Converse announces new 2024-2025 Trustees

Converse University welcomed six new members to its esteemed Board of Trustees:

• Valerie Dowling ’07, Ex Oficio, Director of the Women’s Democracy Network
• Shannon Givens Jaynes ’93, Community advocate and retired personal assistant
• James “Jay” D. Lynch, President and Board Member of Morgan Corp.
• R. Lynn Pettus ’90, Former Tax Partner at Ernst & Young
• Michel Smoak Stone ’99, Educator, author, and community volunteer
• Sandra Beason Watson ’79, Community advocate and retired chemist

Valerie Dowling ’07 of Alexandria, VA, has worked in the political process from grassroots campaigns to the White House. In 2016, she joined the International Republican Institute as Director of the Women’s Democracy Network where she will continue to work to increase women’s political participation, leadership and representation in elected office globally. In her previous role, Valerie worked at the Republican National Committee in the Office of the Co-Chairman as the Director of Women’s Programs and was focused on creating programming to engage more women in the Republican Party. Previously, she served as the Pennsylvania Coalitions Director with the Romney for President Campaign where she directed community outreach and volunteer engagement. Valerie also served as the Political Director for the National Federation of Republican Women where she developed and managed their national political programming. Prior to this position, Valerie worked in the Bush Administration in Mrs. Bush’s Projects and Policy Office, Presidential Correspondence and Intergovernmental Affairs. Valerie has worked on several state and federal campaigns in the state of South Carolina. She is a proud graduate of Converse and has also been a member of the Converse Alumni Board, Board of Directors for Women’s Public Leadership Network and an alumni of the American Council of Young Political Leaders.

Shannon Givens Jaynes ’93 of Brookhaven, GA, graduated from Converse in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in religion. During her time as a student at Converse, she was on the May Court in 1990, 1992, and 1993. She has served as a member of the Alumni Board and previously held the position of Class Giving Chair. She also served as a Co-Class Fund Chair and as a Reunion Class Co-Chair. She is currently serving as her class representative for the Class of 1993. After graduating from Converse, Givens Jaynes worked as an assistant to the CFO of Courthouse Data, Inc., for several years before becoming the owner of The 25th Hour, Inc., a small personal assistant business, in 1996. After the business was dissolved in 2000, she became a full-time stay-at-home mom to her and Richard’s two sons, Lewis and Patton. While her sons were in school, she served in various volunteer roles at St Martin’s Episcopal School and Marist School. Throughout the years, her volunteer activities have included running for the NYC Marathon and the Vancouver Marathon to raise money for The Leukemia Society, managing the Converse Club of Atlanta, volunteering for The Open Door Community, and serving as a Youth Group Advisor for Covenant Presbyterian Church.

James “Jay” D. Lynch of Charlotte, NC, is the current President and Board Member of Morgan Corp., a heavy civil construction firm based in Spartanburg. With more than 900 employees and four regional offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, he oversees all the companies’ operations. In addition, he serves on the board of Palmetto Rock Services, a regional drilling and blasting company also based in Spartanburg. Lynch serves as an elder at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC, where he chairs the Administrative Department Committee as well as the Human Resources Committee. He is a 1989 graduate of Wofford College, and his wife, Susan Williams Lynch, is a 1989 Converse graduate.

R. Lynn Pettus, ’90 of Highlands, NC, is a CPA, Personal Financial Specialist (AICPA designation), Certified Investment Management Analyst and Registered Investment Advisor.  She is a former Tax Partner at EY in Charlotte, NC, having worked there from 1997 until her retirement in June 2023.She graduated cum laude from Converse in 1990 with a BA in accounting and a minor in music (oboe); her mother and sister are also Converse graduates. She has served as a Class Representative and received a Converse 125 Award in 2014. Her work focused on consulting with large private and public sector employers in the strategic development of financial education and counseling programs focused on employee benefit plans. Pettus has presented across the country, been quoted in general media (e.g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal), and has co-authored articles for professional journals in her areas of expertise: corporate business, executive leadership, and financial planning and analysis. She has actively supported women’s initiatives through her involvement with executive inclusiveness councils and professional women’s networks. She has and continues to serve on the boards of local charitable organizations. As an avid runner, she has coached for Girls on the Run, and completed domestic and international marathons while enjoying travel with family and friends.

Michel Smoak Stone ’99 of Spartanburg, SC, is an educator, community volunteer, and the author of the critically acclaimed novels Border Child (Doubleday/Anchor, 2017) and The Iguana Tree (Hub City Press, 2012). She is the winner of the Mary Frances Hobson Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters, the Patricia Winn Award for Southern Literature, and the South Carolina Fiction Award. Stone has published numerous stories and essays and her novels have been favorably reviewed by The San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Charlotte Observer, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and many others. She holds a BA in English from Clemson University and an MEd from Converse. She is a past board chair of the Hub City Writers Project and has served on Spartanburg Regional Foundation’s Cancer Board, the Clemson University Humanities Advancement Board, the President’s Advisory Council for Wofford College, and the Board of the Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands Council. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Spartanburg Day School, where she chairs the Committee on Trustees and Governance. She is a Ucross Fellow, A Spartanburg Regional Fellow, a Liberty Fellow, and a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and has been awarded several residencies.

Sandra Beason Watson ’79 of Inman, SC, received a BA degree in chemistry from Converse in 1979 and later attended the Medical University of South Carolina, where she studied pharmacy. She retired as Manager of Environmental Affairs and Data Management at Southern Wood Piedmont Company in Spartanburg, SC, where she worked for 29 years. Beason Watson was active on campus as a student and has continued her service to Converse as an alumna. She has employed multiple Converse chemistry/biology students; contributed lab equipment, chemicals, and funds to the chemistry and biology departments from Southern Wood Piedmont; and has spoken to students at several Career Services programs. She received the Career Achievement Award in 1991. In 2002, she and her husband, Lawyer, founded Life With Jesus Ministries, Inc., and in 2007, they began Life’s Resource Center, a 501-C3 Spartanburg County Community Development Center (CDC). Beason Watson remains very involved at Life With Jesus Ministries, including serving on the Praise Team, Board of Directors, and Ministerial Alliance, as well as being a Sunday School teacher and Women’s Ministry leader. She is a past board member of Child Evangelism Fellowship, Grassroots Leadership Development Institute Alumni Association Planning Committee, Spartanburg Citizens Academy Alumni, Spartanburg County Foundation’s Grants Review Committee, and McCarthy Teszler School Improvement Council, and she was nominated as a Trailblazer with Spartanburg County Foundation.

Continuing Service

The following Trustees are serving a second term:

• Emily Jones Rushing ’73
• Karla Jones ’85
• David N. Smart

Departing Trustees

Converse University and its Board of Trustees extend a heartfelt thank you to the following members who have departed from the Board:

• Sandra “Sandy” Hartnett ’75
• Padricia Hopkins ’85
• Amy Tibbals Morales ’86
• Tina Rohner ’07

These members, who will join the vaulted ranks of our Trustees Emeritus, have served Converse with distinction. The campus community will remain forever grateful for the vision and passion that they have selflessly shared with Converse University.

About Converse University

Converse University empowers students to become transformative leaders who see clearly, decide wisely, and act justly. Converse was founded in 1889 by citizens of Spartanburg, SC, who aimed to create an educational experience for women, and in fall 2020 it welcomed its first undergraduate co-educational incoming class. The University encompasses the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the School of Business & Data Science, the School of the Arts, The School of Education, The Graduate School, and the Converse College for Women. Converse students experience deep scholarship, transformative mentorship, experiential learning, and wonderful support for and belief in each other. Through this unique formula, Converse is a creator of opportunity for its students through a personalized education that also includes the professional and technical skills graduates need to be successful in their careers. For more information, visit www.converse.edu.