is a graduate manager for Boston College’s men’s basketball team. He is pursuing a master’s in sports administration at Boston College.
  • Jeremy Pires is a program coordinator for MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. He earned a master’s in public health from MUSC in 2023 and resides in Charleston.
  • Bond Ruggles (M.A.) is the owner of Hottest Hell Tours in New Orleans and an adjunct professor of history at the College.
  • Melanie Sanders is a medical lab technician at Roper St. Francis Healthcare and resides in Summerville, S.C.
  • 2022

    Claire Blanton is a special adviser for special projects and strategic communications in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington, D.C.

  • Maeghan Dolph is a production assistant and writer for search engine optimization at Fox Corp. in New York City.
  • Dylan Finn published Growth: Flipping the Script on My Life-Changing Moment in February 2024. The memoir recounts his life-altering experience after suffering a traumatic brain injury. He resides in Charleston.
  • Meriwether Galloway, a school counselor in the Charleston County School District, earned a master’s in elementary school counseling from the Citadel last year. She and her mother, christy daughtridge Galloway ’92, also completed their goal of running a half-marathon in all 50 states.
  • Tia Gordon is a community engagement specialist at Impact America and resides in Greenville, S.C.
  • Jack Hoel is an account manager at Fortna in Atlanta and member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
  • Bella Kitsos is an administrative assistant in the College’s biology department and resides in Charleston.
  • Grace Lowe is a meteorologist at WCBD in Mt. Pleasant.
  • Arianna Moore is the executive director of Latin Ballet of Virginia and resides in Chesterfield, Va.
  • Misha Pekar (see Ruthie Foster ’21)
  • Michael Jerome Plunkett (M.F.A.) sold his novel Zone Rouge to Unnamed Press in March and resides in Columbus, Ohio.
  • John Silva is a data analyst at the American Museum of Natural History and resides in Westfield, N.J.
  • Recaree Wright is an on-air personality at WTUA Power 106.1 and resides in St. Stephen, S.C.
  • 2023

    Carlie Blankenship works in the specialty services department of Mary Welch Fox Design and resides in Charleston.

  • Lauren Creech is a project manager at Pratt Visual Solutions and resides in Charlotte, N.C.
  • Eryn Faggart is a hydrographic surveyor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Charleston District.
  • Claire Filaski is a marketing communications coordinator at the South Carolina Aquarium.
  • James Grooms is a data scientist for Delta Air Lines and resides in Atlanta.
  • MacKenzie Kral is a teacher at Maritime Academy Charter School in Philadelphia.
  • Michael Lee (MBA) is an analytics supervisor at Levelwing in Charleston.
  • Ty Robinson (M.P.A.) is a program manager in the South Carolina Department of Commerce’s Southeast Crescent Regional Commission in Columbia, S.C.
  • Will Roebuck is an associate director of the College’s Center for Excellence in Peer Education.
  • Isabel Smith is a special education teacher at Whale Branch Early College High School and the 2024–25 Beaufort County School District Induction Teacher of the Year.
  • CeCe Streaker is a social media specialist for Interior Marketing Group in New York City.
  • Erin Walsh is an account executive at Monumental Sports and Entertainment and resides in Washington, D.C.
  • 2024

    John Austen is an assistant director of auxiliary programs at the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston.

  • Latherial Calbert is pursuing a master’s in statistics from the College with plans to graduate in 2026.
  • Hannah Fabrigar is serving with the Peace Corps as a secondary English education teacher in Zambia.
  • Ben Gonzalez is a junior analyst at Verition Fund Management and resides in Charleston.
  • Savanna King is a medical scribe at MUSC.
  • Victoria Leibrock is studying social work at Monmouth University and resides in Eatontown, N.J.
  • Riley Mazey is participating in a nine-month Fulbright Austria U.S. Teaching Assistant Program in Vienna.
  • Saylar McGuiness is a co-editor at The Scout Guide Delaware Beaches and resides in New York City.
  • Tristan Navarino is a financial controller analyst with JPMorgan Chase and resides in Mendham, N.J.
  • Adam Schaich is a materials quality engineer in the Entegris Leadership Development Program in Hillsboro, Ore.
  • Riley Sisung is studying microbiology and immunology at Tulane University’s School of Medicine.
  • Jonah Wexler is a director of video and analytics for the University of Louisville men’s basketball program and resides in Clarksville, Ind.

PASSAGES

  • Jean M. Weldon ’44
    June 27, 2024; Columbia S.C.
  • Edward B. Latimer ’48
    June 26, 2024; Columbia S.C.
  • Katheryn L. Babbitt ’49
    Oct. 4, 2022; Marion, Mass.
  • Louis E. Costa ’56
    Jan. 20, 2017; Bonita, Calif.
  • Barbara A. Kornahrens ’57
    Dec. 24, 2023; Prosperity, S.C.
  • Jane J. Hill ’58
    May 28, 2024; Huntsville, Ala.
  • Maurice H. Thompson ’58
    Oct. 2, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Gunther G. Wallen ’64
    June 11, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Peter J. Tezza ’65
    Aug. 20, 2024; Marietta, Ga.
  • Thomas H. Gamble ’67
    Aug. 23, 2024; Boone, N.C.
  • Joan C. Maxwell ’67
    Sept. 12, 2024; Johns Island, S.C.
  • Emily M. Atherton ’73
    June 26, 2023; Kamuela, Hawaii
  • Lynn W. Brown Jr. ’73
    April 2, 2024; Florence, S.C.
  • Daneil C. Coleman Jr. ’76
    Aug. 30, 2024; North Charleston, S.C.
  • Charles E. Lucas Jr. ’77
    Oct. 17, 2024; Charleston S.C.
  • Howard F. Burmester ’78
    May 17, 2024; Charleston S.C.
  • Ralph W. Houser Jr. ’78
    May 6, 2024; Fort Mill, S.C.
  • Bruce E. Blitch ’79
    June 28, 2024; Santa Fe, N.M.
  • Alice V. Cinader ’79
    June 20, 2024; Jacksonboro, S.C.
  • Robert W. Lee ’79
    Oct. 19, 2023; Atlanta, Ga.
  • Winston G. Chapman ’81
    May 8, 2024; Breckenridge, Colo.
  • Ernest M. Comar Jr. ’82
    Oct. 16, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Thomas F. Newton ’83
    Aug. 11, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Stephen B. Smith ’83
    Sept. 15, 2024; Greenville, S.C.
  • George W. Stukes ’83
    May 24, 2024; Florence, S.C.
  • Ronnie J. Carter ’85
    July 20, 2024; Ladson, S.C.
  • Trina S. Carter ’85
    July 5, 2024; Ladson, S.C.
  • Susan D. Martin ’85
    Aug. 28, 2024; Conway, S.C.
  • Eric S. Ben ’86
    July 4, 2024; Aiken, S.C.
  • William J. Anonie ’87
    Oct. 19, 2024; Summerville, S.C.
  • Dee A. Cole ’87
    Oct. 27, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Henrietta M. Evatt ’87
    May 22, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Jo Ann Ratliff ’88
    July 20, 2024; Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Maud A. Cox ’90
    Dec. 1, 2023; Charleston, S.C.
  • Krysten E. Swan ’91
    Nov. 25, 2023; Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.
  • Erik S. Hawkins ’92
    Aug. 11, 2021; Stratham, N.H.
  • Kristen M. White ’94
    July 4, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Keir R. Majarrez ’99
    Dec. 10, 2022; Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Susan M. LeVan ’00
    July 5, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Aileen S. Price ’01
    Feb. 24; Goose Creek, S.C.
  • Pieter J. de Vries ’02
    July 23, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Amanda Purewal ’02
    July 2, 2024; Goose Creek, S.C.
  • Reed Wilson ’03
    June 23, 2024; Golden, Colo.
  • Alex W. Castellanos ’06
    Oct. 1, 2020; Washington, D.C.
  • John W. Wactor III ’09
    May 26, 2024; North Hollywood, Calif.
  • Catherine L. Jordan ’11
    Dec. 30, 2023; Greenville, S.C.
  • Clay M. Bucher ’14
    Aug. 28, 2024; Summerville, S.C.
  • Jessica S. McMillan ’15
    July 7, 2024; Hilton Head Island, S.C.
  • Seamus D. Kirby ’17
    April 4, 2024; Newport, R.I.
  • Michaela C. Berkebile ’22
    Aug. 15, 2024; Greenwood, S.C.
  • William D. Anderson Jr.
    Former Faculty
    July 17, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • David B. Murray
    Former Faculty
    July 21, 2024; Mt. Pleasant S.C.
  • Cliffton S. Peacock
    Former Faculty
    May 28, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Martha L. Stackel
    Former Faculty
    Aug. 2, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Joseph R. Weyers
    Former Faculty
    June 10, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Frank C. Budd
    Former Staff
    June 11, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Alice S. Markwalder
    Former Staff
    Feb. 23, 2024; Mt. Pleasant S.C.
  • Ben K. Miehe
    Former Staff
    Aug. 4, 2024; Charleston S.C.
Landscape orientation close-up outdoor photograph of a male professional golfer individual looking out into the far distance far ahead as he swings his golf club in motion in air while he is situated on top of a golf course green lawn while around him in the far background are marshlands terrain, a yacht boat, and other random spectators taking in the beautiful environment
| photo by Theodore A. Wagner via Getty Images |

MAROON ON AN ISLAND

The College of Charleston invites alumni, parents, students and friends to celebrate their Cougar pride at South Carolina’s largest sporting event – the RBC Heritage, April 17–20, on Hilton Head Island.

As part of its continued commitment to engaging alumni and community members, the College will host a hospitality tent close to all the action on the course for the fourth year. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., this year’s tent will be located in a prime location along the 10th fairway near the clubhouse and closing holes. Stop by – in your CofC gear, of course – for complimentary drinks, snacks and CofC swag.

CofC’s presence underscores the College’s commitment to building visibility among prospective students, families and supporters, particularly in the Beaufort–Hilton Head–Savannah area. Inspired by similar hospitality offerings from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, the Hilton Head/Beaufort CofC Club – representing more than 2,200 alumni, parents and donors – first advocated for the College to participate in the tournament in 2018. Not only has the tent provided a fun gathering point for Cougar fans, but it has also raised awareness of the College in the region. Joining with the likes of Homecoming, Holiday Cheer and Spring Alumni Weekend, the event affords the opportunity for alumni to engage with their alma mater.

The RBC Heritage generates $135 million annually for the South Carolina economy, with $6.3 million awarded in scholarships to local students attending four-year colleges since 1993. As a legacy event with a strong commitment to education, the Heritage aligns well with CofC’s goals of academic excellence and opportunity in South Carolina.

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Powers of Devotion

The founding pastor of St. Clare of Assisi on Daniel Island, Father Gregory West ’80 oversees a parish of 3,400.
Father Gregory West smiling inside the church while looking up
| photos of Father Gregory West by Catie Cleveland |
If the Lowcountry’s signature pluff mud could soak into a person’s pores, Father Gregory West ’80 would have the sulfury sludge coursing through his veins. He is a fifth-generation Charlestonian: descended from the Carolina colony’s earliest European settlers, born during a hurricane and reared in a maritime family in the formerly quiet beach community of Sullivan’s Island.

With its multimillion-dollar mansions lining the beach, the island is one of the most expensive ZIP codes in the country. But as children, West and his siblings were beach bumpkins, idling away summers, crabbing and fishing and rollicking in the salty surf. Everyone knew everyone.

“I knew that I could never get into trouble, nor would I want to, because there were eyes always on all of us kids,” he says. “And back then, it took only five digits to ring another telephone on Sullivan’s Island, and somebody would be sure to call my mother.”

West’s parents were deeply religious and sacrificed to put their children through Catholic schools. Sunday Mass at the island’s nearby Stella Maris Catholic Church was mandatory. Ironically, the kids from the sleepy, blue-collar beach town that would become a vacation mecca and outpost for the wealthy were treated like aliens when they made the trek to high school downtown. Their classmates from James Island, West Ashley and downtown teased them for living “all the way out there.”

Yet, West’s life has been anything but secluded or linear. Even the unrelenting, sucking grip of the pluff mud could not keep him from seeing the world (he’s traveled to more than 30 countries and visited 44 states). After graduating from Bishop England Catholic High School at its original downtown location, he crossed Coming Street to begin studies at the College in 1976. He joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and served as one of its officers, got involved in student government and was elected president of his senior class. He also indulged in the fun and freedoms of college life and began drifting away from his religious faith.

He initially set his sights on law school and majored in political science before switching to urban studies. But his family’s strong ties to the maritime industry along Charleston’s storied waterfront pulled him in like the returning tide. His grandfather had been a quarantine officer at Fort Johnson, and his father saw action as a merchant marine during World War II and spent decades plying Charleston Harbor as a tugboat captain. After graduating, he became a customs broker on East Bay Street near the U.S. Custom House. Though pleased with their son’s career path, his parents were disappointed he had turned away from the church.

Sullivan’s Island beach house and Stella Maris Church circa 1960
St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church
Left: Sullivan’s Island beach house and Stella Maris Church circa 1960. Opposite: St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church.

| photos Historic Charleston Foundation |
“I took a big sidestep for eight years, had no involvement with the church at all,” says West. “My father was a very devout man and was the head usher at our parish. And whenever he was home not working, he would be at church.”

West did well in the maritime trade. His company transferred him to the Upstate and later to Atlanta. “I was making money, I had the girl, I had the lifestyle in Atlanta, I was traveling. It was fun. But it wasn’t necessarily fulfilling. Something was missing.” He was just 25.

Around this time, West’s father died of cancer. His father was larger than life, and his death had a profound impact on West.

“My father was 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, kind of a John Wayne type, and in 18 months, he lost well over 100 pounds,” says West. “But he suffered with such dignity and faith and hope that anyone who would have known my father during that period would be inspired by how he had the extraordinary faith to know that there was so much more lying ahead – that this was a transition.”

Inspired by his father’s example, West began attending church again, and soon, a long-suppressed idea rekindled. “When I was a young kid in Catholic school, the sisters all encouraged us boys to become priests. For some reason, that idea had resurfaced in my thinking. And, of course, I dismissed it immediately, multiple times. This is crazy. You’re not holy enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not religious enough. This is not for you. What are you thinking? But it just would not go away.”

So he applied to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., where he earned a master of divinity and a master of arts in church history. Upon graduation, he was ordained in Charleston to serve as a priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Broad Street. One day, the bishop called West into his office and told him to pack his bags for Rome, where he would study law at the Pontifical Gregorian University, an ecclesiastical school founded in 1551. The curriculum was taught in Italian, of which West did not speak a lick. He was given two months to learn the language before beginning classes. He graduated from the intensive two-year program with honors and serves as a canon lawyer and judge in church court.

The next dozen years passed in a blur of prayer, service and sermons. He was assigned to create a new parish in Bluffton, S.C., starting with a flock of less than 100 and growing to more than 5,000. Next, he took over a 1,000-square-mile parish in the Upstate with churches in Clemson, Seneca and Walhalla before returning to Charleston in 2014. The bishop wanted him to start a new parish on Daniel Island, where his old high school, Bishop England, had relocated in the late 1990s. He had no office, not even a phone. But he had years of experience in the church, business acumen and a tireless work ethic passed down from his father.

Father Gregory West smiling inside the church while looking towards the camera
outside view of St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church
| photo by Gordon Beall |
The original plan was to build a $14 million, 1,200-seat church next to Bishop England. But skyrocketing construction and labor costs forced West and his team to reduce the size of the church to 850 seats. By then the price tag had ballooned to $25 million. Fortunately, the diocese had picked the right person for the project.

“Looking back at my college education, some of the art appreciation and some of the history of architecture classes I took all lent themselves toward the planning of this project,” he says. “And then the skills I picked up in the workforce – having to be highly organized, systems management, deadlines, accuracy – all those sorts of things kicked into overdrive.”

The parish considered 35 names for the church before settling on St. Clare of Assisi, founder of the Order of St. Clare (known informally as the Poor Clares) and a protégé of St. Francis of Assisi in 13th-century Italy. She was legendary for her uncompromising devotion to poverty and prayer.

The striking contrast between St. Clare’s austerity and the affluence of Daniel Island, where the average household income is over $2.5 million, is not lost on West. He is quick to praise the extraordinary generosity of his congregation, which has raised nearly $1 million for the underserved. The stunning neo-Gothic-inspired church opened its doors in April 2023 without a penny of debt. The parish began with 200 members and now counts 3,400 parishioners on its rolls.

West says the church, which has won several national and regional awards for excellence, is a celebration of Christ and a reflection of St. Clare’s belief in the beauty of a life with purpose.

“She was a woman of great simplicity and austerity, and she walked away from her wealth. And the Daniel Island and neighboring demographic is not exactly that. And so, it seemed kind of contrary. But the reality is, she was so immersed in her understanding of beauty … that we knew that we had to really emphasize beauty in all things because God is ultimate beauty.” – Ron Menchaca ’98

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ALUMNI NOTEBOOK

Write On

The author of five books, including his latest novel, The King Street Affair, Jon Sealy ’05 spent years honing his craft before breaking through.
Jon Sealy headshot
| photo by Kieran Wagner |
When Jon Sealy ’05 walked onto the College of Charleston campus, he never imagined a future in writing. But in 2024, he released his fifth book, The King Street Affair. The Southern crime novel/espionage thriller takes place in Charleston as the protagonist, newspaper reporter Wyatt Brewer, is thrown into a world of crime and corruption after a body washes onto the shores of Folly Beach.

“I like to think of the structure of a novel as opening with a question, and it closes by answering the question,” says Sealy. “With a mystery format, that’s easy – somebody’s dead, and then somebody did it.”

While he might say it’s easy, Sealy does extensive research to come up with the gripping plot lines and relatable details that are hallmarks of his books.

“Sometimes the research comes first, and then a book follows,” he explains, adding that his two children are currently reading the Harry Potter series, which inspired him to look into old Arthurian legends, reread Beowulf and learn about England in the Middle Ages. If a character or an image emerges from his research, he’ll start on a new novel.

Sealy’s own story begins in the Upstate town of Six Mile, S.C. With proximity to Clemson University, the town had great bookstores, where Sealy – the only child of an engineer at Oconee Nuclear Station and a social worker – would explore literary magazines and tomes on arcane research. While many of his friends went to Clemson University, Sealy wanted something different.

“You only have to visit Charleston once to really fall in love and feel like, ‘Oh, this is a good place to be,’” he says.

He came to the College thinking he might major in math or physics, but one English class was all it took for him to change his mind. He left an impression on Bret Lott, the bestselling author of 15 books who teaches fiction and nonfiction writing.

“Jon remains one of the two or three best students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching during my nearly four decades here at the College,” says Lott, who is retiring this year (see “Last Word” on Page 72). “He worked his butt off. He read. And he wrote and rewrote and rewrote. And he never gave up. Period. Those elements of character go beyond just showing up and doing the work for a grade. They are what make a writer a writer. I’m lucky to have been a witness to his passing through my life on his way to being the writer he is today.”

Sealy was lucky, too, having met his wife, Emily Oye Sealy ’05, in the class. After earning an M.F.A. from Purdue University in 2008, he followed her to Richmond, Va., where he briefly worked as an adjunct composition instructor and a salesman for a Circuit City electronics store. When he lost both jobs during the 2008 economic collapse, he set out to understand the financial crisis, which led to his first book, The Whiskey Baron, in 2014, set in South Carolina during the Depression. But that only came about after five years honing his craft, reading 100 pages of any given novel and writing 1,000 words a day, five days a week. 

“It’s nice to feel like you’ve finally broken through and the life you’ve been chasing after is finally here,” he says. “But then, you still have to go back to the drawing board, and you’re on Page 1 again with a new novel.”

Sealy and his family still live near Richmond, where he also does communications consulting. In 2021, he wrote a craft memoir, So You Want to Be a Novelist, and has this advice for would-be writers:

“The stock advice is read a lot, but don’t just read it,” he says. “Find books that do what you’re trying to do and then really take them apart.” – Erin Perkins ’08 (M.P.A.)

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Ocean of Possibilities

From Charleston to Australia to Maine, Melissa Rocker ’07 has learned that science is a journey of adapting to the unexpected.
Melissa Rocker holding lobster
| photos by Catie Cleveland |
Growing up on Lake Norman near Charlotte, N.C., Melissa Rocker ’07 has always been surrounded by water. Early on, she developed a love for the ocean and its creatures.

Today, as a postdoctoral scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine, Rocker is investigating the effects of warming waters on shell disease in lobsters inhabiting the Gulf of Maine.

Her days involve a mix of fieldwork, lab experiments, data analysis, and writing. She loves that her research can lead to tangible outcomes. “It’s more than just the scientific paper that comes out of it,” says Rocker. “It’s the ability to provide this information to government entities that may be able to inform policy.”

Her marine biology career began with the decision to attend the College. “The second I stepped on campus, I thought, This is it. This is the place I want to be,” she says.

One of her favorite classes was, surprisingly, organic chemistry. She still has the guided workbook from her class, where peer-to-peer learning was encouraged. “I learned really easily from doing and doing with others,” says Rocker.

Melissa Rocker working in lab
Melissa Rocker smiling with hands in pocket of work vest
Rocker worked with biology professor Brian Scholtens on a Summer Undergraduate Research with Faculty grant project. The plan was to observe fish and insect assemblages in ephemeral ponds around Francis Marion National Forest, but a dry summer forced her to pivot. Instead, she compared mud puddles in the forest to drainage ditches along nearby roads, a lesson in flexibility that has served her well.

After graduation, Rocker didn’t plan on pursuing more research. “I was like, I’m done with education. I’m going to go live in the real world!” she says. But after a few years, she felt the itch to go back to school.

Having always wanted to visit Australia, she applied to James Cook University in Queensland, home to one of the world’s top marine biology programs.

Rocker spent almost 13 years Down Under, earning a doctorate and Australian citizenship. While living and working in southern Australia, COVID hit. Stuck on the other side of the globe, Rocker didn’t see her family for two years. A silver lining of the pandemic was reconnecting with a group of classmates from the Honors College to serve as a support group during lockdown. When travel restrictions eased, she felt it was time to move back to the States.

The small-town atmosphere of East Boothbay reminds her of the Australian cities she lived in previously. Her home, surrounded by trees, is perfect for her beloved dogs Kaya and Aspen, who “like to go on walkabout and disappear into the woods.”

Recently, Bigelow enlisted the help of three undergraduate interns, and as Rocker watched them collaborate, she was reminded of her own early experiences at the College. “You learn so much more from your peers,” she says.

As she reflects on her career thus far, there’s one thing Rocker believes every aspiring scientist should know: “To do science, you have to love the process,” she says. “It can be a lot of hard work, but it can also be super rewarding.” – Becca Starkes ’16

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Portrait orientation close-up outdoor photograph view of Caroline Boone in her working professional dark grey/black plaid blazer suit, black belt buckle around her waist, black bottom skirt, and first name display Disney employee name tag pinned on her blazer suit while she smiles and poses standing beside a dark bronze statue of Mickey Mouse in his iconic wizard outfit
| photo by Trevor Paul |

ADVENTURE HEROINE

As the executive creative director for a new Disney business, Storyliving by Disney, Caroline Boone ’09 embraces new challenges.

CAROLINE BOONE ’09 WANTED A NEW challenge. An equestrian since age 5, she had been showing the same  American Saddlebred horse for five years. The synch she had in the saddle with Juno led to many blue ribbons up and down the West Coast and a couple of appearances at the World Championships.

“I love this horse. He’s amazing, but it’s just not a challenge anymore. I wanted to do something I was bad at. I wanted to learn something new,” she says, adding that her new horse, Goose, a 2-year-old five-gaited prospect, is a handful. “I guess I’m just doing that in other facets of my life, too.”

In April 2024, Boone became a Disney Imagineer in Glendale, Calif., working on Storyliving by Disney communities. Designed with guidance from Disney Imagineers and built in collaboration with experienced developers and homebuilders, these neighborhoods, blend local culture with Disney themes, promising a unique living experience. Two are in development, one in California and the other near Raleigh, N.C.

“The level of thoughtfulness and narrative that goes into the designs of these communities is really beautiful,” says Boone. “It combines both the story of the location with a thread that is uniquely Disney and just brings that all together into a story that is infused into every single detail of the community – the amenities, the restaurants, the names of the streets, the designs of the homes.”

Boone’s own life has a bit of a storybook quality to it, appropriately. Raised on a 530-acre working farm in Kentucky that had been in her family for generations, she had planned on staying in state for college, but when she found out her friends were going to schools all over the country, she rethought her decision and looked for schools with application deadlines still open. 

“A last-minute trip to see CofC confirmed that it was exactly where I needed to be,” she says. “It was the best impromptu decision I’ve ever made.

“The College set me up for every decision that I’ve made after graduation,” adds Boone, who majored in communication. “It’s not just what I learned from the teachers; it’s what I was exposed to outside of the classes, the level of culture and independence of thinking that just comes with a city that is as intellectually rich as Charleston.”

Working in student media, the George Street Observer and the radio station also sparked her career trajectory, which began when Stella French ’04, who worked at a little startup called Airbnb, told her, “Get your foot in the door; this is going to be a rocket ship.”

Boone was a little dubious about this whole renting out your apartment thing, but she moved to San Francisco in 2012 after a year of working remotely for the company.  She spent the last 10 years prototyping, launching and scaling the company’s second business, Airbnb Experiences, which allowed her to try experiences all over the world.

Her favorite was the one she did on her honeymoon in 2016. On their way to Bali, the newlyweds stopped in Seoul, South Korea, to explore the country her husband’s family is from, though he’d never been before. Boone booked an experience with a Korean “b-boy” (breakdancer), who took them out for a night on the town.

“He took us out places that we never, ever in a million years would have been able to find on our own,” says Boone. “It was one of the best nights of our lives – just seeing my husband connect with a part of his culture that he had never been able to experience before in his life.”

No doubt Boone will pull from her enriching past experiences to create a new kind of Disney magic for future Storyliving by Disney residents. – Tom Cunneff

2024 HOMECOMING WEEKEND

Over 5,000 alumni, families, students and fans celebrated Homecoming in November with a parade, a thrilling menʼs basketball win, the Alumni Awards and an oyster roast in the Cistern Yard featuring student and alumni performances.

2024 Alumni Awards Panther icon

At the Alumni Awards ceremony during Homecoming in November, the College honored eight distinguished alumni who have made a positive impact thoughout their chosen fields.
Dr. H. Biemann Othersen Jr., a pioneering pediatrician and 1950 alumnus of the College of Charleston, smiles warmly. He wears glasses, a white shirt, a patterned bow tie with an American flag design, and a checkered jacket. Recognized with the Alumni Award of Honor, he is celebrated for his medical contributions in Charleston, S.C.
Cheryll Novak Woods-Flowers, a 1981 and 1999 alumna of the College of Charleston, beams with a friendly smile. She wears a pearl necklace, a royal blue blouse, and a black cardigan. She is a real estate agent and chair of the S.C. Advisory Council on Aging, recognized with the Karen Burroughs Jones Distinguished Alumni Award in Mount Pleasant, S.C
Canyon Barry, a 2016 alumnus of the College of Charleston, smiles confidently in a light blue dress shirt and blazer. He is a systems engineer at L3 Harris Technologies and a 2024 Olympic team member in 3x3 men’s basketball, recognized as Alumnus of the Year in Melbourne, Fla.
Otis Robinson, a 1990 alumnus of the College of Charleston, smiles in a red striped polo and navy blazer. As the founder and managing principal of Robinson Business Consulting, he is honored with the Howard F. Rudd Jr. Business Person of the Year award in Chapin, S.C.
Dr. H. Biemann Othersen Jr., a pioneering pediatrician and 1950 alumnus of the College of Charleston, smiles warmly. He wears glasses, a white shirt, a patterned bow tie with an American flag design, and a checkered jacket. Recognized with the Alumni Award of Honor, he is celebrated for his medical contributions in Charleston, S.C.
Dr. H. Biemann Othersen Jr. ’50
Alumni Award of Honor
Pioneering pediatrician
Charleston, S.C.
Cheryll Novak Woods-Flowers, a 1981 and 1999 alumna of the College of Charleston, beams with a friendly smile. She wears a pearl necklace, a royal blue blouse, and a black cardigan. She is a real estate agent and chair of the S.C. Advisory Council on Aging, recognized with the Karen Burroughs Jones Distinguished Alumni Award in Mount Pleasant, S.C
Cheryll Novak Woods-Flowers ’81 (M.S. ’99)
Karen Burroughs Jones ’74 Distinguished Alumni Award
Real estate agent and chair of the S.C. Advisory Council on Aging
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Canyon Barry, a 2016 alumnus of the College of Charleston, smiles confidently in a light blue dress shirt and blazer. He is a systems engineer at L3 Harris Technologies and a 2024 Olympic team member in 3x3 men’s basketball, recognized as Alumnus of the Year in Melbourne, Fla.
Canyon Barry ’16
Alumnus of the Year
Systems engineer at L3 Harris Technologies and 2024 Olympic team member in 3×3 men’s basketball
Melbourne, Fla.
Otis Robinson, a 1990 alumnus of the College of Charleston, smiles in a red striped polo and navy blazer. As the founder and managing principal of Robinson Business Consulting, he is honored with the Howard F. Rudd Jr. Business Person of the Year award in Chapin, S.C.
Otis Robinson ’90
Howard F. Rudd Jr. Business Person of the Year
Founder and managing principal of Robinson Business Consulting
Chapin, S.C.
Dr. Joel Cook, a 1988 alumnus of the College of Charleston, poses in a professional headshot wearing a suit with an orange plaid tie. He is a professor and division head of dermatologic surgery at MUSC, awarded the Outstanding Service Award in Medicine in Daniel Island, S.C.
Dr. Jonathan Cook, a 1988 alumnus of the College of Charleston, poses in a professional portrait wearing a plaid suit jacket and purple tie. He is a professor and division head of dermatologic surgery at Duke University Medical Center, awarded the Outstanding Service Award in Medicine in Durham, N.C.
Derrick L. Williams, a 1999 alumnus of the College of Charleston, stands confidently in a navy suit and light blue tie. He is the founding partner of Williams & Roche law firm, awarded the Honors College Distinguished Alumni Award in Columbia, S.C.
Maggie Panetta, a 2017 alumna of the College of Charleston, smiles warmly in a floral blouse with a stone backdrop. She works as a program officer for the International Rescue Committee, recognized with the Young Alumnus Award in New York, N.Y.
Dr. Joel Cook, a 1988 alumnus of the College of Charleston, poses in a professional headshot wearing a suit with an orange plaid tie. He is a professor and division head of dermatologic surgery at MUSC, awarded the Outstanding Service Award in Medicine in Daniel Island, S.C.
Dr. Joel Cook ’88
Outstanding Service Award in Medicine
Professor and division head of dermatologic surgery at MUSC
Daniel Island, S.C.
Dr. Jonathan Cook, a 1988 alumnus of the College of Charleston, poses in a professional portrait wearing a plaid suit jacket and purple tie. He is a professor and division head of dermatologic surgery at Duke University Medical Center, awarded the Outstanding Service Award in Medicine in Durham, N.C.
Dr. Jonathan Cook ’88
Outstanding Service Award in Medicine
Professor and division head of dermatologic surgery at Duke University Medical Center
Durham, N.C.
Derrick L. Williams, a 1999 alumnus of the College of Charleston, stands confidently in a navy suit and light blue tie. He is the founding partner of Williams & Roche law firm, awarded the Honors College Distinguished Alumni Award in Columbia, S.C.
Derrick L. Williams ’99
Honors College Distinguished Alumni Award
Founding partner of Williams & Roche law firm
Columbia, S.C.
Maggie Panetta, a 2017 alumna of the College of Charleston, smiles warmly in a floral blouse with a stone backdrop. She works as a program officer for the International Rescue Committee, recognized with the Young Alumnus Award in New York, N.Y.
Maggie Panetta ’17
Young Alumnus Award
Program officer for grant coordination and post-award management for the International Rescue Committee
New York, N.Y.
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ALUMNI NOTEBOOK

PODCAST DETECTIVE

After learning in high school that her father’s death a decade prior was a homicide, Madison McGhee ’15 set out to solve the case herself.

MOST PEOPLE WANT TO LEAVE THEIR painful pasts behind. But producer Madison McGhee ’15 has fearlessly confronted hers to find out what happened to her father, John, on the morning of July 11, 2002. She’s even made a 2024 True Crime Awards-shortlisted podcast called Ice Cold Case, where she investigates his unsolved murder.

“There was this tug, this pull, where it was like, I have to do it,” says McGhee. “But also, I sort of see projects in my brain as files, and I had other ideas, but I couldn’t get there until I did this one.”

Portrait orientation close-up indoor photograph view of Madison McGhee in a white/black varsity jacket while she has her right hand resting on a dark gray curved table, she has on black headphones equipped, and her left hand is placed over the left side of the earpad of the headphone as she is nearby a movable microphone stand in what appears to be a radio studio room environment of some sort
| photo by Trevor Paul |
The West Virginia native was only 6 years old when her father was fatally shot in the doorway of his home in Belmont County, Ohio. However, she didn’t learn that his death was a homicide until she was about to graduate from high school. She carried this unsettling news to Charleston, where she began at the College as a biochemistry-turned-communications major.

For the most part, McGhee suppressed her emotions about the incident. She released some of that pent-up energy by joining various extracurricular activities, including the Charleston 40 Tour Guide Association and the Student Government Association, serving as a junior class senator.

“I had to really learn while I was at CofC how to pivot and adapt and shift and turn on and off feelings so that I could get through a day and attend a student government meeting and give a tour of the College and be in a sorority and do all of these things while I’m dealing with all this crazy stuff that nobody knew about,” she says.

The adaptability skills McGhee refined at the College would come in handy. In 2020, after moving to Los Angeles, she decided to do something about her father’s mysterious murder by creating the podcast. Although she had worked as a producer for several years, earning credits from major television networks like Freeform and the Food Network, McGhee had yet to venture into podcasting. But, determined to find answers, she bravely took the leap.

The first nine episodes of Ice Cold Case premiered in 2023, garnering critical acclaim and national press coverage and even charting on Apple Podcasts. Since then, McGhee has delivered nine more episodes, with another installment set to premiere in 2025. 

Each episode delves further into her father’s life and the circumstances surrounding his death. Ice Cold Case also features interviews with her extended family members, police officers and – most astonishingly – the prime suspect in her father’s murder. McGhee believes conducting such interviews upholds the integrity of her podcast and that of the true crime genre.

Ice Cold Case isn’t the only project keeping McGhee busy. She’s now transitioning from field producing to sending pitches to direct comedy specials. She also signed with a literary management company, Bellevue Productions, that is passing around her scripts, including a psychological thriller set to shoot in 2025.

“I look at my career as like a pinball machine: You hit things, and you go and you go and you go until you finally get where you’re going,” says McGhee, who is grateful for the success of Ice Cold Case. “It just wasn’t enough to just sit in a room and hit record and go; it had to be crafted in order for people to care – and, thankfully, they did. Or else, I’m not sure I would have felt the closure of just doing it.” – Zeniya Cooley

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Alumni Notebook

PASSAGES

  • Jean M. Weldon ’44
    June 27, 2024; Columbia, S.C.
  • Edward B. Latimer ’48
    June 26, 2024; Columbia, S.C.
  • Katheryn L. Babbitt ’49
    Oct. 4, 2022; Marion, Mass.
  • Louis E. Costa ’56
    Jan. 20, 2017; Bonita, Calif.
  • Barbara A. Kornahrens ’57
    Dec. 24, 2023; Prosperity, S.C.
  • Jane J. Hill ’58
    May 28, 2024; Huntsville, Ala.
  • Maurice H. Thompson ’58
    Oct. 2, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Gunther G. Wallen ’64
    June 11, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Peter J. Tezza ’65
    Aug. 20, 2024; Marietta, Ga.
  • Thomas H. Gamble ’67
    Aug. 23, 2024; Boone, N.C.
  • Joan C. Maxwell ’67
    Sept. 12, 2024; Johns Island, S.C.
  • Emily M. Atherton ’73
    June 26, 2023; Kamuela, Hawaii
  • Lynn W. Brown Jr. ’73
    April 2, 2024; Florence, S.C.
  • Daneil C. Coleman Jr. ’76
    Aug. 30, 2024; North Charleston, S.C.
  • Charles E. Lucas Jr. ’77
    Oct. 17, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Howard F. Burmester ’78
    May 17, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Ralph W. Houser Jr. ’78
    May 6, 2024; Fort Mill, S.C.
  • Bruce E. Blitch ’79
    June 28, 2024; Santa Fe, N.M.
  • Alice V. Cinader ’79
    June 20, 2024; Jacksonboro, S.C.
  • Robert W. Lee ’79
    Oct. 19, 2023; Atlanta, Ga.
  • Winston G. Chapman ’81
    May 8, 2024; Breckenridge, Colo.
  • Ernest M. Comar Jr. ’82
    Oct. 16, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Thomas F. Newton ’83
    Aug. 11, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Stephen B. Smith ’83
    Sept. 15, 2024; Greenville, S.C.
  • George W. Stukes ’83
    May 24, 2024; Florence, S.C.
  • Ronnie J. Carter ’85
    July 20, 2024; Ladson, S.C.
  • Trina S. Carter ’85
    July 5, 2024; Ladson, S.C.
  • Susan D. Martin ’85
    Aug. 28, 2024; Conway, S.C.
  • Eric S. Ben ’86
    July 4, 2024; Aiken, S.C.
  • William J. Anonie ’87
    Oct. 19, 2024; Summerville, S.C.
  • Dee A. Cole ’87
    Oct. 27, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Henrietta M. Evatt ’87
    May 22, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Jo Ann Ratliff ’88
    July 20, 2024; Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Maud A. Cox ’90
    Dec. 1, 2023; Charleston, S.C.
  • Krysten E. Swan ’91
    Nov. 25, 2023; Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.
  • Erik S. Hawkins ’92
    Aug. 11, 2021; Stratham, N.H.
  • Kristen M. White ’94
    July 4, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Keir R. Majarrez ’99
    Dec. 10, 2022; Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Susan M. LeVan ’00
    July 5, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Aileen S. Price ’01
    Feb. 24; Goose Creek, S.C.
  • Pieter J. de Vries ’02
    July 23, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Amanda Purewal ’02
    July 2, 2024; Goose Creek, S.C.
  • Reed Wilson ’03
    June 23, 2024; Golden, Colo.
  • Alex W. Castellanos ’06
    Oct. 1, 2020; Washington, D.C.
  • John W. Wactor III ’09
    May 26, 2024; North Hollywood, Calif.
  • Catherine L. Jordan ’11
    Dec. 30, 2023; Greenville, S.C.
  • Clay M. Bucher ’14
    Aug. 28, 2024; Summerville, S.C.
  • Jessica S. McMillan ’15
    July 7, 2024; Hilton Head Island, S.C.
  • Seamus D. Kirby ’17
    April 4, 2024; Newport, R.I.
  • Michaela C. Berkebile ’22
    Aug. 15, 2024; Greenwood, S.C.
  • William D. Anderson Jr.
    Former Faculty
    July 17, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • David B. Murray
    Former Faculty
    July 21, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Cliffton S. Peacock
    Former Faculty
    May 28, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Martha L. Stackel
    Former Faculty
    Aug. 2, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Joseph R. Weyers
    Former Faculty
    June 10, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Frank C. Budd
    Former Staff
    June 11, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
  • Alice S. Markwalder
    Former Staff
    Feb. 23, 2024; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
  • Ben K. Miehe
    Former Staff
    Aug. 4, 2024; Charleston, S.C.
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LAST WORD

Adding It All Up

Here is the sum of my career at the College after a lifetime of teaching English as I get ready to retire this spring.
By Bret Lott
Bret Lott, a professor and author at the College of Charleston, smiles while leaning on a stack of books. He is wearing glasses, a green checkered shirt, and a black sweater vest, sitting in a library setting with bookshelves in the background. The image conveys a scholarly and approachable demeanor.
| photo by MIke Ledford |

The number of …

  1. Years taught here: 36
  2. College presidents: 6
  3. Office hours held: 4,326
  4. Times tripped over bricks: 47
  5. Times tripped over bricks and ended up on crutches: 2
  6. Students taught: 3,972
  7. Parking lots assigned: 6
  8. Times parked illegally: 552
  9. Times illegally parked and found parking officer’s business card tucked under windshield wiper, written on it, “I know who you are. Next time I will have you towed”: 1
  10. Offices assigned: above ground, 4; below ground, 1
  11. Department chairs: 7
  12. Committees served on: collegewide, 23; departmental, 32
  13. Books assigned for courses: 118
  14. Colleagues in department: enjoyed being around, 56; got along with OK, 6; never want to speak to again, 2
  15. Barbecues held at my house in lieu of final exams: 37
  16. Neighbors who called because of too many cars on the street: 11
  17. Times walked down College Way to Green Way to the Cougar Mall to get to class in Maybank: 4,218
  18. Courses held in those miserable windowless rooms on campus: Maybank, 17; Bell Building, 5; Education Center, 2
  19. Times been yelled at by an administrator, any administrator: 3
  20. Times resigned: 1
  21. Times begged to come back: 1
  22. Years placed on departmental events committee because I had a gas grill and could haul it to school in my pickup and flip hamburgers for English department open house days: 7
  23. Cigars smoked when holding class outdoors before we became a smoke-free campus: 93
  24. Cigars smoked when holding class outdoors after we became a smoke-free campus: [redacted]
  25. Pages student fiction read: 74,523
  26. Top 5 student writers taught: 5
  27. Times quit reading student short stories: 0
  28. Times wanted to quit reading student short stories: [redacted]
  29. Hot dogs consumed from the cart at Glebe and George: 217
  30. Times eaten at the faculty dining room: 1
  31. Glorious summer months spent with CofC students in Spoleto, Italy, where we traveled and wrote and ate and wrote and traveled and ate and wrote: 10
  32. Times a student cried in class: due to critique, 31; for no apparent reason, 12
  33. Times heart moved by a student story: 805
  34. Welcome surprises when walking into a classroom, any classroom: see No. 6
  35. Times sat in the chair on the piazza outside my office on the third floor at 5 College Way and counted my blessings: 529
  36. Years I will miss this place: the rest of them

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of eight novels, three story collections and three nonfiction books. His novel Jewel was both an Oprah Book Club selection and made into a film. His work has been translated into eight languages.

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