Board of Directors & Advisory Council

Upstate Forever's Board Diversity Statement

Upstate Forever recognizes and embraces the benefits of having a diverse board of directors. The board sees increasing diversity at the board level as an essential element in supporting the attainment of its strategic plan. Diversity factors including (but not limited to) gender, race, age, cultural background, skills, geography of residence or employment, and professional experience are of importance in board development. All board appointments are based on meritocracy, and candidates are considered against objective criteria, having due regard for the benefits of diversity on the board.

Advisory Council

Dr. Robert Becker

Director, Strom Thurmond Institute, Clemson University

Dr. Juan A. Brown

Retired physician and community leader, Anderson, SC

Dan Burden

Executive Director, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute

John Frampton

Former Director, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Vince Graham

Founder and President, I’On Group

George Dean Johnson, Jr.

Founder and Chairman, Johnson Development Associates

John Knott

President and Co-founder, Noisette Company

John Lane 

Professor of English and Director of Glendale Shoals Environmental Studies Center, Wofford College

Dr. Drew Lanham 

Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson University

Patrick McMillan

Host, SCETV’s Expeditions with Patrick McMillan and Curator, Campbell Museum of Natural History, Clemson University

Scott Montgomery

CEO, Southern Mulch Company

Nell Newman

Co-founder and President, Newman’s Own Organics

Mike Nicklas

Principal, Innovative Design

Carlton Owen

US Endowment for Forestry & Communities

LEON PATTERSON

Retired President of The Palmetto Bank

Sue Priester

President, The Priester Foundation

Dick Riley

Former South Carolina Governor and Former US Secretary of Education

Dr. David E. Shi 

Former President, Furman University

Gus Speth 

Dean, Vermont Law School

Neal Workman

Chairman, Trehel Corporation