At its June 25 annual meeting, the Savannah Technical College Foundation Board of Trustees recognized long-serving members, announced leadership changes including a new Chair and Vice Chair and welcomed four new members.

Jennifer Abshire, Ben Price and Pete Liakakis were honored for their service to the Board.  All of them had served for more than ten years. Scott Center was honored for his long-time service to Executive Committee; he will remain a member of the Board.

Brian Foster, recently retired CEO of First Chatham Bank was announced as the new Board Chair; Sam McCachern, President and CEO of Thomas & Hutton was announced as the new Vice Chair. They, along with Past Chair Jim LaHaise, Secretary Helen Downing and Treasurer Stan Sparks constitute the Board’s Executive Committee.

Foster retired last year after a 45-year banking career. During his more than 25 years in Savannah, he served as chairman of United Way Campaign and board, chairman of the Chamber twice and chairman of SEDA. He was also the first chair of SDRA and of CHSA. He also served on the boards of Union Mission, Candler Hospital, and the Telfair where he is a committee chair for this year's Telfair Ball. He is also a past President of the Rotary Club of Savannah.

McCachern is registered as a Professional Engineer in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.  His 29 years of experience includes site assessment, rezoning, preliminary engineering, permit applications, engineering design, contract documents and specifications, construction administration for a wide variety of projects.  He earned a BS in civil engineering from North Carolina State University and is Level II - Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program Certified.   

Bill Dickinson, Lynn Marini, Michael Traynor and Ansley Williams were welcomed as new members.

Dickinson is a licensed, practicing psychologist in Savannah since the early 1980s. He is also the CEO and President of Wet Willie’s Management Corporation, one of our area’s fastest-growing businesses. He is also very active in the Savannah Riverfront Association and the Tourism Leadership Council. Dickinson is the driving force behind the Patrick Ansley Williams Scholarship Fund at Savannah Technical College and is also an Army veteran.  

Marini is the Chief Executive Officer for The Center for Digestive and Liver Health and The Endoscopy Center, the largest gastroenterology practice outside of Atlanta for the past 12 years.  She oversees the finances, medical billings, operations, and compliance for the group. She has been responsible for new facility development and strategic planning and served as a consultant for other medical practices. She served more than a decade as Director of Operations for Physician Practice Management with St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System and had oversight of 20 primary care and internal medicine practices.

Traynor is the publisher of Savannah Morning News and has been with the newspaper for more than twenty years. He is the current chair of United Way of the Coastal Empire and serves on the Savannah Community Foundation, Union Mission, and Savannah Chamber Board among others.

Williams studied aviation engineering at Georgia Tech, but quickly found his way into the hospitality industry and has never looked back. Now owner, operator and partner in Live Oak Restaurant Group, which includes some of our area’s most successful restaurants, Williams has always been active in the community. He has been involved with Savannah Technical College for several years through the establishment of the Patrick Ansley Williams Scholarship Fund that honors his late son and supports students in hospitality and culinary arts.