Medical University of South Carolina Foundation Board of Directors

Mr. Almeida is retired Chairman and CEO of Heller Financial, Inc., a Chicago-based commercial finance company acquired by General Electric Credit Corporation in 2001. Prior to joining Heller, Mr. Almeida was with Citicorp/Citibank in a variety of capacities and is director emeritus of UAL Corp. Currently he is chair of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, president of Save Venice, treasurer of the Charleston Library Society, and is a member of the board of Spoleto Festival USA and the Investment Advisory Committee of Historic Charleston Foundation.

Leslie Scott Askins is an executive with more than 20 years of C-suite leadership experience across private and public companies. She specializes in scaling innovation, strategic operations, and mergers and acquisitions, with expertise in fintech, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance. Her career includes serving as general counsel, chief compliance officer and secretary for Kabbage, an American Express company, as well as leadership roles at Premiere Global Services, WebMD and several law firms. Askins earned degrees from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law and holds an LL.M. in taxation from New York University. She previously served on the board of the Innovative Lending Platform Association.

Jim is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Before his retirement, Jim worked in executive capacities for Visa Inc., the global payment brand and processor. Jim spent all of his twelve years with Visa leading its businesses overseas in the Asia Pacific region and Canada. In the US, Jim has extensive banking experience as well as participated in several startup companies and joint ventures in the US and abroad. Jim graduated from Colgate University before furthering his studies in banking at Rutgers University and Colorado University.

Dr. Brown, a native Charlestonian, was elected to the MUSC Board of Trustees in 2018 as the medical profession representative from the Sixth Congressional District. Dr. Brown is the current Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Brown is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and after four years at sea, he took an assignment in Charleston to teach naval engineering at The Citadel. While there, he earned a master's degree at night, resigned his commission, and matriculated into MUSC. In 2002, he graduated from the College of Medicine and returned to active duty as a physician. During his twenty years of service, Dr. Brown served with distinction on multiple deployments at sea and on the ground in support of the Marines. On his retirement from active duty, Dr. Brown returned to his hometown and practiced emergency medicine for years before transitioning to private practice. He still devotes time to treating veterans as part-time staff at the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Emergency Physicians. He is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity. He sits on the boards of First Capital Bank, MUSC Physicians, and the MUSC Foundation. Dr. Brown and his wife, Deborah, have two children, Gabriel and Lillian.

Dr. Davis specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology and currently practices at Waverly Women’s Health Center. Dr. Davis received her undergraduate degree from Winthrop University before attending and graduating from MUSC’s College of Medicine. She is a member of the MUSC College of Medicine Alumni Board.

Michael A. Delaney is a senior partner and founder of Court Square Capital Partners, where he serves on the investment committee and co-leads the business services investment team. With more than three decades at Court Square and its predecessor, Citigroup Venture Capital, he brings extensive experience in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. His background includes roles at Citicorp Investment Bank and General Motors, as well as earlier service as a U.S. Army cavalry officer. Delaney holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the Wharton School. He serves on multiple corporate boards and is active in philanthropy, including leadership roles with Make-A-Wish and the Toigo Foundation.

Rick Dhillon is a practicing dentist in Greenville, SC. He has lived in Greenville since he was two months old and attended school in Greenville through high school. He graduated The Citadel in 1993 and was the Regimental Athletic Officer his senior year. After The Citadel, he attended MUSC School of Dental Medicine and graduated in 1997.

Tina has spent most of her life in the Charleston area and has an active history with the MUSC College of Health Professions (“CHP”). Professionally, Tina maintained a banking career as Director of Business Development for Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union. Tina and her husband became members of MUSC’s Legacy Society and established The Doscher Family Neurological Rehabilitation Program within The Barbara S. Christie Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning Laboratory. She served as both a member and council chair of CHP’s Advancement Council from 2018 to 2022. She also served as a member of MUSC’s Board of Visitors from 2018 to 2022.

Bryan R. Dunn was President and CEO of Kinship Trust Company, LLC, Chicago, Illinois; a broad-based fiduciary and financial services company, which manages the varied business and philanthropic interests of the Searle family. Mr. Dunn was also President of Kinship Foundation Mr. Dunn is a Trustee of the Searle Charitable Trusts, presently serves on the Board of Adelsheim Vineyard, LLC and is a Life Trustee, Illinois Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the Investment Committee (former chair) and former Chair of the Board of Overseers of the College of Psychology.

Tom is a retired partner of Stone Harbor Investment Partners, LP, a credit-oriented fixed income investment manager. He was one of the founding partners of Stone Harbor and worked there and at predecessor firms including Citigroup Asset Management and Salomon Brothers Asset Management for over 27 years. Prior to joining Salomon Brothers he worked in investment research at Merrill Lynch, Reliance Insurance and JP Morgan. Mr. Flanagan holds a BA from Holy Cross College and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College. Tom has been an Investment Committee Member of the Charleston Animal Society since 2019.

Mr. Gephart spent 20 years with 1838 Investment Advisors of Philadelphia as senior managing director overseeing the equity investment process and managing the portfolios of major non-profit organizations and other clients. Mr. Gephart served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Main Line Health, Inc., a Director at Natural Lands Trust, Inc., and a Trustee of The Curtis Institute of Music.

Dr. Felicia L. Goins was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Dr. Goins is a graduate of George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery from Howard University College of Dentistry. Dr. Goins completed her advanced training in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center and received her Certificate of Pediatric Dentistry from Georgetown University School of Dentistry. In 2006, Governor Mark Sanford appointed Dr. Goins to the South Carolina State Board of Dentistry where she served until 2015.

Mr. Joukowsky is the CEO of a private investment firm specializing in domestic and international value-oriented investments. He is also a Chief Investment Officer of the Joukowsky Family Foundation. He is a graduate of Brown University and received his MBA from Babson College.

Carrie Lanning, CPA graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Biostatistics in 1999 and a Masters of Accountancy in 2000. Her experiences range from the then “Big 5” accounting firm to a corporate tax position with a Fortune 300 company to local public accounting practices. She is the owner of The Lanning Group LLC Tax Advisors located in Mt Pleasant, SC. She specializes in taxation of high-wealth individuals, estate and trust planning, small businesses, and the service sector, with a strong focus on healthcare.

Mr. MacLeod is the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board for Sykes Enterprises. He is a Director of Coastal South Bank shares and Director of Coastal States Bank. Mr. MacLeod is also a Director and Treasurer of the Art Center of Coastal Carolina and Director of Mortgage Banks Association of American. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Tampa, MCP from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in real estate also from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Mrs. McCrary (Jan), a resident of Greenville, SC, has a diverse background in investments and the healthcare industry. She has been an owner of HMR Veterans Services, Inc. for over 15 years and currently serves an integral role as Chair of the Board of Directors.

Jan is a member of a local family office investment group that owns Inspirium Health, a provider of home health, hospice and personal care in South Carolina. She is committed to enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality within her community. Her dedication extends beyond ownership as she serves as a member of the Hollings Cancer Center Advisory Board. Previously, she served as a board member and Chair of the capital campaign for the Neighborhood Cancer Connection.

Ms. Montgomery is the former Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations at MUSC. Ms. Montgomery has served on the President’s Cabinet and senior leadership team, providing counsel to the University’s administrative, academic, and healthcare leadership teams, as well as MUSC’s Board of Trustees. Prior to this position, she served as the Chief Financial Officer of the MUSC Medical Center. Ms. Montgomery has worked in a variety of academic and non-academic healthcare roles, spanning a 35-year career. She served on the Board of Directors for MUSC Physicians and the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic.

Jim Newsome is currently an Executive Advisor and Consultant to firms in the global supply chain, industrial real estate, and supply chain visibility industries. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of the South Carolina Ports Authority from September 1, 2009, until his retirement from that position on June 30, 2022. He was Executive Vice President of the Americas for Nedlloyd Lines and President of Nedlloyd Lines (USA) Corporation based in Atlanta. Before that, Mr. Newsome spent 10 years with Strachan Shipping Company.

Mr. Ramberan is a Senior Vice President at Truist Bank and was previously a banker at SunTrust Bank and Wells Fargo. Currently he serves as a commercial banking relationship manager. With a focus on growth and exit strategies, Omar has experience in traditional bank financing, treasury management, New Market Tax Credit solutions and other corporate bank needs.

Mr. Ramberan is actively involved in the community. He has served and participated in numerous organizations including: Trident United Way – Y.P.S. Past Board Member, Maritime Association of South Carolina, Charleston and Berkeley Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Club of North Charleston Breakfast - past board member, and currently serves as board member for Trinity Montessori and the Propeller Club of Charleston.

Omar grew up in North Charleston and is a graduate of RB Stall High School and The Citadel. He is married to Sarah Raley Ramberan, who is an alumna of the MUSC College of Nursing. She works at the VA Medical Center as a nurse practitioner. They have two children.

Mr. Schulze is a graduate of Georgia Military Academy and earned his BBA degree in accounting from the University of Georgia. He received his master's degree in accounting from the University of South Carolina. He is a past Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Georgia.

From 1968 to 1972, he served in the United States Air Force. For three years of his four years of service, he was stationed in the Far East and Southeast Asia. His eight decorations for honorable service include four Outstanding Unit awards with "V" device for Valor, the Vietnam Service Medal with four campaign stars for service in Vietnam and Thailand and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm for Valor.

Mr. Schulze is a retired shareholder in a regional accounting and consulting firm. He currently practices in the financial forensics area as an investigator and expert witness. He is also a licensed private investigator in the state of South Carolina. He is a former president of the South Carolina Association of CPAs and a former member and chairman of the South Carolina Board of Accountancy.

In addition to serving in the leadership of the Medical University of South Carolina, he is currently a member of the Finance and Audit committee for both Shriners International and the twenty-two hospitals of the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Mr. Schulze and his wife, Sarah Alice, live in Greenwood and have two daughters.

Mr. Stavrinakis, a lifetime resident of Charleston, was elected to the MUSC Board of Trustees in 2013 as the lay representative from the First Congressional District.

Mr. Stavrinakis is president and CEO of Stavrinakis Franchise Consulting, M.E.S. Travel and Junkets, Inc., and Taverna Hospitality. He is a 1986 graduate of Charleston Southern University with a B.S. in economics and a lifetime member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. 

Mr. Stavrinakis and his wife, Karen, who is a graduate of MUSC, have three children.

Scott Stocker is the vice president and general manager of the 787 program and Boeing South Carolina site leader. He was named to this position in December 2023. Stocker has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Washington.

Miguel Thames is the founder and managing partner of T.I.G. Advisory. He is a successful executive with over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has held senior management positions in global business development, with responsibility for sales, consultant relations, and client service for an $800bln asset management company.

Charlie has been a CPA since 1972, but for the last 45+ years, he has focused on real estate and business development. He has held principal positions in the coal, construction, hotel, and real estate fields, and he has developed over $600,000,000 in hotels, commercial buildings and residential properties projects in the middle Atlantic and southern part of the U.S. Charlie graduated with Honors from Marshall University in 1970 with a degree in accounting and was inducted into The Marshall University Business Hall of Fame.

Audrey Whetsell serves as President and CEO of Resource Partners, LLC, a certified state and national woman-owned business. Audrey co-founded Resource Partners, LLC in 2005, where she works on designing and transforming healthcare organizations through technology. In this role, she functions as a key participant with the executive team in the design, implementation and coordination of company-wide operations that include medical staffing. Audrey holds a Masters and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of South Carolina.

Ms. Wrobleski recently retired as a corporate officer of International Paper where she managed relationships and teams in the US, Europe, Brazil, China and India as Vice President for Global Government Relations. Her public sector experience includes positions at the State Department where she was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve as an Assistant Secretary for International Narcotic Matters and as lead US negotiator (ambassadorial rank) for a United Nations Convention. She is a graduate of Stephens College and chaired the Board of Trustees.

Neil Garfinkel is a Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus at Francisco Partners. He joined the firm in 1999. Neil has an A.B. from Harvard College as well as a J.D. from Columbia School of Law. He previously worked at FFL Partners, Summit Partners, Wilson Sonsini, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore