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.

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.

Brian Poplin, DHA, FACHE, is the Principal at Lucky Star Investments. Prior to founding Lucky Star Investments, he served as the President and CEO of Elior North America. He has also been a Board Member of The InterMed Group since 2017 and HMR Veterans Services since 2022.

Before his time at Elior, Dr. Poplin held the position of President and CEO of Medical Staffing Network and was the previously the President of the Healthcare Technologies division at ARAMARK. He began his career in 1990 with the United States Air Force and joined ServiceMaster in 1994, where he became a certified biomedical equipment technician.

Dr. Poplin earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1996, followed by a Master of Science in Business Management in 1998. In 2010, he received a Doctorate in Health Administration and Policy from the Medical University of South Carolina.

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. Chokshi specializes in internal medicine and earned her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. She works at Hope Health in Florence, SC. Dr. Chokshi is a former board member of the School Foundation, a nonprofit promoting excellence in Florence, South Carolina, School District 1. She is a member of the American Medical Association and South Carolina Medical Association.

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.

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.

Mr. Downing is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Brown Advisory Inc., a Baltimore based full service, investment advisory firm. Previously he was founder and CIO of CDK Group, an advisor to ultra-high net worth families with special emphasis on alternative investments. He spent 19 years with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in London and New York where he was a General Partner from 1992 to 2000 and served on the firm's Commitments and Credit Committees. Mr. Downing received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1978 and an MBA with honors from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in 1982.

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.

Mr. Keane has more than 36 years of leadership experience in the communications industry, beginning his career in AT&T’s management development program in 1981. In 1999, he founded Comcast Business Communications and became President and CEO. Later, Mr. Keane served as President and COO of Cavalier Telephone and, since 2010, has served as the President and CEO of Spirit Communications and CEO of PalmettoNet. Mr. Keane is a graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology with a BSEE and Masters of Science in Management.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stuart is the Chief Executive Officer of the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked as an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) for King Pine Investments and Commonfund. As an OCIO, Stuart served non-profit organizations in the U.S. and Canada, which included universities, colleges, hospital and healthcare foundations, community foundations, and other religious and cultural institutions.

Earlier in his career, Stuart was the Chief Investment Officer for a group providing customized portfolios of hedge funds to Citi’s Private Bank clients. Stuart also worked at SEI Investments and Morgan Stanley. He has a BA in Economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Frampton, Executive Vice President and COO, is a CPA with over 35 of experience. Ms. Frampton previously served as the CFO of the MUSC Foundation for 15 years. Prior to taking this position, she held roles as Director of Fiscal Affairs and Internal Audits Manager for MUSC. Robyn began her career in public accounting with Coopers and Lybrand and Ernst and Young. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a BS in Accounting.

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