Spartanburg Methodist College recently welcomed six new members to its Board of Trustees. The appointments were made in June at the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church of South Carolina.

Andrew Babb lives in Spartanburg. He is a 1988 alumnus of the college and a commercial real estate broker with NAI Earle Furman, LLC. He is also President and owner of Mid-South Management Company, Inc. and Crescent Holdings, LLC. The companies own and rent residential, commercial and vacation properties in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. As a businessman, Babb has been active in the revitalization of Spartanburg’s downtown. He also sits on several boards of directors, including Carolina Alliance Bank, Glassock, Inc. and Spartanburg Day School. His family has supported SMC for many years.

Reverend Jerry Gadsden is pastor of Silver Hill Memorial United Methodist Church in Spartanburg. Before coming to Spartanburg in 2015, he served as pastor for several United Methodist congregations around the state of South Carolina since receiving his Master of Divinity degree from Duke University in 1989. He has also served on numerous boards and committees of the United Methodist Conference and of community organizations that address needs of seniors and of persons with disabilities. Gadsden is currently a member of the Spartanburg Interfaith Alliance and is a life member of the NAACP.

Catherine Gramling lives in Gramling, SC. She is a lifelong United Methodist, a former public school teacher, and an active community volunteer. She has many family ties to SMC. Her mother, former Congresswoman Liz Patterson, was a four-term SMC trustee, as was her father-in-law, John Gramling, II. She is the granddaughter of Olin Johnston, who graduated from SMC and went on to serve as Governor of South Carolina.

Derrick Huggins serves as vice president of facilities and transportation at the University of South Carolina where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of housekeeping, landscaping, preventative maintenance and warehouse operations. Huggins is involved with the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Diversity Leadership program and is a member of Journey United Methodist Church in Columbia.

Darryl Owings serves as superintendent of Spartanburg County School District 6. In addition to his work in the school system, Owings has served on numerous boards and committees. He currently serves is a member of the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) board, the Clemson LIFE Advisory Board, and the South Carolina ACT State Organization Council. He is also a member of the Liberty Fellowship Class of 2008.

Joseph “Carl” Gibson will serve as the 2016 Student Representative to the Board of Trustees. A 2014 graduate of SMC, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in music at Furman University. As a student at SMC, Gibson was awarded the college’s Trustee Medal.

SMC board members serve a term of three years and are eligible to serve up to four consecutive terms. All must be approved by the South Carolina United Methodist Conference.

In addition to the newly elected trustees, the following board members were re-elected to serve additional three-year terms: Rev. Mary V. Teasley, Phinnize J. Fisher, Marianna Habisreutinger; Ray Lattimore, John Ramsey, and James Fletcher Thompson.

The board also recently elected new officers for the 2016-2017 year: James Thompson, Chair; Kathy McKinney, Vice Chair; and Ray Lattimore, Secretary.

A full listing of the Spartanburg Methodist College Board of Trustees is available here.