SCCF Board of Directors
Howell Adams
Board Member, Emeritus
Howell, splits his time between Beersheba Springs and Atlanta. He has been actively involved in the community, including support for the Beersheba Medical Clinic, the Methodist Assembly, and Grace Chapel United Methodist Church, and as a founder and member of the Grundy County Rotary.
Mary Babson
Board Member
Mary Babson, originally from Denver, Colorado, is a retired businesswoman from Chicago. She now splits her time between Sewanee and Missoula, Montana. Mary is committed to community service and has served in leadership positions for a number of nonprofit boards in Denver, Chicago, and Missoula. She has also served a six-year term on the board of regents of the University of the South.
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Julie Keel
Community Development Committee Chair
Julie Keel has made Grundy County her home for the past 15 years serving in various capacities with Mountain T.O.P., a housing nonprofit. During her tenure, she has brought Mountain T.O.P. into connection with other social service agencies. Her passion for the intersection of housing affordability and community development is fueled by the inspiring people and places of this little pocket of Appalachia. With more than 20 years of experience with nonprofits, Julie holds a certification in Nonprofit Leadership from the Center for Nonprofit Management and is currently working on a Doctorate of Ministry in Organizational Leadership.
Marguerite Lloyd
Chair
Marguerite Lloyd brings a combination of nonprofit management, legal, and executive search experience to SCCF. She began her career as an upper school teacher with a Master's in English, and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Virginia. Marguerite's practice of law includes a position as general counselor for the University of the South, and she currently serves as a senior consultant with the executive search firm of Carney, Sandoe and Associates, where her work focuses on retained head of school and key administrator searches.
Jay Fisher
Development Committee Chair
Jay Fisher is currently employed as Secretary to the University and Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor. In that role he supports the Board of Regents and serves as Secretary to the Board of Trustees. Prior to this role he served as Vice-President for University Relations, managing fundraising, alumni and parent relations and marketing and communications. Jay serves on the boards of St Andrew’s Sewanee School, Housing Sewanee, and BetterFi. He also will be serving on the vestry of St. Mark’s and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Jay and his wife, Laurie, have four grown sons and two granddaughters.
Lee Limbird
Board Member
Lee E. Limbird, PhD has spent her professional careeer as a scientist, teacher, and life-long learner. After 25 years on the faculty and in academic leadership at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, she retired to continue her passion assuring that those currently minoritized in society are nonetheless prepared for a future of service and leadership by joining the faculty at Meharry Medical College and, now, at Fisk University. Her ties to Nashville, though they no longer have a home there, include serving on the Tennessee Coalition for Health Science and BioSTEM Education. On the mountain, Lee - with her husband, Tom- enjoys the beauty of the surroundings, the warmth of friends and neighbors, the fun of pickleball, playing with clay making sculpture and garden pots, and trying to create a garden deer don’t enjoy first. Though she and Tom have only lived here full-time since 2017, the welcoming culture of the Mountain has made possible their engaging in outreach that enhances opportunities for those diminished by circumstances outside of their control—like the South Cumberland Health Network and the Food Ministry at Morton Memorial Church.
Ty Burnette
Treasurer
Ty Burnette grew up in Marion County and attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville receiving a B.S. in Zoology and a M.S. in Recreation and Leisure Sciences. He worked in management for several years in the outdoor recreation industry eventually finding his way to Clifftops where he has served as manager for the past 15 years. Ty has lived in Monteagle for 20 years with his wife Melissa. Ty’s daughter, Riley, is now serving in an Americorps position with Growing Roots.
Carol Titus
Board Member
Carol recently retired as Senior V. P. at Pinnacle Bank in Nashville after more than 30 years in the banking industry. A graduate of University of the South, Carol also holds an MBA from Loyola and has studied at Oxford University. Her current board and committee volunteer activities include Ascension St. Thomas, St. Thomas Foundation, Neighborhood Health, The Tennessee Kidney Foundation, and Alive Hospice. She is a founding board member of The New Beginnings Center, a nonprofit focused on health, nutrition, exercise, and life coaching for low income women. Carol was awarded “Volunteer of the Year” by TNBC in 2016.
Rick Wright
Board Member
Executive chef, food activist, culinary educator - Rick is currently the Director of Dining for the University of the South in Sewanee. Prior to that he was executive chef for the University, and transitioned its dining program to a self-operated in-house establishment. He is the partner of Gina B. Wright and proud father of Chloe and Hannah Wright.
Chef Rick has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 44 years, has an associate of arts degree from Big Sandy Technical College, attended the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University, and is a veteran of the Tennessee Army National Guard.
Rick is an active member of American Culinary Federation, The Chef and Child Foundation, program manager of South Cumberland Feeding Program, and a voting delegate of the National Association of College and Universities Food Services. He also serves as an educator and culinary judge for Tennessee ProStart, a high school culinary program, and is one of the founding directors of the Cumberland Plateau Regional Food Hub and the South Cumberland Feeding Program.
Rick has served or currently serves on the advisory boards of:
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VOLLRATH
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General Mills
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Tennessee Department of Agriculture - PIC Tennessee
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Beyond Beauty - The Opportunities and Challenges of Cosmetically Imperfect Produce
Nicky Hamilton
Board Member
Known for her many contributions to the University of the South, Nicky has spent almost 20 years working in higher education and local community development. At Sewanee she has held the positions of assistant director of admissions, director of residential life and of community development, and assistant vice president of government and strategic partnerships. She created the University's Philanthropy Internship course and co-created the Intergroup Dialogue Course and 213-A Leaders Program. Nicky was instrumental in both the establishment and development of Sewanee’s Office of Civic Engagement and the South Cumberland Community Fund's Community Development program. She is a founding board member of Betterfi and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Tennessee Regional Hospital System Winchester/Sewanee. Nicky holds a BA in Psychology from the University of the South where she was a Desmond Tutu Scholar and a Master of Public Service (MPS) from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff in Sewanee's Office of the Vice-Chancellor and
President.
Betty Carpenter
Grants Committee Chair
Betty is a native of Louisiana and has made Sewanee her home for the past 30 years. She lives in the woods with her dog, Mike, and wouldn't think of living any other place. Betty’s initial reason for coming to the Mountain was the opportunity to develop programs for children in the school system and the Church. One of the programs Betty created is NatureQuest, which introduced hundreds of kids to all the Mountain has to offer: waterfalls, hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, and caving. Other programs include Fire on the Mountain, an Episcopal youth group; and Sons and Daughters of Abraham (SADA), a program that brings together Christian, Jewish, and Muslim youth to gain a deeper understanding of their shared faiths.
Betty had the privilege of teaching special education in the Grundy County School System for more than 20 years and was awarded “Educator of the Year” by the organization “Very Special Arts of Tennessee.” Her class at Grundy County High School was given the Community Service Award for educating others about the gifts and talents of special needs students.
Betty has served her parish church, Sewanee’s Otey Memorial, as youth minister, and for the past eight years held the position of director for Otey’s Community Action Committee (CAC), from which she retired in May to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. She is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church and currently serves at the University of the South’s All Saints Chapel as well as Otey. Betty is also a member of BAZZANIA, an “all-girls” iconic Sewanee band, and is looking forward to playing post-COVID gigs. Betty will serve on the SCCF Grants Committee.
Eddie Krenson
Vice Chair
M. Edward Krenson is a native of Nashville, TN and graduated from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN in 1976 with a degree in history. Eddie received his master’s degree in education administration, supervision, and curriculum from Purdue University in 1978 and his Ed.D. in professional educational practice from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2004. Eddie was principal of Father Ryan High School in Nashville for 12 years (1988-2000) and served as president and head of Randolph School, a K-12 independent school in Huntsville, Alabama for five years (2000-2005). In 2002 Randolph School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. Eddie served for 15 years (2005 – 2020) as vice president for Nonpublic School Services for AdvancED/Cognia, an international accreditation and school improvement corporation headquartered in Alpharetta, GA. He is a member of the Sewanee Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2013 (team) and 2016 (individual) for basketball. Eddie was a graduate of Leadership Nashville class of 2000 and Leadership Huntsville class of 2003. He lives in Monteagle, TN with his wife, Martha.
Henry Lodge
Board Member
Henry Lodge is Chairman of the Board of Lodge Manufacturing Company, which manufactures the world’s best cast iron cookware and is located in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Henry, a great-grandson of Joseph Lodge who founded the company in 1896, joined Lodge in 1972 and retired at the end of 2019.
Henry is a graduate of University of the South and Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management, and lives with his wife, Donna, on the Plateau just above South Pittsburg. Henry also serves on the board of General Bancshares, the parent company of Tower Community Bank.
Amy Patterson
Board Member, Ex officio
Amy S. Patterson is the Gustav Biehl Professor of International Affairs and Professor of Politics and director of the Office of Civic Engagement at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. She teaches courses on global health governance, African politics, and the politics of development. She has led semester programs to Ghana, helped to establish summer internship opportunities with African partners for Sewanee students, and overseen student Model UN teams for 20 years. She has worked with community organizations in her Sewanee first-year program course on global-local interactions, and in her prior teaching position at Calvin College (Michigan).
Patterson’s research has examined the role of civil society, gender, health and religion Africa. She has authored six books, including The Church and AIDS in Africa (2011), Dependent Agency in the Global Health Regime (2017), and Africa and Global Health Governance (2018). She has published in journals such as Africa Today, Journal of Modern African Studies, Canadian Journal of African Studies, African Journal of AIDS Research, Contemporary Politics, African Affairs, International Affairs, Journal of International Development, Global Public Health, Global Health Governance, Review of International Studies, and African Studies Review. She has conducted fieldwork in Senegal, Ghana, Uganda, Liberia, Tanzania, and Zambia. As a Fulbright Scholar in 2011, she examined political empowerment and social capital among members of secular and religious support groups for people living with HIV and AIDS in Zambia. In 2016, she completed research in Liberia on local responses to the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak. In 2019-2020, she taught community development at an Anglican University in Dodoma, Tanzania and conducted research on mental health policy. Her forthcoming African Urban Youth: Challenging Marginalization, Claiming Citizenship examines how youth in Africa envision citizenship. It will be published in 2023 with Cambridge University Press.
Patterson received her B.A. in political science and international affairs from Trinity University in San Antonio and her Ph.D. in political science and African studies from Indiana University-Bloomington. Before obtaining her Ph.D., Patterson was a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Senegal.
Bran Potter
Board Member
Bran Potter and his wife, Cindy Potter, residents of Sewanee, are lifelong educators. Bran taught geology at the University, enjoying field studies with students on the Cumberland Plateau, St. Catherine's Island in Georgia, and the Colorado Plateau. His Walking the Land course encompassed the coves, cliffs, and human history of our local Plateau. Folk and traditional music are
a continuing pleasure, and he is section-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Bran and Cindy were raised near the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, and with their three children and six grandchildren they reconnect regularly with family roots there.
Jenny Thomas
Secretary
Jenny recently retired from a 33-year career in education, during which she earned a BS in Elementary Education and Special Education followed by an M.Ed in School Administration and Supervision, both from MTSU. Her career with Grundy County School System included serving as a special education teacher followed by the position of Coordinator of Special Education. Later in her career she was recruited by Manchester City Schools, where she served as Behavior Consultant, Director of Special Education, and finally, Director of Federal Programs.
A lifelong resident of the Plateau, Jenny is married to Jerry Don Thomas and they have a son and two granddaughters, and make their home in Monteagle.
Rich Wyckoff
Past Chair
Rich Wyckoff, a retired executive for Burger King Corporation, in 2006 became president and COO of a 27-restaurant franchise based in Huntsville, Alabama.
A part-time resident of Monteagle since 2005, he moved to the Plateau full-time in 2014. He is a member of Morton Memorial Methodist Church, where he serves as treasurer and chaired the building committee for the church's recent addition.