Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation Board announces new executive committee and board members

The Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation (LCFBF), an independent nonprofit that provides sustainable funding to solely support Lowcountry Food Bank (LCFB), announced today the election of its Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Newly elected members of the Executive Committee of the LCFBF Board are Steve Swanson, Chair (Automated Trading Desk, Co-Founder – retired); Aime Grimes, Vice-Chair (The InterTech Group, Inc., Director of Operational Accounting,); Aaron Brewer, Treasurer (Mid-Atlantic Capital, CEO); Chris Tobin, Secretary (Flywheel Advancement, President); Erika Harrison, Chair of the Governance Committee (General Counsel for CHC Vacation Rentals, Inc.); and Mike Smith, Chair of the Development Committee (HBM Holdings, Board Advisor).

Steve Swanson, newly elected chair of Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation Board.

Rounding out the LCFBF Board of Directors are: Pat Walker, Chair Emerita (Lowcountry Food Bank, President and CEO – retired); Bob Kahle, Immediate Past Chair (Kahle Strategic Initiatives – retired); Tyler Condon (Performa, Relationship Manager); Turquoi Dorsey (IT Consultant, Director); Pooh Gephart (Community Partner & Volunteer), Brian Hubacher (Turner Padget, Senior of Counsel), Milton Irvin (UBS Investment Bank – retired), and Tom Jeffries, (Quoizel, CFO – retired). New board members joining the Foundation are Paul Kohlheim (Business Executive- retired) and Kendra Stewart (Director & Professor at The Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities at College of Charleston).

“I am honored to be elected as Board Chair of Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation serving alongside the new Executive Committee. I have a long history in our community from attending College of Charleston to serving on many non-profit boards. I have been involved with the Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation for more than four years, previously serving as Secretary and Vice Chair. In this new role, I look forward to helping grow the endowment.” said Steve Swanson.

“We are proud to recognize the leaders serving on the Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation Board and officer team,” said Nick Osborne, Lowcountry Food Bank President and CEO. “Their collective experience, commitment, and expertise will further advance the Foundation’s impact and support Lowcountry Food Bank’s mission for years to come.”

The LCFBF Board is responsible for stewardship and governance of the Foundation and its assets. Its mission is to provide a consistent and sustainable source of funding to support Lowcountry Food Bank, its sole beneficiary. It does this primarily by securing planned bequests managed within its endowment, which has grown to $3.9 million. The Foundation also makes annual cash distributions to support LCFB initiatives.

More About the Executive Committee of the Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation:

The new LCFBF Board Chair is Steve Swanson, Co-Founder of Automated Trading Desk. He served in key leadership roles at Citibank after it purchased ATD in 2007. At Citigroup, Swanson was global co-head of electronic trading for equities. He also serves on the board of trustees at his alma mater, the College of Charleston, where he is currently Vice Chair. Previously, Steve served on the boards of Trident United Way and YEScarolina.

The new Vice-Chair is Amie Grimes, Director of Operational Accounting at The InterTech Group, Inc. A CPA for 25 years, Amie began her career at Ernst & Young and has held finance and accounting leadership roles at Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company and Asten Johnson. She currently serves on the boards of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and Friends of Santa. Previously, Amie served on the boards of the Lowcountry Food Bank, American Red Cross, and the Charitable Society of Charleston.

The new Treasurer is Aaron Brewer, CEO of Mid-Atlantic Capital. Aaron’s history in finance began in 2001 when he worked as a commercial banker at prominent companies including TD Bank and RBC, where he oversaw teams that generated and organized large scale real estate debt financing. As the President and Founder of First Capital Bank, he would later raise $30M before making a successful exit to devote himself full-time to private equity and real estate development. Aaron has served on the Board of Directors of One80 Place, YEScarolina, and the Lowcountry Food Bank.

The new Secretary is Chris Tobin, President of Flywheel Advancement. Chris is a senior-level executive with expertise in non-profit advancement, foundation administration, community engagement and team leadership. He is skilled at engineering and aligning efforts to strengthen philanthropy, volunteer service, donor relations, and financial stewardship.

The new Chair of the Governance Committee is Erika Harrison. Erika Harrison is an attorney and General Counsel for CHC Vacation Rentals, Inc. Her legal expertise includes zoning, land use law, and real estate matters. She has represented clients in annexations, rezoning for workforce housing, and the development of condominium covenants. Beyond her legal practice, she is highly active in community leadership. She currently serves on the City of Charleston Planning Commission and previously served on the Board of Architectural Review, the Blue-Ribbon Committee on Short Term Rentals, and the boards of the Cannon Street YMCA, the South Carolina Aquarium, and YEScarolina.

The new Chair of the Development Committee is Mike Smith. Mike has over 30 years of global senior leadership experience driving innovation, marketing, sales, profit, and acquisitions. He has extensive experience in strategic initiatives, finance, technology, business development, and joint ventures. Mike has served on numerous Boards both internationally and domestically. He has delivered on creating accountability, managing committees to top performance achievements, optimizing business through strategic growth, and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

If you would like to learn more about Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation, please visit our website or contact Beth Atkinson, Director of Fundraising at 843-747-8146 ext. 123 or [email protected].

Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation was established in 2021 as a strategic and permanent partner of Lowcountry Food Bank with the single goal of providing funds to support their mission.

Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation manages and invests monetary gifts, which continue to grow and provide a dependable source of annual income to help fund feeding programs, projects, equipment, and infrastructure for Lowcountry Food Bank. The Foundation helps ensure that our neighbors who experience food insecurity in the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina will have access to food assistance both now and in the future.