College of Charleston alumna Michelle “Mitsy” Y. Mangum ’86 will be the commencement speaker at the College’s Winter Commencement ceremony on Dec. 14, 2019. Mangum is a financial advisor, retirement plan consultant and wealth management specialist at Lakeview Capital Partners in Atlanta, Georgia.
More than 400 students are expected to receive their degrees during the ceremony. Commencement begins at 2 p.m. and will be held in the College of Charleston’s TD Arena at 301 Meeting St.
In order to expedite entry and provide a safe and secure environment for our students, faculty, guests, and other visitors, the College of Charleston has implemented a Clear Bag Protocol during Commencement. Only clear bags and small clutch size purses are allowed in TD Arena.
For guests who are unable to attend the ceremony, live video of the event will be broadcast on the College’s Facebook page.
In addition to Mangum, the College of Charleston will also present an honorary degree to businessman William A. “Bill” Finn during the ceremony.
Michelle ‘Mitsy’ Mangum
Michelle “Mitsy” Y. Mangum ’86 attended the College of Charleston from 1982 to 1986. As an undergraduate, she played volleyball for the college, won divisionals, regionals and ultimately went to nationals in 1984 and 1985. She was a member of the Phi Mu Sorority and played intramural sports at the College. After graduating from the College in 1986, Mangum was the first female domestic over-the-counter trader at EF Hutton. For the next 13 years, she worked as a NASDAQ Market Maker. During that time, Mangum was a member of Women of Wall Street, Carolina Security Traders Association, Security Traders Association of New York, Inc., Georgia Securities Association and the Louisiana Traders Association.
In 1993, she joined Southcoast Capital, a boutique institutional firm, as head trader and took the trading desk from half a million in daily principal commitments to five million in daily principal commitments with 20 million in intraday liquidity in a three-year time frame. In 1999 she was named vice president of Smith Barney. Mangum was the only female financial advisor in an office of 50 producing advisors and was recognized as a member of the Blue Chip Council. In 2005, she was named vice president of Raymond James and recognized as a member of the Presidents Council.
From 2008 to 2019, Mangum was a member of the Board of Directors of Vystar Corporation in Duluth, Georgia, as well as a committee member and chair of the Audit Committee for four years. The state of Georgia only has nine public companies with women on the board of directors. In 2010, Mangum was inducted into Brookland Cayce High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame for being the first female to Letter in three sports all four years. In 2015, she joined Lakeview Capital Partners as an equity partner and managing director.
Mangum will be participating in a “Women In Finance” panel at the Sixth Annual CofC Strategic Investment Symposium in March of 2020. She is currently serving as the advisor to the Mercer University Student Managed Investment Fund and is a member of the College of Charleston’s Cistern Society.
William ‘Bill’ Finn
William A. “Bill” Finn received a bachelor’s degree in textile engineering from Philadelphia University and a master’s degree in textile engineering from the Institute of Textile Technology. He is also a graduate of the President’s Program at Harvard Business School.
Finn has been an active member of the Charleston community for over four decades. He joined the textile company Asten, Inc. in 1972, was named president and CEO in 1984 and assumed the additional position of chairman in 1994. AstenJohnson was created in 1999 as a result of the merger of two well established family businesses (Asten founded in 1885 and JWI founded in 1790) and serves the global paper and non-woven industries with engineered materials. AstenJohnson’s Corporate Headquarters have been in Charleston, South Carolina, since 1986. In 2006, Finn retired as CEO, but remained as chairman until 2018.
Finn currently serves as a director of Santee Cooper (South Carolina Public Service Authority); director of the Seaman Corporation; treasurer of the SCETV Endowment; and as chairman of the Turning Leaf Project. Finn was one of the first members of the College of Charleston’s School of Business Board of Governors, and in 2010, he became actively invested in the Schottland Scholars program, including making introductions to speakers and mentors and using his long list of contacts to find learning experiences for students. He also assisted in the restructuring of the School of Business’ Student Success Center.
Finn helped start the Charleston Regional Development Authority. He has also been active in manufacturing issues locally and statewide and is a past chairman of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance. He also served as vice chairman of the Trustees at Philadelphia University. After the merger of Philadelphia University with Thomas Jefferson University, Finn became a trustee at Thomas Jefferson University. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization and the Chief Executives Organization.
Finn received the Milliken Medal of Quality from the South Carolina Quality Forum. He also received the Trident United Way Community Builder Award and was recognized by the School of Business’ “Wall of Honor.”
Finn and his wife, Prudence, reside in Charleston.
