USCB Center for Strategic Planning

 

Center for Strategic Planning Team Photo

About our Team


Having a dedicated team of change champions to encourage, support, and take action within your organization is one of the first steps to ensuring the success of your strategic plan. Our facilitators and advisory committee have a wealth of knowledge and experience across various industries and bring unique traits and perspectives to accomplishing our mission.

 

Facilitators

  • Ray Warco
  • Tom Lennox
  • Rod Casavant
  • Paige Berrigan

Ray retired in 2019 as a Certified Public Accountant. He was in public practice for 49 years in both North and South Carolina, and served as a partner with local firms for 31 years prior to retirement. He graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 1970 (B.S. in Business Administration) and became certified in 1975. Community activities include serving on local boards, councils and committees, including the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Board (past chairman), the Hilton Head Hospital Board (past chairman), the Hilton Head Island Rescue Squad, the Elementary, Middle and High School Improvement Councils, (past Chairman), the Children’s Center Board, the Volunteers in Medicine Board, the Hilton Head Council of Estate and Financial Planners Board, the Sea Pines Property Owners Finance Committee, and Community Association Institute of South Carolina. His current involvement with the community includes the Beaufort County School Board Citizens Led Oversight Committee, Ex officio member of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, the Children’s Center finance committee, the Greater Island Council Board, the Hilton Head Hospital Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Committee, and a member of the VanLandingham Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island.

Tom retired after a 40-year career in commercial banking and finance. Born and raised in Ohio, he graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Economics, and from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. His entire banking career prior to coming to Hilton Head Island was in Pennsylvania with Mellon Bank, PNC, and Keystone Financial where he was a subsidiary bank president. In 1998 Tom left Keystone to start the Legacy Bank of Harrisburg where he grew it to $400 million in total assets, eight branches, and 120 employees. Legacy was acquired by FNB Corporation in 2006, and later that year Tom came to Hilton Head as President and CEO of Harbourside Community Bank. In Pennsylvania, Tom had been involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations including president of the local Chamber of Commerce, division chairman of the United Way, President of the Harrisburg, Pa. Art Association, and a member of the Pennsylvania Society. He served six years on the Hilton Head Island Planning Commission where he was its Vice Chairman, Chairman of its Capital Improvements Plan committee, and served on the Comprehensive Plan Committee. He was first elected to Hilton Head Island Town Council in 2014, re-elected in 2018, and now chairs its Finance and Administration Committee. He also represents the Town on the Southern Low Country Regional Board, is a member of the Greater Island Council, and the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce.

Rod is Chairman Emeritus, SCORE SC Lowcountry Chapter, where he led a team of 40+ certified business mentors (2017-22) supporting start-up businesses and in-business clients in Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, and Colleton counties. He is a SCORE certified Business Mentor and on the National Advisory Council.  SCORE is the nations largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. During his tenure the Chapter was recognized as South Carolina’s District Chapter of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2021, and was selected as National Chapter of the Year in 2019. Rod had a 30+ year career with Eli Lilly & Company in multiple leadership roles with a track record of developing high performing teams focused on successful implementation of strategic and operational initiatives. He has been active in the Lowcountry community serving on various boards including Sandalwood Community Food Pantry and the Don Ryan Center for Innovation. Rod graduated with a BA in Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude, University of South Florida, and an MBA, Magna Cum Laude, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Paige currently works as a change management consultant, helping her clients drive change across their organization. She started her career in Atlanta at The Coca-Cola Company as an internal consultant in a business process improvement group getting exposure to senior leaders and multiple areas of the business. After getting her MBA at Emory University, she transitioned to the North America Marketing organization and worked on the Minute Maid Juices, Sprite, and Coca-Cola brand teams where she led many successful sales and marketing efforts. She was the Director of the Customer Marketing e-business and e-ventures group and helped negotiate and implement successful partnerships for the company before she left in 2003 to pursue new opportunities in consulting. As a consultant, Paige has worked with consumer products companies and financial institutions to help these organizations build strategic plans, develop new sales and marketing capabilities, and implement successful change initiatives. She loves working with her clients to facilitate their journey from good to great. She has a BS in Management from The Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Emory University.

Committee Chair and Intern

  • Tom Henz
  • Intern - Rebecca Pollard

Tom is Vice President, Public Policy & Small Business for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, and adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. He also serves as chairman of the advisory committee for the USCB Center for Strategic Planning. He was market president for Synovus locally from 1992 until retiring from banking in 2020. Tom is a graduate of Miami University (B.S. in Business Administration), The University of Dayton (MBA), and The Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Active in the community, he has served on numerous local boards including United Way of the Lowcountry (past chairman), Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island, Sea Pines Property Owners Association, Leadership Hilton Head, Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, Miami University Hilton Head Alumni Club, the Port Royal Sound Foundation, and the Greater Island Council. He now serves on the Town of Hilton Head Island Planning Commission and the Gullah Geechee Land & Cultural Preservation Task Force. He also serves on the boards of Deep Well Project, Don Ryan Center for Innovation, and Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust.

Rebecca spent her early work-life involved in Libraries, Information management, and operations administration, leveraging both her analytical mind and her desire for knowledge. She has always found joy in applying these skills to help, inform, and serve others, which lead her to a new path: a bachelor in Hospitality Management. Motivated by the pursuit of excellence, she finds executing plans, coordinating schedules, and engaging her community invigorating, and more so when her efforts create an unforgettably stellar experience. With endless energy and effervescent charm, she strives to go above and beyond to make life even just a bit easier and pleasant for everyone, believing there is always more to be done.

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Advisory Committee

Kelli Brunson
Marketing & Investor Relations Manager, Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation
USCB Alumnus

Su Gibson
Senior Instructor, Department of Hospitality, Resort, and Tourism Management USCB

Tom Henz, Chair
Vice President, Public Policy & Small Business
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
Adjunct Professor, USCB

Darla Kirchner
Owner, Kirchner Marketing

Adam Pegan
Chief Strategy Officer, Hilton Head Regional Healthcare

Andrea Sisino
Associate Vice Chancellor of Community Outreach, USCB

Charlie Stone
Director of Government Affairs, Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority
USCB Alumnus