Board of Directors

Edward Anderson is the principal at Tanglewood Middle School with Greenville County Schools, where he serves a majority population of African-American and Hispanic students. His leadership style is described as a compassionate facilitator, someone who works diligently to provide an inclusive environment that puts students in a safe and engaging space to learn. As an educator and dedicated advocate for children, he previously worked as a classroom teacher, district-level academic specialist and assistant principal. His board and nonprofit experience includes working with Save Our Sons, which builds positive mentoring relationships with minority and disadvantaged young males; Greenville County Schools leadership committees; Goodwill GoodGuides as a mentor; United Waay’s Young Philanthropists’ school readiness chair; and United Way’s OnTrack Greenville initiative. He looks forward to strengthening the prevention work and sustainability of Children’s Trust.

His selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Arlene Andrews is a distinguished professor emerita in the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina with extensive experience as a community psychologist, nonprofit leader and board member. While at USC, she served as the director of the Institute for Families in Society. Currently on the board of trustees for the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, Arlene has previously served in a variety of key roles as the founding executive director of Sistercare; founding executive director of Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina; and as a board member of multiple community and regional organizations, including the Southern Regional Council. She also served for eight years on the South Carolina Joint Legislative Committee on Children and Families when the Children’s Trust Fund was established. Arlene brings vast leadership skills to Children’s Trust in the areas of strategic planning, public policy, and fundraising. From her perspective, she says, most importantly, she is a mother and grandmother.

Her selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Mac Bennett is the director of community impact and strategic initiatives for the Columbia agency Cyberwoven, which specializes in web design and development, branding, and digital marketing. From 2005 to 2017, he served as president and CEO of United Way of the Midlands. During his tenure, United Way experienced tremendous growth that allowed the organization to more effectively address the Midlands’ most immediate needs. Prior to United Way, Mac spent 14 years as the president and CEO of the Central Carolina Community Foundation. In that time, he founded Together SC (formerly SCANPO) and served as the first chairman of the organization’s board of directors. He brings vast nonprofit experience to Children’s Trust in the areas of leadership, management, finance and policy.

His selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Marc Brown is the managing attorney with the Marc Brown Law Firm. An experienced personal injury and criminal defense attorney serving clients throughout South Carolina and Georgia, he worked for a national law firm prior to opening his own firm. He is a volunteer with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Columbia and a member of the United Way of the Midlands Young Leaders Society. Marc also serves on the board of Communities in Schools of the Midlands.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology and an honors graduate of Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Marc has an interest in raising visibility and awareness of child abuse prevention in ways that can impact fundraising and advance policies to better protect children.

His selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Robin Dease is the Hartsville district superintendent with the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. With a lifetime of service, she currently serves as a board member for General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, Claflin University board of trustees, and South Carolina Methodist Foundation. She felt the call to ministry and earned a master of divinity and doctorate of ministry in stewardship from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. D.C. Her work and mission involves helping people facing difficult societal issues find a path to living productive and successful lives, and she strongly believes those experiences and skills can be applied to Children’s Trust.

Her selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Abbie Freeman has served as a member of the South Carolina Medical Association Alliance for more than a decade, including as its immediate past president. She championed the Pinwheels for Prevention during her tenure as president of the SCMAA. Abbie also was involved for 11 years with the Pickens County Medical Association, which included one term as president. A board member for eight years with Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County, she has a strong interest and experience in fund development as well as some experience and interest in public policy/advocacy.

Abbie represents the 3rd Congressional District on the Board of Directors.

Beverly Hamilton is the associate vice president of government contracts at Molina Healthcare of South Carolina. She has professional experience in both the private and public health care sectors. She has served as a board member for several South Carolina nonprofit organizations, including United Way of the Midlands, Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services, and the Boys and Girls Club. She is especially interested in using her management experience to help Children’s Trust build a more successful governance model and promote a vibrant governance structure.

Her selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Cheryl Holland is the founder and president of Abacus Planning Group, a wealth management firm headquartered in Columbia. A certified financial planner and a registered independent adviser, she has broken new ground as a woman in her professional field since founding Abacus in 1998. From 2017 to 2019, Barron’s named her the top financial adviser in South Carolina, and she also was named by Barron’s as one of the Top 100 women financial advisors nationally. She serves as a member of the board of trustees for Bryn Mawr College, chair of the American Red Cross Midlands Region Tiffany Circle, and a member of the board of directors for the Clemson University Foundation. With extensive experience in finance, entrepreneurship, management, strategic planning and fund development, she seeks to develop a more successful model for long-term sustainability at Children’s Trust while citing her passion for the organization’s mission.

Her selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Stephen Leicht is a founder and managing director of UberResearch, which has a mission of helping organizations, nonprofits, and governmental institutions make more informed decisions about science funding. He is an investor, board member, and advisor for software companies and industry groups after a career with IBM and multiple entrepreneurial companies in software and communications. The father of two children with his wife Mandy, he has a long-standing passion for children’s issues and safety. He completed the Governing for Nonprofit Excellence course at Harvard Business School.

A former board chair, Stephen represents the 2nd Congressional District.

Tim Lyons is a partner in the Columbia office of Mauldin and Jenkins, specializing in audit services for a wide range of clients, including middle market and privately held businesses, employee benefit plans, higher education, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities. He recently completed a term on the board of directors of the Educational Foundation of the Georgia Society of CPAs. Tim is a graduate of Furman University and obtained his master’s of accountancy from the College of Charleston. He is interested in bringing his knowledge and experience to help Children’s Trust define and measure mission impact and to ensure long-term sustainability.

His selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Steve Moon is an attorney and shareholder at Rogers Townsend & Thomas in Columbia. He has worked for many years as counsel for businesses and health care entities while representing clients in all levels of court in South Carolina. Steve earned his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of South Carolina.

He has frequently worked in professional and community associations over the years, including chairman of the South Carolina Bar Lawyer Physician Relationship Committee, chairman of the Continuing Legal Education Committee, and currently outgoing chairman of the Health Care Law Section. By appointment of the chief justice, Steve was a member and then chairperson of the Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. In the community, among many endeavors, Steve has served as an officer on the board of the Carolina Ballet.

Recently, Steve completed the Governing for Nonprofit Excellence course at Harvard Business School. He has given numerous educational presentations to lawyers, businesses and health care providers on topics from risk management to the current opioid crisis.

Steve represents the 6th Congressional District on the board and currently serves as the board chair.

Erin Pate is the North Coast Office Director for the Coastal Conservation League. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she has had a career in nonprofit leadership and management to include serving as the CEO of SC Association of CPAs and prior to that was the founding executive director of the S.C. Association of Nonprofit Organizations. She also currently serves on the board of the Black River United Way.

Erin represents the 7th Congressional District on the Board of Directors.

Tiffany Santagati works as a retail banking executive at Community First Bank. She has spent the majority of her career in the banking industry while also volunteering to serve as an active board member for both statewide and Upstate organizations. A graduate of USC Upstate with a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University, she serves as the secretary-treasurer on the board.

Tiffany represents the 4th Congressional District on our board.

Sharon Teague is a market executive for Founders Federal Credit Union – Lancaster/Columbia. She serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Lancaster County and also as the president nominee for the Lancaster Rotary Club. Sharon is excited about the work Children’s Trust is doing to strengthen families and wants to help communicate the impact of that work while helping ensure long-term sustainability.

Her selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.

Philip Vann is a senior brokerage associate for Colliers International in Columbia with a specialty in tenant advisory services and experience in lease/sale contracts, site selection, solicitation and analysis of proposals from landlords, integrated space planning, and tenant improvement allowances. In addition to serving on the Children’s Trust development committee, Philip is a board member of Youth Corps of Columbia, where he chairs the governance committee, and a volunteer with the Midlands Reading Consortium through the United Way. He the inaugural recipient of the Judith M. Davis Volunteer of the Year Award given by United Way of the Midlands (2018). Currently serving as the board’s vice chair, he seeks to diversify the funding base of Children’s Trust.

His selection is pending approval by the governor’s office.