CofC Foundation Board of Directors Welcomes New Members

The College of Charleston is grateful to the dedicated and passionate people who serve on the College of Charleston Foundation Board of Directors. Comprising 39 voting directors and seven non-voting 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.

The Foundation Board of Directors voted to welcome the following seven new board members, who began their first term on July 1, 2024.

Carl W. Blackstone ’93: A business administration major and past member of the Alumni Association Board, Carl Blackstone is president and CEO of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, where he focuses on creating a prosperous business environment. Blackstone has a strong background in public policy, government relations and strategic communications. Prior to joining the chamber, he was a partner at Copper Dome Strategies LLC, senior legislative advisor for the Office of the Governor of the State of South Carolina and manage of state government relations for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Blackstone is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina.

Erica Henderson Brown ’93: A sociology major who is a member of the Student Affairs Board of Advocates and past member of the Alumni Association Board, Erica Henderson Brown has worked in marketing and communication in both Canada and the United States. She has also served on numerous nonprofit committees, including as an investment committee member and co-chair of The NEXT 100 Capital Campaign for Christ Church Cranbrook, a parent ambassador for Trinity College School International Boarding School, a team leader for homeless hospitality dinners and co-chair of the SHARE LOVE SERVE Capital Campaign for St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, co-chair of the County Classic Auction at London Health Sciences Foundation, a board member of Hospice of London and a parent volunteer of Masonville Public School.

Bill B. Haskin Jr. ’86: A business administration major, Bill Haskin started working for Pat Brown Lumber after graduation and continued with the company when the management formed Patriot Timber Products in 2002. Based out of Greensboro, N.C., the company is an industry leader in utilizing sustainable wood sources for specialty, patented, trademarked plywood products. Haskin is a member of the Country Club of Charleston and serves on the golf committee.

Jonathan P. Hayes ’94: A psychology major, Jonathan Hayes received his juris doctorate from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. He is an attorney and managing partner at Goldstein Hayes and Lina LLC in Atlanta. Hayes was selected as one of the National Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Georgia Trial Lawyers, Best Lawyers of America, one of Georgia’s Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers and Top Brain Injury Trial Lawyer.

Robert J. Lukey: Originally from South Africa, Robert Lukey is a graduate of the University of Pretoria, The New School for Social Research in New York and The Citadel. He retired as the arts and sciences department chair at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston and is the owner of Robert Lukey Photography and Painting. Lukey is the widower of John Covington ’84. To honor his spouse, Lukey established the John L. Covington and Robert J. Lukey Endowed Scholarship for pre-med students; the John Covington and Robert Lukey Performing Arts Endowed Scholarship for students in the Master of Arts in Teaching – Performing Arts Program; the John L. Covington, Jr. & Robert J. Lukey Endowed Scholarship for Study Abroad; and the John L. Covington, Jr. & Robert J. Lukey Endowed Scholarship for Political Science.

Richard T. MacLean ’88: A business administration major, Richard MacLean earned his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is a founding partner of Frontier Growth, an investment firm focused on investing in high growth software businesses. MacLean established the MacLean Business “Ready to Work” Scholarship in 2010 for business students.

Edward “Ed” J. Tuccio ’91: A business administration major, Ed Tuccio is a retired chief operating officer and developer of real estate development companies based in Connecticut. He has been a member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation since 2005. At the College, he made a gift to establish the Edward J. Tuccio ’91 Student Success Center.

The Foundation Board of Directors also voted to welcome the following four fellows, who began their first term on July 1, 2024.

Sarah Exell ’07: A French and international business double major, Sarah Exell currently serves on the Student Affairs Board of Advocates and is a past member of the Alumni Association Board. Exell is a Certified Financial Planner® professional/planner and wealth management advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She volunteers with the Bank of America Corporation Community Volunteers and is past chairperson for the Charleston/Hilton Head Market.

Susan Luna-Hazlewood ’13 (M.P.A.): A Master of Public Administration and recipient of the graduate certificate in arts management and the nonprofit fundraising certificate, Susan Luna-Hazlewood served on the CofC Nashville Alumni Board. She is a certified fundraising executive and works as director of the Crawford Alumni Center at Tennessee Technological University. Luna-Hazlewood serves on the board of the Helping Hands of Putnam County and is a member of the Rotary Club of Cookeville in Tennessee

Kady Preston ’14: An elementary education major, Kady Preston received her Master of School Building Leadership and Administration from Columbia University Teachers College. An advocate for equitable education in Charleston, Preston’s experience includes teaching with StudentsFirst, dean of Academics K-2 at Meeting Street Academy and as a teaching fellow at the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education. A dedicated community leader and educator, Preston participated in the New Leaders Program, focusing on equity and achievement for all students. She also served on the Charleston County School Constituent Board – District 20 for three years.

Victoria Thompson ’15: An elementary education major, Victoria Thompson obtained her Master of Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. She is currently an educational strategist at CDW leading the southeastern U.S. Prior to joining CDW in 2023, she was a K-12 educator, instructional coach and member of school district leadership in South Carolina and Washington state. She was also an education industry executive and customer success account manager at Microsoft Education. Thompson has been lauded as one of the top 10 Visionary Leaders in Education by CIO Look Magazine, one of the top 30 K-12 IT influences by EDTech Magazine and one of the ISTE Top 20 to Watch.  She is also the author of Elevate Equity in EdTech, an instructional book focused on creating inclusive learning experiences for students utilizing technology and the ISTE standards. Together with her wife, Kourtney Johnson, Thompson established the Thompson Johnson Scholarship for Teacher Education.