John Warley is a native of Florence, S.C. He attended The Citadel on a football scholarship and graduated in the class of 1967. After taking his law degree from the University of Virginia, he served in the army, spent two years in Washington, D.C. as staff counsel to a trade association, then moved to Newport News, Virginia, where he practiced law for 21 years and helped raise four children. In 2005, he and his late wife, Barbara, moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, where he lives today. He retired from the practice of law in 2011 and is currently a full time writer.

Though law was his profession, writing became his passion in the late 1980s. After a favorable response to his first novel, Bethesda’s Child, he took a two year sabbatical in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to write his second novel, A Southern Girl. Mexico also presented him with the chance to teach. He accepted a professorship at Tecnológico de Monterrey, often called the “MIT of Mexico,” where he taught U.S. Business Law to bilingual juniors and seniors. That teaching experience inspired him to participate in USCB’s OLLI program in Beaufort, where his online history lectures have been viewed thousands of times.

He is the award-winning author of five published novels: A Southern Girl, Bethesda’s Child, The Moralist, The Moralist II and The Home Guard. This last title, The Home Guard, is historical fiction set in Beaufort during the Civil War, the research for which contributed to his appreciation for this unique town. He also wrote a history of The Citadel entitled Stand Forever, Yielding Never; The Citadel in the 21st Century, published in 2018 and now in its second printing. In 2011, his essay “Lingering at the Doors” was selected by NPR, National Public Radio, for publication in This I Believe on Fatherhood. In 2018, the University of Georgia Press published Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy. His essay, “One Cadet’s Lamentations,” is included.

 John’s ancestral ties to the Lowcountry are significant. He is a great-grandson of Col. John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell, generally credited with founding Beaufort. His mother’s father, Robert Woodward Barnwell, grew up on Federal Street in Beaufort. 

John was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in April 2021, Board Vice President in February 2022, and Board President in January 2024.

Amelie Aimar Cromer is a native Beaufortonian and a direct descendent of John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell. She holds a current South Carolina teaching certificate in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, Special Education (Emotional Disabilities), Educational Evaluator, and Middle Level Language Arts with an endorsement on Gifted Education. Additionally, she earned the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in Middle Level Language Arts in 2003. Before returning to Beaufort, Mrs. Cromer was the Lead Teacher for The Learning Collaborative, a magnet for highly motivated, high achieving middle schoolers, consisting of 240 students, grades 6-8, and a team of 14 teachers. Amelie was elected Teacher of the Year for Dent Middle and was a finalist for Richland District 2 Teacher of the Year.  She has worked with the SC State Department of Education to evaluate middle school programs and co-developed an Induction Teacher program to support new teachers in Beaufort County. She also served as the school’s liaison for the Young Leaders of Beaufort, working closely with Beaufort City government officials and fellow educators to develop an educational program committed to instilling a strong sense of community awareness in our students. Amelie also formed a school partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center to enlist creative writers as artists in residence to align with the River of Words, a program to promote art and writings about the Port Royal Sound.

Amelie was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in January 2022, and Board Vice President in 2024. 

Born and raised in Augusta GA, Lewis was graduated from The Academy of Richmond County, the oldest public high school in the South and the oldest high school in the United States that has never operated as a private school. He then attended Davidson College earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning a Master in Business Administration.

Following service as a Military Police officer in the United States Army, he began a 36-yearcareer in the specialized non-bank financial services industry. The company was acquired several times during this period and Lewis moved to open and manage different offices, returning to Charlotte NC in 1985, where he and Margaret lived until relocating to Beaufort in 2016.

Following retirement, he continues to consult in the industry and has served as expert witness in several cases involving various aspects of the factoring industry. In all these ventures, the focus is on three key goals:

1. Getting a diverse group of professionals to focus on common goals.

2. Weighing risk versus return.

3. Seeing a project through to conclusion and getting the team on board.

Retirement has afforded more time to serve in volunteer position in the community and church as well as to travel and work on his golf game. A favorite endeavor is working on Habitat for Humanity houses, having worked on over 50 in the past 35 years. Many years ago, he enjoyed coaching youth softball and baseball. Softball was more enjoyable as the players pay better attention.

Lewis has been married to Margaret for 48 years. They have 2 children and 5 grandchildren, all of whom are 5 or younger.

Education: Georgia State University: Bachelors of Science Accounting,

Masters Business Administration, Accounting

Work History: Panasonic Corporation; Seacacus, New Jersey;

Comptroller 30 years’ service 1986-2016- retired

• Seasoned Controller with 30+ years of experience managing annual budgets, monthly financial reports and audits for 35 Factory Service Centers.
  
• Prepare financial reports in collaboration with CFO and VP of Finance.
  
• Oversee Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Payroll, Internal Auditing departments.
  
• Collaborate with external auditors effectively, reducing auditing period length, while ensuring absence of discrepancies. As a result, reducing auditing expenses.
  
• Managed and implemented stream line practices for the tax department and filings.
  
• Improved internal accounting procedures that resulted in annual cost savings to increased efficiency.
  
• Dedicated to implement accounting procedures for best practices in the accounting department.

Technical Skills: Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint | PeopleSoft | Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains Management Reporter | SAP Net Weaver | Lawson | AS/400

Educational Skills: Certified Public Accountant.

Donna was elected to serve as our Board Treasurer in January 2024.

Kathy is a fifth generation Beaufortonian. She says, “At an early age I learned to love, appreciate, value and protect the community my family (Sommerville/Christensen) has been instrumental in building since the mid 1800s.” Kathy is multi-talented—she is an artist, educator, real estate broker, businesswoman, banker and civic leader. She earned a BA in Fine Arts, Studio with a minor in Education from the College of Charleston, South Carolina in 1979 and her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina in 1996.

Kathy served as President of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Fort Fremont and was the Design Committee Chair for Beaufort County’s project to build a History Center at Fort Fremont’s site. She is also a Board Member of the Friends of Whitehall Park, Beaufort’s Cultural District Advisory Board, and Beaufort Preservation Board. In addition, she is an active member of several local and historical organizations.

Kathy was elected to serve as our Board Vice President in February 2020 and served as Board President from February 2022 to the end of 2023.

For enjoyment, she cooks, sews, and paints in oils. She is also a master gardner. Kathy has two adult sons—both live here in Beaufort. 

Alan was born and raised in Philadelphia. Pa. He graduated from Father Judge HS in 1969 and Delaware Valley College (now University) in Doylestown, Pa. with a degree in Business Administration, 1973.

Upon graduation, he was hired by a Federal Law Enforcement Agency in Washington DC.

Alan met Trish there and they were married in 1977. That year they left their DC jobs to begin work in the College Graduation Recognition and Achievement Industry representing Herff Jones as an independent agent, for the next 40 years, retiring in 2017.

During this time, Alan ran his business with a staff focused on sales and marketing, which he plans to continue with the Beaufort History Museum.

They moved to Beaufort in 2020.

Together they raised 3 daughters in the South Jersey area.

When not busy at the museum, you can find him at St. Peter's Catholic School with the After Care Program, other church programs, and as a member of their Safety Committee. In addition, Al is a docent at the Beaufort History Museum , Fort Fremont and St. Peter's Historic Church.

Alan was elected to the Board of Directors and as our Board Treasurer in 2023.

Emily lived in Massachusetts and California before moving to Beaufort in 2019. She graduated from the University of San Diego in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in History and Spanish. She works for the MCRD Parris Island Command Museum as a Museum Technician.   While at the Parris Island Museum, she has designed new exhibit panels, created a revamped base driving tour, and developed the interactive Vietnam Maps display project, along with many other wonderful projects.

Emily is also working towards her Master’s in Military History through an online program with the Citadel in Charleston. She will write her thesis on Marine Corps aviation during the Sandino Rebellion in Nicaragua, 1927-1934. She expects to graduate in May 2023.

She was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in September 2022 and served as Secretary in 2023.

Fred's career has been characterized by progressively challenging military, Government civil service, and civilian contractor assignments.  From his early days as a Marine Corps helicopter mechanic/crew chief serving with the Presidential Flight Detachment to his final retirement from U.S. Government service more than 50 years later, Fred's diverse experiences included such prestigious assignments as Executive Officer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Strategic Communications and Business Transformation) as an Army Colonel and later as a senior-grade civil servant in the Army's Office of the Chief of Engineers responsible for the planning, management, and execution of all aspects of engineering for the Army and other Defense activities.

Fred is a U.S. Army Command and Staff College Graduate, U.S. Army War College (AWC) Graduate, and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Shippensburg University while attending the AWC.  

Fred currently resides in Beaufort, SC where he serves as a docent at three of our area’s most recognized museums including the Beaufort History Museum, the USMC Parris Island Marine Corps Museum, and the Fort Fremont History Center.   He is also a member of the Friends of Fort Fremont and that organization’s Board of Directors.   Additionally, he is the current President of Lowcountry Chapter of the Military Officers of America Association.

Fred was elected to the Board in September 2020.

Katherine has a long-time record of support and association with Beaufort History Museum. In 2011, The Beaufort Gazette ran a story on the front page about the demise of the city-owned Beaufort Museum.  With an anonymous donation in memory of Michi and Frank DeSola, and with a handful of other people and with guidance from Lawrence Rowland and Stephen Wise, Katherine formed a 501C-3 nonprofit organization and persuaded City Council to allow them to inventory and manage the collection of artifacts and create a museum in City Hall. Katherine served as the Museum's president between 2011-2014. In 2014 Katherine led negotiations with the Beaufort Area Chamber of Commerce to return the Beaufort History Museum to the Beaufort Arsenal.

After Katherine stepped down as Board President, she continued to play an active role in the Museum's programming, exhibitions, and fund-raising.  She was particularly proud of her involvement with two exhibitions during this period: a Hoodoo Exhibit mounted by Beatrice and Andy Tate, and an exhibition on Reconstruction in Beaufort, which is now under loan to the U.S. Park Service.

Katherine says she got into the history museum business because it was something she could do for the community she embraced and made her home twenty-four years ago.  She has been a history buff since John Rice Irwin was her high school history teacher.  He went on to create the Museum of Appalachia, which is now part of the Smithsonian.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, in American Studies and American Literature from George Washington University, Washington, DC.; a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Painting from Corcoran School of Art and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), English and Art.

She was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in September 2022.

Tricia met Alan while employed bya Federal Law Enforcement Agency in Washington DC. Trish and Alan were married in 1977.

That year they left their DC jobs to begin work in the College Graduation Recognition and Achievement Industry representing Herff Jones as an independent agent, for the next 40 years, both retiring in 2017.

During this time, Trish and Alan ran their business with a staff focused on sales and marketing, which she plan to continue with the Beaufort History Museum.

They moved to Beaufort in 2020.

Together they raised 3 daughters in the South Jersey area.

When not busy at the museum, you can find Trish at St. Peter's Catholic School with the After Care Program, other church programs, and as a member of their Safety Committee. In addition, Trish, is a docent at the Beaufort History Museum , Fort Fremont and St. Peter's Historic Church.

Education:

State University of New York College at Genus

BA, Cum Laude, 1987

Albany Law School of Union University

JD, Magna Cum Laude, 1991 

Note and Comment Editor, Albany Law Review

Work History:

Seward & Kissel, New York, NY 1991-1996

Corporate Securities Associate

Formation of hedge funds, private equity funds and offshore funds. 

Representation of issuers and underwriters in connection with the registration and public offering of securities of closed-end and open-end mutual funds. 

Preparation of numerous SEC filings

Gordon, Siegel & Mastro, Albany, NY 1996-1997

Corporate Associate

Preparation of offering materials, subscription documents and regulatory filings in connection with private placements of securities. 

Negotiation and drafting of various agreements including partnership, limited liability, employment, consulting and licensing agreements. 

Representation of corporate boards and directors.

Assistant General Counsel, Office of the New York State Comptroller, Albany, NY 1997-2000

Managing Attorney for the NYS Common Retirement Fund.

Representation of the NYSCRF in connection with private equity investments in buyout, venture capital, special situation and real estate fund and direct investments. 

Negotiation and drafting of investment advisory agreements for domestic and global public equity managed accounts. 

Management of federal class action securities litigation. 

Supervision of staff attorneys and outside counsel.

Credit Suisse Alternative Investments, New York, NY 2000-2014

Managing Director and Senior Partner of the Customized Fund Investment Group

Founding member of $34 billion customized private equity, infrastructure and real estate fund of funds and co-investment business within Credit Suisse. Member of group’s four person Management Committee, and Investment Committee. 

Extensive experience fundraising in the US and globally, including EMEA, Latin America and Australia - key channels of distribution included institutional, private banking, family office and third party advisor.

Responsible for day to day management of group product development team, as well as general oversight of EMEA team. 

GCM Grosvenor, New York, NY

Managing Director - Private Markets 2014-2019

Consultant 2019-2021

Integrally involved in successful sale of Credit Suisse Customized Investment Group to GCM Grosvenor, which now constitutes the Private Markets group within GCM Grosvenor. 

Member of Private Markets Investment Committee and involved in activities similar to those while at Credit Suisse, including domestic and international marketing and business development; client management, due diligence and portfolio management across institutional, family office and retail programs; product development and group management.

David was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in January 2024.

Liaison to the Beaufort City Council. 

Josh Scallate began his first City Council term in December 2022. He is a native of Beaufort, and graduated from Beaufort High School in 2009. He graduated from the South Carolina Fire Academy in 2012, and completed the EMT program at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in 2013.

Scallate is a lieutenant with the Lady’s Island St. Helena Fire District, where he has worked since 2013. In 2018, he was named Firefighter of the Year. He has completed 1,200 hours of continuing education during his tenure at the Fire District.

In 2019, Councilman Scallate was nominated to sit on the 1% Committee for the Fire District. 

Scallate is a real estate agent and has been with the HomesFinder Realty Group for the past 5 years. 

He and his wife, Ryan, have two children, Scarlet Rose and Jacob Walker.

Liaison to the Beaufort - Port Royal Convention and Visitors Bureau.