Emme Smith | November 2021
Emme Smith
Foundation Board Member
Emme Smith lives by the mantra “Create what you wish existed” – an ideology that the owner of GraySpace Counseling Group brings to her role as a new member of the SCC Foundation Board of Directors.
“I am solution focused and goal-driven and I want to offer new and innovative ideas to the already amazing SCC board of directors,” said Smith, who also is the lead psychotherapist of her Mauldin-based private practice dedicated to promoting mental wellness through mental health solutions.
Smith says her biggest accomplishment is cultivating a safe space for high performing women of color to let down their guard and achieve true mental fitness.
“It feels good to be able to operate and settle into your zone of genius, your true life purpose,” Smith said.
A native of Spartanburg and a proud Dorman Cavalier, Smith presently resides in Mauldin with her husband of 18 years, and their 16-year-old son, Davin, and 12-year-old daughter, Macyn.
When she’s not working, you’ll find Emme doing something creative. Writing has become her favorite pastime, but she also enjoys singing, laughing and shopping.
Emme is a Spartanburg 40 under 40 Award Recipient and a member of the Spartanburg Chamber’s Young Professionals. She also is a Greenville Chamber Minority Business Accelerator Graduate, Spartanburg Citizens’ Academy Graduate, Spartanburg Grassroots Leadership Academy Graduate and a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
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2021 Spotlights
Charlianne Nestlen | October 2021
Kristy Shepherd | September 2021
Loretta Grna | August 2021
Loretta Grna
Foundation Board Member
Loretta Grna became involved with the SCC Foundation when Mike Kohler asked if she would represent Kohler Company as a member of the board of directors.
Now serving her fourth year on the board, Loretta is secretary of the Executive Committee and sits on the Strategic Planning Committee.
“I thoroughly enjoy working on with the Foundation. The people involved are so positive and excited about raising money to help students and the college,” Loretta said.
As Manager of Quality and Environmental for Kohler’s Spartanburg Plant, Loretta understands the important role Spartanburg Community College plays in developing and preparing the area’s future workers.
“The work the Foundation does is so important to provide a strong workforce and to help the community grow,” she said.
With about 250 associates, Kohler’s Spartanburg Plant manufactures plumbing fixtures for bathroom and kitchen applications. Part of a global company, Kohler Company is still a family-owned business with a family feel – something unique among today’s manufacturers, Loretta says.
When not at work, Loretta enjoys spending time traveling, hiking and boating with her family and their dog. Her two sons both attend The Citadel.
She also finds time to volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America Troop 5 Committee, HALTER Therapeutic Horseback Riding program in Spartanburg and St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church.
Warren Snead | July 2021
Warren Snead
Foundation Board Member
Warren Snead’s 30-year partnership with Spartanburg Community College began when he was asked by former SCC President Henry Giles to serve on the school’s Machine Tool Advisory Committee.
As Human Resources Manager for Cooper Standard in Spartanburg and an appointee to the State Workforce Development Board by former SC Governor Nikki Haley, Warren has formed valuable business relationships over the years – an asset he brings to the board of the SCC Foundation.
“I believe that I bring many stakeholders together. Not just from my own company, but other companies and schools throughout Union, Cherokee and Spartanburg Counties,” he says.
A native of Spartanburg and a graduate of Wofford College, Warren directs an HR team at Cooper Standard that handles employee-related issues for 630 associates working at the Spartanburg plant of the international automotive parts manufacturer.
But his biggest accomplishment, he says, is being a proud father of two sons: Reece, a USC Upstate graduate who presently is enrolled in nursing school in Greenville; and Jamey, an accountant at Spartanburg Community College. He also includes daughter-in-law, MK, an accountant at the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce.
When not at work, Warren enjoys spending time with his wife, Cindy, who is principal of Cowpens Elementary School, and their Boykin Spaniel, Millie. And any excuse is a good excuse for a boat trip, he adds.
Mike Honeycutt | June 2021
Mike Honeycutt
Foundation Board Member
As the former owner of Lawson Hemphill, Mike Honeycutt recruited graduates of Spartanburg Community College for jobs in electronics and administration. Most of those students worked for the testing and quality control systems maker for more than 20 years.
Honeycutt and a business partner bought Lawson Hemphill and took it from $5 million to $10 million in revenue. The company received the Small Business Administration ‘E’ for Excellence award for exporting, and two years later received the ‘E’ Star award for continued excellence in exporting.
So, when Honeycutt was asked to join the SCC Foundation Board of Directors to assist with the Cherokee County area and SCC’s Gaffney campus, the Cherokee County native gladly accepted. He believes that advocates are needed to inform high school students that there are paths other than a four-year degree to a great job.
Honeycutt was inducted into the Cherokee County Veterans Hall of Bravery for his service in Vietnam where he was a radar/navigator flight crew member with more than 200 landings on Navy aircraft carriers. His crew was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with a ‘V’ insignia for Valor, along with two Air Medals.
Honeycutt presently is Broker-In-Charge of H & H Real Estate in Inman. He is a member of several civic organizations, raises money for the cancer associations in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, and is the author the book, Prostate Cancer, Living With It, Living Without It.
Joe Landsverk| May 2021
Joe Landsverk
Foundation Board Member
Joe Landsverk joined the SCC Foundation board in June 2020, thinking it would be a good fit. Since then, he has used his strong data analytic skills and creative problem-solving capabilities as a member of the board’s Strategic Planning Committee.
Landsverk is Supervisor of Operations for Colonial Pipeline Company in Belton where he is responsible for the safe and environmentally conscious operations of the petroleum pipeline and its distribution hubs from Athens GA to Greenville SC and over to the coast. Alpharetta, GA-based Colonial Pipeline is the largest refined products pipeline in the United States, transporting more than 100 million gallons of fuel each day to meet the energy needs of consumers from Houston, Texas to the New York Harbor.
A resident of Greer in Spartanburg County, Joe believes in the strong need for technical/community college institutions to help bridge the skills gap in local communities. He says that serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and completing an MBA from Clemson University are his biggest accomplishments.
Joe is an active member of the Arcanum Masonic Lodge and he has served on the board of the Rite Care Center, a clinic offering speech pathology services to children in need at no cost to their families.
When not working, Joe enjoys hiking, Cross Fit and spending time with his three children.
Dana Wood| April 2021
Dana Wood
Foundation Board Member
First-year board member Dana Wood says serving on the SCC Foundation Board of Directors allows her to connect with the community in a more strategic way.
As Associate Director of the Upstate Workforce Board, Dana has responsibilities that include direct oversight to the SC Works Greater Upstate system, data tracking, liaison with the state, technical assistance and training.
Her 15 years of experience, serving in multiple roles, has given her a front row seat to the needs of area employers and job seekers in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties.
“Our local board serve as the connector between the U.S. Department of Labor WIOA funding and SC Works Greater Upstate, which delivers services to job seekers and employers,” Dana explained. “One of our main roles is to set funding priorities for our area to ensure we are meeting the employer’s needs.”
A native and resident of Boiling Springs, Dana says her biggest accomplishment is in her personal life where she has successfully transitioned to single mom status while working full time and going back to college.
She spends her leisure time with her two boys, seven-year-old Tyson and five-year-old Drew, who are active in multiple sports. Their main sport is rodeo where both participate in mutton busting and goat dogging.
Pamela Garner Sloss | March 2021
Pamela Garner Sloss
Foundation Board Member
Pamela Garner Sloss is the library media specialist and an adult education teacher at Tyger River Correctional, a medium-level facility in Enoree that houses approximately 950 male inmates. She oversees all library activities and teaches students pursuing their GEDs and high school diplomas prior to their reentry into the community.
It’s that career experience and passion for education that made Pamela want to be a member of the SCC Foundation Board of Directors.
“I try to use my background and experiences to provide constructive input and ideas to help advance the mission and efforts of the SCC Foundation,” she says.
A native of Union, Pamela found her way back to her hometown after living in Spartanburg, Columbia and Irmo. She says her biggest career accomplishment is stretching nothing into something.
“Budgets have been very tight in state agencies,” she says. “I am proud to have been awarded at least one grant each of the last four school years.”
Pamela spends her leisure time traveling with friends and family, making beaded jewelry and loving on her new granddaughter, Zoey Brielle. The daughter of Robert and Emma Garner of Union, Pamela has one daughter, Briana Starks, a counselor at Summerville High School. She will gain a son in July when her daughter marries Rashid Boone.
In addition to her role on the SCC Foundation Board, Pamela has served on the Union City Council since 2014. She also is a board member for Carolina Community Action and serves on the Union Vision Council for the United Way of the Piedmont.
Dr. Natashia Jeter | February 2021
Dr. Natashia Jeter
Foundation Board Member
Dr. Natashia Jeter joined the SCC Foundation board in the summer of 2020 and believes she already has been able to make a difference for the Union community.
“I’ve been able to donate for scholarships, work with great people, and speak of SCC in the community,” she says.
Originally from Union, Dr. Jeter moved away for 20 years, returning to her hometown nine years ago. Presently, she is a physician with Union Medical Center OB/GYN, a division of Spartanburg Regional Health System (SRHS).
Becoming a successful and compassionate physician while raising a caring and intelligent daughter who is a senior in high school are her greatest accomplishments, Dr. Jeter says.
When not at work, Dr. Jeter enjoys reading, cooking, singing, shopping and traveling. She also volunteers as a high school and medical student mentor and at community health fairs. She is a member of the physician leadership team at SRHS and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Heather Philo | January 2021
Heather PhiloFoundation Board Member
Heather Philo spent 19 years in public education, winning the Tift County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Award for 2010-2011.
Now a corporate trainer, Heather seeks to make an impact on those looking to grow their careers as leaders in their field. And as a member of the SCC Foundation Board of Directors, she wants to raise the awareness of the work the SCC Foundation does to help its students develop and grow careers.
“As my tenure with the board grows, I hope to be able to impact the awareness to the public for the Foundation and the great things it does to serve the SCC students and staff,” said Heather, a member of the board’s marketing committee.
A native of North Carolina, Heather presently serves as Training Manager at American Credit Acceptance in Spartanburg, an auto financing company that strives to provide the emerging credit consumer with reliable and affordable transportation. ACA has approximately 1,000 associates in Spartanburg, SC, Atlanta, GA, Albuquerque, NM and Boise, ID.
She says her greatest accomplishment personally is raising three daughters to be strong contributing members of the community. Professionally, she points to her ability to successfully shift her career from public education to the corporate world.
Heather says she spends her time away from work keeping up with her children’s activities, namely travel softball with her youngest daughter. Reading and being at the beach – any beach – are her favorite ways to unwind.
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2020 Spotlights
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Dr. James W. Sanders, Jr | December 2020
- Dr. J.W. Sanders, Jr.
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- Foundation Board Member
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Addressing the concerns of his community is a 24/7 job for Dr. James W. Sanders Jr., senior minister of Bethel Baptist Church in Gaffney. And his role as a member of the SCC Foundation Board of Directors gives him a unique perspective on opportunities available to community members at SCC’s Cherokee Campus.
“My involvement with the SCC Foundation allows me to share with others the mission of the foundation and how it greatly benefits students in our community and the community as a whole,” says Dr. Sanders, who is now in his second term as a member of the board.
A native of Gaffney, Dr. Sanders succeeded his father, the late Dr. J.W. Sanders Sr., who served 61 1/2 years as senior minister at Bethel Baptist Church.
Dr. Sanders says his biggest accomplishment is succeeding his father and continuing the work of providing the community with diverse ministries that tackle issues facing the Gaffney area as a whole.
“My duties include caring and loving members of the church and community through Christian Education enhancement, counseling, preaching and visitations,” Dr. Sanders said. “It’s a 24/7 ministry.”
While his ministry is full time. Dr. Sanders also is involved in community service organizations including Cherokee County First Steps and Cherokee County Coalition and serves as chaplain for Gamma Kappa Kappa Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
He is a faculty member for the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education U.S.A., Inc. and Assistant Director General of the South Carolina Baptist Congress of Christian Education. And when time permits, he enjoys watching a variety of sports, learning golf and traveling.
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Ottilia Scanlon | November 2020
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Rich Gibson | October 2020
Rich Gibson
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Andrena Powell-Baker | September 2020
Andrena Powell-BakerFoundation Board Member
Andrena Powell-Baker understands economic development and the role it plays in education, employment and overall community development.
As Senior Manager for Community Relations and Development at Lockhart Power Company and Ni Pacolet Milliken Utilities, Powell-Baker brings relationships in business, industry, and local and state government to help support the mission of the SCC Foundation
Impressed by the level of financial support that the SCC Foundation provides Spartanburg Community College students, Powell-Baker joined the SCC Foundation board in 2019.
“I was inspired by the level of financial support through scholarships that the Foundation provides for students attending SCC,” Powell-Baker says. “The Economic Visionaries awards was also something that I felt was an important component of the Foundation’s function, highlighting companies in SCC’s three-county service area who have made an impact on their communities.”
Lockhart Power, which provides electric service for Union, Cherokee, Chester, Spartanburg and York counties, was recognized as an SCC Economic Visionary in 2019 for its contributions to the community, as Powell-Baker was leading the charge as chair of the Union County Development Board and president of the South Carolina Economic Developers Association.
“I’m proud to have led Union County’s economic development team for seven years,” Powell-Baker said. “During that time, successful planning and negotiating led to the recruitment of five new industrial companies; five existing industry expansions; one industrial machining services expansion; completion of water and sewer infrastructure serving Trakas Industrial Park; extension of the access road in Midway Green Industrial Park; and awards of nearly $3 million dollars in grant funds for economic development.”
When not working to attract new investment to the Upstate, Powell-Baker enjoys gardening, traveling with friends, winery hopping, and most of all spending time with her parents, her husband, Joseph., and daughter, Taylor Marie.
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John Robbins | August 2020
John N. Robbins- Foundation Board Member
A native and resident of Union County, John N. Robbins plays an advocacy role on the Spartanburg Community College Foundation Board of Directors.Service on the SCC Foundation board is an opportunity to represent and support an area of the Upstate where SCC operates a campus offering technical training for many of SCC’s certificate, diploma and degree programs.
“Serving on the SCC Foundation board allows me to provide feedback and input for Union County,” he says.
Robbins is Human Resources Manager at The Timken Company’s Tyger River Plant, which employs 300 Union County workers. He says his biggest accomplishment was his participation in Tyger River’s restructuring project that helped the Upstate SC plant achieve efficiency and cost competitiveness in a global market.
A global industrial leader with a growing portfolio of engineered bearings and power transmission product brands, The Timken Company employs 18,000 worldwide.
When not working, Robbins enjoys time with his family, hunting and classic automobiles. He also volunteers his time with United Way and the Boy Scouts.
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Kathy Sinclair | July 2020
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Kathy Sinclair
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Foundation Board Chair
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As Vice President, Human Resources at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Kathy Sinclair sees the value of Spartanburg Community College Foundation up close.
“My organization has always had a strong relationship with SCC as students join the hospital after attaining education and certifications,” Sinclair says. “I realized the value that the Foundation provides to support the College and I wanted to participate in those efforts.”
Now in her sixth year as a member of the SCC Foundation Board of Directors and recently voted Board Chair, Sinclair has been involved in strategic and financial planning, as well as improved marketing of the Foundation and its major events.
Supporting the SCC Foundation mission of generating resources to assist SCC students, faculty and staff is something Sinclair takes earnestly and enthusiastically. With more than 9,500 associates across Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System looks to SCC and its programs of study to help staff four hospitals, post-acute services, nursing home facilities and more than 100 physician practices.
“The key is to raise funding to support student education,” says Sinclair, a Spartanburg native.
With responsibility for employee recruitment and relations, organization development and education, compensation and benefits, employee diversity and inclusion and the system’s child development center, Sinclair sees her biggest accomplishment as taking an active role in implementing myriad projects to improve and maintain the culture of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.
When not at work, Sinclair enjoys gardening, camping and boating with friends. She is married with two sons.
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Grant Burns | June 2020
Grant Burns
Foundation Board Past Chair
As Vice President and General Council at AFL, a global fiber optics manufacturer employing more than 1,000 people in Spartanburg County, Grant Burns knows firsthand the value of Spartanburg Community College and its Foundation.
“As state budgets come and go each year, the trend has been for higher education institutions to look increasingly to private support to continue to grow and prosper,” Burns said. “A strong foundation is crucial to developing such support.”
At AFL, Burns’ responsibilities include legal, compliance, international trade, government relations and human resources. His company’s reliance on area workforce development led him to join the SCC Foundation board in 2015.
“I had previous experience in higher education boards and with my company’s dependence on SCC for a strong workforce, I was excited to get involved,” he said.
Since joining the SCC Foundation board, Burns has been involved in recruiting board members and staff for the foundation and recently served on the search committee for SCC’s next president.
Away from work, Burns is a casual golfer and enjoys reading and writing. He has authored two local history books. He is married to Julia Leonard Burns and the couple have two grown sons.
Linda Hannon | May 2020
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Linda Hannon -
Foundation Board Past Chair
As district manager for one of the Upstate’s major employers, Linda Hannon gets a firsthand look at the workforce gaps in our community. That’s why she wanted to serve on the Spartanburg Community College Foundation Board of Directors.
“Spartanburg Community College plays a vital role in working closely with businesses and industry to determine workforce needs and works to help fill those gaps,” said Hannon, who oversees government and community relations for Spartanburg and Greenville counties as district manager for Duke Energy.
The SCC Foundation’s mission to secure innovative funding opportunities and other significant gifts to support the goals of the college is one that Hannon embraces.
“I hope my involvement supports and bolsters opportunities for students to complete their education and provide support in times of need,” she says.
A native of Greer, Hannon wanted to get more involved in the community after returning to the Upstate from the Charlotte NC area about six years ago. Now serving her fifth year on the SCC Foundation Board, Hannon presently is board chair.
Despite a considerable resume and an extensive list of community and civic involvement, Hannon cites her personal life rather than her professional one when asked about her greatest accomplishment.
“My greatest accomplishment is my family,” she says. “My husband and I have two sons that we are most proud of; Luke and Reese.”
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