State Museum Foundation

Bio

Karen Hall, Foundation Director, joined the SCSM Foundation in 2014 as Donor Relations Manager and stepped into her current role as Foundation Director in 2019. She is responsible for leading the cultivation of funding from private foundations, corporate partners and government grant makers to raise funds for operating support, exhibitions and capital projects. A South Carolina native, she holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of South Carolina.

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Rita works with clients and financial advisors in developing and implementing estate plans and related tax planning that address individual needs as well as family and business interests. Her extensive experience includes advising clients on tax and planning issues, including strategies to manage assets, minimize taxes, and provide for an effective plan of distribution utilizing wills, trusts and other appropriate documents. Her clients include high net worth individuals, business owners, land owners and professionals.

Rita helps families implement multi-generational asset transfers using generation-skipping trusts. She assists those planning for family business succession. In addition to counseling clients on premarital agreements and asset protection strategies, Rita can recommend strategies to achieve charitable giving goals. She further assists clients with representation in the context of estate and trust litigation. As a result of her experience as both a trust officer and as an attorney specializing in this area of the law, Rita is a sought after consulting and expert witness in trusts, estates and fiduciary litigation matters.

As a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Rita serves on its Fiduciary Litigation and Professional Responsibility Committees and is the Immediate Past South Carolina State Chair of the College. She has previously served as a Commissioner on the Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, Past Chair and Member of the Estate Planning and Probate Specialization Advisory Board of the Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, Past Chair and Council Member of the South Carolina Bar Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Section and Past President and Board Member of the South Carolina Planned Giving Council.

Rita currently serves on the boards of the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation, New Morning Foundation and the South Carolina State Museum Foundation. She is a Sustaining member of The Junior League of Columbia as well as a Founding Member of Women in Philanthropy. She previously served on the University of South Carolina Alumni Association Board of Governors, the University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association Board, and for many years served as Chair of the University of South Carolina Guardian Society.

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Rob Quell has worked for Unum Group since 2010 and is currently the Vice President, Broker and Special Market Development for Colonial Life. In this role, Rob is responsible for leading an organization focused on developing and executing strategies to offer insurance products and enrollment services in partnership with brokers to their employer clients while specializing in target market segments.

Rob has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA in International Business from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. He is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Associate of Life and Health Claims (ALHC).

Rob currently serves on the Executive Committee of the South Carolina State Museum Foundation as the Audit Committee Chair and Secretary.

Bio

Blake joined Performance Matters in 2020 after ten years in commercial banking where he worked exclusively with independent and family-owned businesses. He focuses on value-add advice and making sustainable changes to improve small businesses and help them compete.

Blake has his MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of South Carolina as well.

Blake serves on the executive boards of Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina and the South Carolina State Museum.

He and his wife, Anna, have four children, Louise, Anne Fulton, Jay and Betsy, and they live in Columbia, SC.

Bio

Philip Simoneaux, CPA, CFP® Director of Planning, Family Office Services Southeastern Freight Lines

Philip has almost two decades of experience in accounting & finance serving in both public accounting and private industry. His career has focused on providing financial and tax advisory services to closely held businesses and family wealth (trust, estate, and high net worth individuals). Philip is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and holds both Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) and Certified Financial Planner™ (“CFP®”) accreditations. He calls Columbia, South Carolina home along with his wife Ashley, daughter Isla, and son Jackson. He believes in staying connected and giving back to the community through service and resources. In his free time, Philip enjoys spending time with his family and staying physically active.

Education, Credentials and Special Training

·      Certified Public Accountant, licensed in South Carolina

·      Certified Financial Planner™

·      B.S., Accounting, University of South Carolina

Professional Affiliations

·      American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

·      South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants

Civic and Community Activities

·      Board Member, South Carolina State Museum Foundation

·      Former Chair, American Heart Association of the Midlands Heart Ball Executive Leadership Team

·      Former Chair, Richland County Transportation Penny Advisory Committee

·      Graduate, Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce Leadership Columbia Program (2009 class)

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Margaret Wallace has served as the Executive Director for the South Carolina Broadcasters Association (SCBA) since 2015. In her role, Margaret is responsible for lobbying at both the state and federal levels, event planning, board meetings, training and all fiscal matters of the association and SCBA Foundation.

Margaret has an extensive history in the South Carolina broadcast industry and a deep connection to the Association, having served as a Board member and Past President of SCBA. Her broadcast career began in radio sales in Georgetown followed by moves to Greenville, Columbia, and Charlotte. After two years in Charlotte radio, Margaret returned to Columbia in 1990 to join WNOK FM/WOIC AM. Her radio career culminated with the unique opportunity to put 2 new country radio stations on the air in Columbia.

After leaving radio, Margaret worked in Development at both EdVenture Children’s Museum and the South Carolina State Museum Foundation. Prior to joining SCBA, she was a Senior Account Executive with WACH FOX TV in Columbia. She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Margaret joined the South Carolina State Museum Foundation in 2023.

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Charles Duke, III is Consulting Practice Leader at Elliot Davis in Greenville, SC. In his position he focuses on providing customers invaluable experience and expansive advisory capabilities to help execute smart, efficient, and profit-generating solutions. With over three decades of experience, Charles is a results-oriented leader. His efforts are focused on developing the consulting practice by identifying new services and solutions that meet the ever-growing economic and operational challenges of our customers. He is passionate about helping talented consultants succeed and become leaders within transformative practices.

As a collaborate advisor, Charles serves mid-market and privately held industries by facilitating and implementing forward-thinking strategic plans to yield higher and more sustainable performance. He has a proven track record of becoming a valuable member of an executive management team to assist organizations in strategy, operational model development, and governance.

In addition to growing an innovative consulting practice that focuses on improving business models, optimizing investments, and transforming challenges into opportunities, Charles specializes in assessing leadership behaviors and aligning resources and strategic goals to optimize succession planning and maintain organizational success; interim C-suite guidance to enable organizations to maintain strategic momentum on key initiatives; and mergers and acquisitions due diligence to support transaction and integration and help reduce risk and maximize value.

Prior to his 25 years with Elliott Davis, Charles was vice president of a venture capital firm where he participated in all areas of the deal process, including thematic ideation, sourcing, execution, and portfolio management. He also served as a commercial banker at one of the nation’s largest banks.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Political Science and a graduate from the University of South Carolina School of Law, cum laude. As a partner for Nelson Mullins, Debbie’s vast experience in employment law includes defending employers against various employment-based legal claims, advising companies in matters involving ADA public accommodations standards, counseling employers in efforts to avoid litigation, drafting employment policies and handbooks, and more. She focuses her practice on employment and labor issues, commercial litigation, and trade secrets, and noncompete advice and litigation.

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Tara Godbolt is VP & Director of Product Strategy for Digital Sales & Marketing at AgFirst Farm Credit Bank. Throughout her 21-year career at AgFirst, Tara has demonstrated a strong understanding of the sales and marketing industry (particularly in Farm Credit), with a customer-centric approach and a deep understanding of the processes and tools she manages/supports. She has worked in several areas of the bank including Customer Support, Information Technology, and Product Management. Tara is a Certified Scrum Product Owner and a Certified Help Desk Professional. Before joining AgFirst, Tara worked for SC ETV, HealthCompass/CareCompass, and FreemanWhite.

Tara is a native of Orangeburg County and attended the University of South Carolina where she received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.  For many years, Tara was active in the Alumni community at the University and was a former Chairperson of the Black Alumni Association

Tara is married to Curtis Godbolt Jr and lives in Columbia, SC. They have two children and one grandchild.

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Born and raised in Anderson SC, Alexandria went to Hollins University in Virginia for college majoring in Economics and totally engaged in Student Government . Involved in politics from youth she was a recipient of the Randolph Hearst Scholarship and was a page at the 1976 Democratic Convention. Upon graduation from Hollins, she received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. Alexandria returned to South Carolina to attend the USC Law School and worked at the SC Department of Labor during Law School.  Upon graduation in 1981 she went to work for Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh in their Labor Relations Leadership Program.  While in Pittsburgh she volunteered at the Pittsburgh Art Museum Gift Shop . She transferred to Subcontracting at the Westinghouse  Elevator Division working in Randolph, NJ and Gettysburg, PA. In 1990 ,after taking a four-month solo trip around the world, she returned to Anderson SC and spent the next couple of years working in family businesses , starting her own construction company, and teaching at Tri-County Technical College. Eventually she decided one job was enough and went to work for Robert Bosch LLC in their Purchasing Department and has been there the last 29 years. Continuing her family legacy of  civic responsibility, she was a member of the Tri-County Tec Foundation Board, the An-Med Foundation Board,  Hollins University Alumnae Board( and Reunion Chair/Gift Chair for each reunion since graduation) , USC Law School Reunion Teams, Junior League of Anderson (President),  Board member and Capital Campaign Chairman for Anderson Art Center, and of course volunteer for church Greek Festivals. Serving on the SC Museum foundation board is an honor. Her hobbies are collecting art, traveling, hiking, fine dining , cooking , going to Clemson games, and if there is music playing, she is dancing. Her favorite people are her niece and nephew, her family, and the friends she has collected over the years. For the record, she has many nicknames: A, Kag, Koukla, Stat, Zorba, and Little Pete.

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