College of Charleston Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

The College of Charleston is honored to have dedicated and passionate people serve on the College of Charleston Foundation Board of Directors. Comprising 44 voting directors and four nonvoting fellows, the Foundation Board promotes the College’s education, research, student development and faculty development. The board also stewards the Foundation’s endowment and assets. Today’s endowment balance is estimated at $145 million, an increase of $73 million since 2015.

Members of the Foundation Board of Directors gain firsthand knowledge of how donor dollars impact the College, its students and its faculty. They see the enormous return on their investment of both their time and money.

“Serving as the chair of our foundation board is a true honor,” says Keith Sauls ’90, the Foundation Board chair. “Topping that is to serve at a time where the diversity of thought and background continues to build as we bring new minds to the Foundation table.”

The Foundation Board of Directors voted to welcome the following eight new board members, who began their first term on July 1, 2025.

English major Michelle Asha Cooper ’95 received her master of professional studies from Cornell University and her doctorate in education policy and leadership from the University of Maryland. In 2017, the Charleston native also received an alumni honorary degree from the College. Cooper is currently vice president for public policy and executive director with the Lumina Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding the share of Americans with education and training after high school. Previously, she served as the deputy undersecretary of education with the Biden administration. At the College, Cooper has served as a past member of the Foundation Board, Alumni Association Board and Black Alumni Council. She currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Tom Martin became involved with the College in 2004 when he joined the Department of Communication National Advisory Council. He now serves as the first executive-in-residence in the Department of Communication, a position he took in 2007 after retiring from ITT Corporation. In 2016, Martin and his wife, Wanda, launched the Martin Scholars Program, and in 2023 they founded the Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication at the College. The Martins are members of the President’s Society and reside in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Chris O’Neal (M.S. ’06) received his Master of Science in Accountancy from the College after graduating as a double major in economics and speech and communication from Clemson University. He is currently the managing partner of Moody & O’Neal CPAs LLC. O’Neal is past president of the College of Charleston Athletic Fund Board. In the community, his recent leadership and membership includes the Mount Pleasant Town Council, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, East Cooper Regional Medical Center, Charleston Estate Planning Council Board and Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority Board. In 2013, O’Neal received Charleston’s Top 40 under 40 in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the Charleston business community. He had his wife, Tiffany, a former nurse and now a stay-at-home mom of two children, Simms and Caroline, reside in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

John Radtke graduated from Michigan State University and is chief officer at Zeus Financial LLC. He serves as an angel investor in more than 30 companies. He has served as a past member of the College of Charleston Parent Advisory Council, the Michigan State University Athletics Directory Advisory Board and the Department of Economics Advisory Board, and the board of the LeMieux Center for Public Policy at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Radtke and his wife, Lynne, are parents to Olivia Radtke ’24, an integrated studies major with marketing and communication double minor.

Tim Saumier is president and founder of TYGES, a global executive search firm focused on manufacturing and behavioral health. He is also co-founder of ShockVentures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on impact and returns. Saumier is a member of the Parent Leadership Society. He and his wife, Miranda, have two children, including Kennedy Saumier, an international business major at the College. The family resides in Williamsburg, Virginia.

A business administration major, Alan Uram received his MBA from The Citadel and graduated from the South Carolina Bankers School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He is currently a market executive with South Atlantic Bank. Prior to this role, Uram held several leadership positions in his more than 20 years in the banking industry. He currently serves as president of the Charleston Athletic Fund Board. Uram and his wife, Meghan, have three children, including Caroline Uram, an economics major at the College. The family resides in Charleston.

Ryan M. Velasco ’02, a historic preservation and community planning major, is senior vice president of Laurel Strategies, where he advises global CEOs, boards and mission-driven organizations on communications, reputation management and stakeholder engagement. He has more than 20 years of experience in the government, business and nonprofit sectors, including leadership roles at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ogilvy and the White House. An expert in crisis response, climate resilience and interagency coordination, Velasco has been recognized for aligning communications with organizational mission and impact. He and his husband, David McKnight, reside in Washington, D.C.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, David Westerlund obtained his juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina. He retired after a 36-year career with Ball Corporation where he served as executive vice president of administration and as corporate secretary. A native of Charleston, Westerlund spent much of his business career in Muncie, Indiana, and Denver, Colorado, before returning to his hometown. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards in Indiana, Colorado and South Carolina. Westerlund and his wife, Ann, reside in Charleston and have two adult children and six grandchildren.

Like the College, most universities across the nation involve separate foundations as a component of their operation. The College of Charleston Foundation protects and safeguards the trust of the many donors who want to make a difference for College of Charleston students.  

“Donor trust is paramount, but next to that is donor confidence,” says Dan Frezza, chief advancement officer of the College and CEO of the Foundation. “Our ability to sustain the College of Charleston for generations to come sends a clear signal to current and perspective investors of the value of a College of Charleston education.”