Former College of Charleston president P. George Benson has been honored with the 2015 Outstanding Directors Award in the public company category by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the National Association of Corporate Directors.
George Benson
Benson was celebrated at the third annual Outstanding Directors Awards dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, in Atlanta, Ga. for his significant contributions to Georgia-based Primerica Inc., one of the largest financial services marketing firms in North America.
Peter Schneider, president of Primerica Inc., nominated Benson, who was one of eight honorees selected by a panel of judges from the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
In its third year, the 2015 Outstanding Directors Awards honors directors whose service to corporate boards has been exceptional. The winners are profiled in the December 4 issue of the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Benson was elected to the Primerica board and appointed chair of the corporate governance committee in 2010, and became lead director in February 2014.
Schneider credited Benson with helping to shape the direction of the company using his expertise in corporate governance, decision theory, strategic planning, and quality management. Chief among his successes was the oversight of a complex, but very successful CEO succession that involved replacing two long-serving co-CEOs with one internal candidate. The complexities included gaining the support of investors, 100,000 sales representatives, and 2,000 employees.
“We’ve always known George to be a brilliant strategist, and it’s great to see his talents recognized by Primerica and this Outstanding Directors Award,” said Alan Shao, dean of the School of Business.
“Being an academician, a business practitioner, and a resident in both Georgia and South Carolina, one of my major goals has been to contribute to the economic growth and prosperity of our southeastern megalopolis, of which Atlanta is the hub,” said Benson. “Receiving this award from two important Atlanta organizations – the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the National Association of Corporate Directors – encourages me to redouble my economic development efforts.”
Benson served as president of the College of Charleston from 2007 to 2014 and helped expand undergraduate and graduate programs by establishing more than 30 new or revised degree and certificate programs. Most significantly, he launched the School of Business’ long sought-after one-year global MBA program in 2010.
He currently teaches business statistics at the School of Business. Previously, he served as dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business from 1998 to 2007 and as dean of the Rutgers Business School at Rutgers University from 1993 to 1998. He was a professor of decision sciences at the University of Minnesota from 1977 to 1993.
Benson is a native of Lewisburg, Pa. and holds a Ph.D. in business from the University of Florida and a B.S. in mathematics from Bucknell University. Besides Primerica, he is on the Boards of Directors of AGCO Corporation (Duluth, Ga.), Crawford & Company (Atlanta, Ga.), NBSC (Columbia, S.C.), and is Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
