The Wofford College Board of Trustees

Each Wofford College Board of Trustees meeting is different, but each shares something very important — an abiding care for students and the student experience.

That’s why the meetings are organized so trustees have opportunities to hear from students, talk with them and learn more about student priorities. Students serve as representatives to board committees, as do members of the faculty. Students often join trustees for meals and receptions. The Campus Union president reports to the full board at each meeting, and every year someone invariably mentions that student government representatives will one day lead the college by serving as trustees.

David Beacham ’77, senior vice president for administration and secretary to the board of trustees, has watched it happen. Three graduated student body presidents — Stanley Porter ’89, Wendi Nix ’96 and Joshua Whitley ’05 — are current trustees.

“It’s rewarding to see those things come full circle and to see responsible and successful student leaders become responsible and successful alumni and trustees,” says Beacham.

The college has 31 trustees, including 26 who are alumni.

“It was a chance to deepen my connection as an alumnus, as well as give back to a school that has given Sally (McIntyre Malambri ’97) and me so much,” says the Rev. Will Malambri ’98. “Wofford gave me an excellent education, but not just in the classroom. The pursuit of understanding, as well as the pursuit of a better community, were nurtured by Wofford’s faculty, staff and fellow students. I’ll forever be grateful for what began as a student, but has continued as a result.”

Service as a trustee involves overseeing a unique business model that includes the responsibility to educate while managing the equivalent of a small, thriving city.

“Our trustees offer a strategic vision and an ability to think through the complexities of directing a residential liberal arts institution,” says Dr. Nayef Samhat, Wofford’s president. “We are fortunate to have a deep pool of dedicated leaders with expertise in a breadth of areas. They spend invaluable time thinking about Wofford’s future while caring deeply about the Wofford community and the student experience right now.”

All of the trustees have been highly engaged with the college over the years, usually including service on various committees and advisory boards.

The process of selecting trustees follows the wishes of the college’s founder Benjamin Wofford, whose will required that board members be elected by the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Trustees serving on the college’s Governance Committee are responsible for nominating trustees and working with the Annual Conference to ensure the process is carried out according to Wofford’s will.

“The opportunity to serve post-graduation an institution which affected my life in so many profound ways has been an incredible honor,” says Board Chair Corry Oakes ’89. “Wofford supplied some of the most influential teachers of my life. The encouragement and training to think critically, to dig deeply, to be exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints and to explore differences in an environment of mutual respect were gifts that will last a lifetime.”

Trustees serve four-year terms and can serve no more than three consecutive terms (12 years) on the board. In recent years, the board has grown to 31 members. For many years it ranged from 20 to 27 members, but has been at its current size for nearly two decades. For a time, approximately half of the college’s trustees were ministers in the United Methodist Church. The college remains committed to keeping representatives from the church on the board and currently has two United Methodist ministers serving as trustees, Malambri and Bishop Will Willimon ’68. A third United Methodist minister, the Rev. John Hipp ’75, died in October. Hipp’s seat will be filled next year when the conference meets in the summer of 2021 to vote on two other openings.

“I enjoy every board meeting because of what we learn about the incredible students, faculty and staff who are currently on campus and because we get to be about the important work of helping Wofford realize an even brighter future,” says Malambri. “I also enjoy being in a room with people who care deeply about Wofford and give generously of their time, talent and resources to help our school thrive. We want current and future Wofford family to have the best experience possible and realize that means never being satisfied with what has been or is, but always seeking what should be.”

Trustees meet three times a year in October, February and May. They are responsible for providing high-level strategies to plan for the college’s future and its fiscal needs. The board is generally not involved with day-to-day college operations.

Each trustee serves on at least two of the board’s seven standing committees (Enrollment, Academics, Investment, Operations, Student Experience, Advancement and Governance).

Joining the board during 2020 were Thomas L. Bower III ’74, R. Howard Coker ’85, Dr. English C. Flack ’00 and Shawan Gillians ’04. They filled terms completed by Laura J. Hoy, Stewart H. Johnson ’67, L. Leon Patterson ’63 and J.E. Reeves Jr.

“My Wofford experience has been instrumental in shaping my life and the work and vision of the board played a tremendous role in making that experience possible,” says Gillians. “I hope my service will likewise contribute to experiences that help shape future Wofford alumni.”

Trustees completing terms on the Board of Trustees:

Trustees who began terms in 2020:

The South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church elected four Wofford alumni to fill the vacancies on the college’s Board of Trustees during a virtual meeting held Oct. 17. The election was scheduled for June but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. English C. Flack ’00 of Nashville, Tenn., is a pediatric cardiologist and serves as medical director for the Middle Tennessee affiliate of Project ADAM, a national non-profit supported by Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University that empowers schools and communities to be prepared for sudden cardiac arrest. She’s also an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She earned a medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina.

B. Shawan Gillians ’04, of Charleston, S.C., is director of legal services and corporate secretary for Santee Cooper. She has served on the college’s Presidential Advisory Council and a number of civic boards. She has a law degree from The College of William & Mary School of Law and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.

Thomas L. Bower III ’74 of Gainesville, Ga., is president and CEO of Clipper Petroleum. A graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, he sits on a number of community boards including Georgia Oilmen’s Association, United Community Bank of Gainesville and the Wofford Terrier Club. He has been active in youth athletics coaching and mentoring for years.

R. Howard Coker ’85 of Hartsville, S.C., is president and CEO of Sonoco. He holds an MBA from Wake Forest University. Previously Coker served as senior vice president, Global Paper/Industrial Converted Products. He is active in community and wildlife organizations, having served on the board of Coker College and of the Byerly Foundation.

2020-21 Members of the Board of Trustees

by Dudley Brown