Furman Board of Trustees Welcomes Six New Board Members at Fall Meeting
October 6, 2014
GREENVILLE, S.C.—The Furman University Board of Trustees welcomed six new members to the board during its fall meeting Saturday.
The new trustees are John Donald Anderson of Charlotte, N.C., Christopher R. Borch of Saratoga, Calif., Sean P. Hartness of Greenville, Susan T. Shi of Greenville, William R. Timmons, III of Greenville, and Baxter M. Wynn of Greenville.
They began their terms July 1, and Hartness, Timmons and Wynn have served previous terms on the board.
The bios for the new trustees are below. The bios for all of Furman’s trustees can be found here.
John Donald Anderson, who graduated from Furman in 1966 with a degree in business administration, was employed with Columbia Beauty Supply for 41 years. He was president and owner of the company until it was sold to L’Oreal in 2008. He is currently the owner of Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology, Inc. In addition to serving as chairman of Finance Committee for the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center, he has sponsored a research study for bladder cancer at Levine Cancer Center in Charlotte, N.C., and a research fellowship for Breast Cancer at the City of Hope in Durant, Calif.
Christopher Reid Borch graduated from Furman in 1978 and obtained an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He ran cross country and track at Furman, which led him and his wife, Andrea, to found the Blue Shoes Endowed Scholarship Fund for Cross Country and Track and Field. He is also a director of the United States Track and Field Federation Foundation. Borch, who founded Micro-Mechanics in 1983, has more than 30 years of engineering, manufacturing and management experience in the semiconductor industry, including seventeen years living and working in Asia.
Sean P. Hartness is Vice President of Hartness International, one of the world’s most innovative and best known packaging companies. A Greenville native and resident, he is also involved with real estate development throughout the state. He is a 1992 graduate of the University of South Carolina. He is a board member of the Greenville County Museum of Art and United Way of Greenville, and is a past board member of the Peace Center for Performing Arts and the Community Foundation of Greenville, Inc. He has served on the Furman Advisory Council and has been a member of the President’s Club, Trustees Circle, Richard Furman Society, Paladin Club and Founders Circle.
Susan Thomson Shi graduated from Furman in 1971 with a degree in history. She earned a master’s degree in education from Furman and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shi worked for 12 years as an educator and administrator, mostly in the North Carolina public schools. She returned to Greenville in 1993 and spent 16 years (1994-2010) serving as Furman’s First Lady in partnership with President David Shi. She received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Furman in 2010. An active civic and community volunteer, especially in the area of education, Shi chaired the boards of Greenville’s Public Education Partners, the Community Foundation, United Way and Success by 6.
William R. Timmons, III is Senior Vice President of Investments at the Canal Insurance Company of Greenville. He also serves in the management of several family owned enterprises that purchase, develop and manage real estate and invest in capital markets. He is President of Timber-Lands LP and Lullwater Syndicate, Inc., both privately held real estate companies. He is member of numerous boards, including serving as Chair of the Board for the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
Baxter M. Wynn is minister of Pastoral Care and Community Relations at First Baptist Church of Greenville. A graduate of Wofford College, he holds M.A. degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Wake Forest, and a doctorate in ministry from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a recipient of the Urban League’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of his role in the community-wide effort to adopt a Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in Greenville County. He has also been active in the United Way of Greenville County, previously serving as Campaign Chairman and Board Chairman.
The new Furman trustees began their terms on July 1. From left to right, they are Rick Timmons, Susan Shi, Chris Borch, Don Anderson, Baxter Wynn and Sean Hartness
For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.
