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Savannah Board of Visitors

The Savannah Board of Visitors is a voluntary board comprised of leaders in business, industry, education, and art and design. The board plays an integral role in assisting the office of institutional advancement in fundraising and friendship-building for SCAD. The board is responsible for managing the university's endowment fund.

Chairman Robert S. Jepson Jr. is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Jepson Inc., a private investment company located in Savannah, Georgia. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Richmond. Jepson was formerly chairman and chief executive officer of Kuhlman Corporation (NYSE) from 1993 until its sale to Borg-Warner Automotive Inc. in 1999. Prior to that, Jepson founded and was chairman and CEO of the Jepson Corporation from 1983 until its sale in 1989. During his tenure as CEO, Jepson built the Jepson Corporation into a Fortune 500, NYSE-traded company. Jepson resides in Savannah.
Stephen R. Braswell concluded a 33-year career with The Prudential Insurance Company as one of its senior officers and went on to found Braswell Nees and Associates, an executive search firm specializing in the financial services industry. He is currently serving as president of the firm. In addition, Braswell serves as executive vice president of Cora Bett Thomas Realty Company in Savannah, Georgia. Born in Manila, Philippines, Braswell graduated from Duke University, where he served as president of the student union. He resides in Savannah.
John E. Cay III is a native Savannahian. He is chairman of Wachovia Insurance Services, the nation's ninth largest insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm. Cay is a graduate of the St. James School in Maryland and the University of North Carolina, and he attended the management program at Harvard Business School. Cay resides in Charleston.
Eleanore L. De Sole graduated from Tulane University in 1972 with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. Following graduation, she worked for the National Association of Securities Dealers, NASDAQ department. In 1973 she joined IBM, where she rose from marketing trainee to branch manager in Washington, D.C. Later, while overseas in support of her husband's career running Gucci Group, Eleanore devoted her time and talent to a variety of community volunteer positions. She has served on the boards of The Madeira School, The American International School of Florence (Italy), The Benjamin West Group of The Royal Academy, Benjamin Franklin House and The Aspen Art Museum. She resides in both Snowmass Village, Colorado, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Richard D. Eckburg retired from the United Parcel Service in 1986 after a distinguished career of 33 years. Eckburg served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Following the war, he began his UPS career as a driver in his home state of Illinois. He rose through the ranks of UPS, serving in sales, marketing and operations. For a decade, he was responsible for the UPS operation in Chicago and was ultimately promoted to vice president in charge of public affairs. Eckburg resides in Savannah.
Walter O. Evans, M.D., now resides in Savannah, Georgia, but for more than 20 years, he was a surgeon in Detroit. A graduate of Howard University and the University of Michigan Medical School, Evans was chief of general surgery at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit and also a staff physician at Harper and Grace hospitals. A U.S. Navy veteran, Evans is listed by Art & Antiques Magazine as one of the top 100 collectors of art in the United States. He has amassed one of the largest private collections of African-American art, rare books and documents in the world.
Charles A. Hinnant is president and founder of Charkit Chemical Corporation located in South Norwalk, Connecticut. He is also chairman and owner of Optima Chemical Group, a custom-manufacturing concern in Douglas, Georgia, and the owner of Arran Chemical Company Ltd., headquartered in Athlone, Ireland. Hinnant holds a bachelor's of science in chemistry from Davidson College and a master's of business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is chairman of the board of governors for the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, Washington, D.C., and is on the board of the Chemical Education Foundation. Hinnant maintains residences in Rowayton, Connecticut; Bluffton, South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia.
John G. Kennedy III is a native Savannahian who attended Savannah Country Day. He graduated from Washington and Lee University and earned a master's of business administration from Dartmouth College. Kennedy lived and worked for more than 20 years in New York City. An investment banker, he was senior vice president at Merrill Lynch, managing director at Deutsche Bank, and partner and managing director at Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette. Kennedy returned to Savannah in 2004.
E. Michael Powers is a native Tennessean. After a lengthy career managing privately held corporations, he acquired Kennel-Aire LLC in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1995 and continues to serve as chairman and CEO. Powers jointly holds numerous patents including a design that was recognized as one of the top 25 new consumer products worldwide in the 1998 Industrial Design Excellence Awards sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of the South and a master's of business administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Powers resides in Savannah.
Cathy Edel Solomons is a native Savannahian who attended Savannah Country Day. She majored in art education at the University of Georgia. From 1978 to 1982, Solomons was director of cultural affairs for the City of Savannah. Since that time, she has been a homemaker and community volunteer, focusing her efforts on education and the arts.
Arnold Tenenbaum, a native Savannahian, recently retired as president of Chatham Steel Corporation, distributors of metal products. He graduated from Dartmouth College and attended Columbia Business School. A leader of many community organizations, Tenenbaum is credited with starting the Vision 2020 initiative for Savannah, Georgia. Tenenbaum resides in Savannah and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Cora Bett Thomas is a native North Carolinian and principal and founder of Cora Bett Thomas Realty Company in Savannah, Georgia. The 40-plus member firm is responsible for more than $50 million in sales annually. Cora Bett Thomas Realty is Savannah's exclusive affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. A graduate of East Carolina University with master's degree work in psychology, Thomas resides in Savannah.
Alice Montag Tisch is an Atlanta native now residing in New York and Savannah, Georgia. She earned an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and a master's of business administration from Columbia University. She is on the boards of trustees of the New York University School of Medicine, Hospital Center and Child Study Center. She is chairman of KIDS of NYU and serves on the board of The Brearley School and the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. Tisch is a member of the Chairman's Council of the Museum of Modern Art.
Anne Peeler West was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina. A former homemaker and mother of three sons, she founded a day care center for special needs children and nurtured its evolution as chairman. She later moved to Atlanta, where she founded Storage Plus, a retail, wholesale and design company with locations in Miami, Florida, and Atlanta. In 1992, West sold the company and retired to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. She resides on Tybee Island and in Savannah.

Recognition

Rabb's novel re-released in a trilogy box set
Writing professor Jonathan Rabb's novel "The Second Son" was re-released as the third in a box set of his trilogy of novels.
Cummins pitches soap line on "Shark Tank"
Megan Cummins (B.F.A., graphic design, 2008) appeared on ABC's "Shark Tank" to pitch her You Smell soap line and launched her company Feb. 3. Read the press release.
Society of Illustrators competition winners
Congratulations to all the winners of the Society of Illustrators Illustration Competition: M.F.A. illustration students Asa Bryan Ayers, Denise Plauche, Thomas Burns, Yina Hyder; B.F.A. illustration students Kari Brooks, DoSung Hwang, Caleb Morris; and Solongo Monkhooroi (M.F.A., illustration, 2011), Obekir Orhan.
Carson wins Best Technical Design award
B.F.A. production design student Andrew Carson won the BroadwayWorld.com Best Technical Design award for his lighting design for the premiere production "Shipwrecked!" in Atlanta.

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