Board of directors (2023)
The Center for a Better South is a 501c3 non-profit organization. All contributions to the Center are tax-deductible. Members of the board of directors include:
Jimmy Bailey Sr. of Charleston is a former S.C. representative who has spent years promoting public service and entrepreneurship. He was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Gov. Henry McMaster in 2017 for achievements and contributions to the state.
Jerome Smalls, a native of Charleston, S.C., is a speaker, a youth influencer and above all, a believer in inclusive education. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2019 where he majored in marketing and minored in African American Studies. Hee now works at his alma mater as the Program Manager of The Pivotal Network, which is housed in Georgetown’s Hub for Equity and Innovation in Higher Education.
Past directors
Andy Brack, the Center’s past chairman and treasurer, is publisher of the Charleston City Paper. In 2011, Brack was named a White House “Champion of Change” for his leadership through the Center in developing ideas for Gulf coast recovery following the 2010 oil disaster. He holds a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. He and his family live in Charleston, S.C.
Leo Fishman (1938-2016) was a founding director who served for 10 years as board secretary. He was a retired tax lawyer who was former mayor pro tem for the Town of Kiawah Island, S.C. After serving two years in the U. S. Marine Corps, Fishman graduated from Harvard College (B.A. Economics, 1961) and the Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1964). Later, he worked with local communities in the Southeast as an administrator in President Lyndon
Conaway B. Haskins III of Richmond, Va., helps Virginia communities enhance their competitiveness and adapt to the shifting environment of the global knowledge-based economy.
Molly Minnear, Atlanta, Ga.
Warwick Sabin is executive director of the Society of Fellows of the Aspen Institute. A former Arkansas state representative, he is a 1998 Marshall Scholar with a master’s degree from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas, Sabin was been publisher of the Oxford American magazine from 2008 through 2013. Sabin currently lives in Washington, D.C.
John L.S. Simpkins, a founding director for the Center, currently is president of MDC Inc. in Durham, N.C.
Leo Fishman –“Fish” to his closest friends–I was privileged to be one of them—was sui generis. I am still mourning his passing. I just came across this write-up and the video. He often talked of the Center and how proud he was of the work it is doing. It’s mission and message has special importance today as our nation is torn by terrible divisiveness. You are helping light the way to renewed faith in progressive government policies that transcends all regions.
Leaving a small donation today, but would be interested in how I might support your work.
Graduate of the UNC MPA program, currently President of a small consulting firm which has done significant large group change projects for major non-profits, government agencies and large corporations. Significant public service work in North Carolina, Ohio and Massachusetts.