Serving on the College of Charleston Foundation Board of Directors requires dedication to and a passion for the College. The 38 voting directors and three non-voting fellows of the Foundation board promote the College’s programs of education, research, student development and faculty development. They also steward the Foundation’s endowment and assets; since its inception in 1970, Foundation board directors have collectively committed $52 million in philanthropic support. Today’s endowment balance is estimated at $128 million, an increase of $56 million since 2014.
By serving on the Foundation board, directors see firsthand how donor dollars impact the College, its students and its faculty. They see the enormous return on their investment of both their time and money. This can certainly be said of the returning board members who agreed to serve a second four-year term starting July 1, 2023: Johnnie Baxley III ’92, Mark Buono ’81, Charles Mosteller ’81 and Robbie Freeman ’78. Friend of the College, John Carter, will serve his third and last term.
The Foundation board also voted to welcome the following five new members to serve their first term, July 1, 2023–June 30, 2027.
Sabra Horne ’97
Sabra Horne ’97: An English major who served on the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Council and is a member of the President’s Society, Sabra Horne spoke at the College’s winter commencement in 2018 and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Horne is the entrepreneur-in-residence for BMNT, a government innovation consultancy, following a 15-year career in national security, including chief of the Innovation Hub for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, deputy director for information sharing at the National Security Agency and senior advisor at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Prior to her government experience, Horne had an 18-year career in academic publishing.
Steve Osborne ’73
Steve Osborne ’73, past parent ’06: A political science major, Steve Osborne was executive vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at the College from 2006 to 2017. He also served as senior advisor for former College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell ’69 before assuming the role of interim president of the College from 2018 until his retirement in 2019. In addition to an M.P.A. from Western Kentucky University and an MBA from the University of South Carolina, Osborne received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the College. Osborne is current chair of the Friends of the Library Board and served on the College’s Boundless Campaign Steering Committee.
Bill Penney ’89
William J. “Bill” Penney Jr. ’89, past parent ’22: A political science major, Bill Penney is the agency principal and owner of The Penney Agency: Allstate Insurance, which is a full-service property and casualty/financial services provider. During his more than 29 years in the business, Penney has grown his agency to be one of the largest Allstate Insurance agencies in the Philadelphia suburbs. At the College, Penney has organized multiple fundraising events for the Francis J. Morrissey, III Memorial Award in honor of his longtime friend and CofC Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother who died in October of 1987. The largest Greek endowment at the College, the award supports the participation of multiple undergraduate SAE members in their annual Leadership School. Penney has also served on the College’s Parent Advisory Council and as the COVID-19 Back on the Bricks parent representative.
Brady Quirk-Garvan ’08
Brady Quirk-Garvan ’08: A political science major and past member of the Alumni Association Board, Brady Quirk-Garvan works for Natural Investments, a high impact ESG investment firm with more than $2 billion in assets under management. He serves as chair of the Palmetto Project Board of Directors and is treasurer of Green America, based in Washington, D.C. Quirk-Garvan has been actively involved in politics in South Carolina, including a five-year stint as chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party and was a founding member of Emerge SC. Quirk-Garvan serves on the board of Kachuwa Impact Fund and of As You Know, an ESG rating firm. He was selected to participate in the inaugural class of Policy Leaders by US SIF, the largest trade organization in the U.S., which focuses on sustainable and responsible investments. In 2017, Charleston Regional Business Journal selected Quirk-Garvan as one of its Forty Under 40.
Richard Salmons Jr. (photo by Gayle Brooker Photography)
Richard W. Salmons Jr., past parent ’11 and ’24: A native of Charleston, Richard Salmons Jr. is president and CEO of Salmons Dredging Corporation, a marine construction company that also provides commercial diving and marine services in the southeastern United States. The graduate of Washington and Lee University is active in community affairs. He served as president of the board of trustees of the Historic Charleston Foundation, chairman of the board of the Charleston Orphan House Inc., chairman of the board of commissioners of Pilotage Port of Charleston and past president of the board of directors of Maritime Association of South Carolina. Salmons also served on the board of trustees of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and the Preservation Society of Charleston and as director of the Bank of Charleston, First Federal Savings & Loan and South State Bank. He is a former trustee of St. James School and a former senior warden of St. Michael’s Church.
