The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is pleased to welcome entrepreneur and culinary expert Farina Wong Kingsley, Cadence Bank Market President Mario Hilliard and retired President and CEO of Girls Incorporated Joyce M. Roché to the nonprofit organization’s board of directors. Together, Kingsley, Hilliard and Roché will deepen the board’s commitment to presenting world-class live performances, fostering regional economic growth and supporting year-round music education initiatives.

“We’re incredibly honored to welcome three accomplished professionals to the Savannah Music Festival board of directors and appreciate their expertise and insight,” said Savannah Music Festival Executive Director Gene Dobbs Bradford. “Our board shares a strong commitment to artistic excellence, fiscal responsibility and community outreach.” 

Mario Hilliard is the Cadence Bank Market President for the Savannah area. After graduating from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Banking and Finance, he joined Cadence Bank as a Management Trainee and served as Commercial Lender for 10 years. In his leadership role as Market President for the Savannah market, Hilliard is responsible for leading the bank’s operations and strategic planning initiatives and driving growth within the market.

He is also a proud graduate of the Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking in Baton Rouge, further enhancing his knowledge and skills in the field.  

Farina Wong Kingsley began her culinary journey over a decade ago in San Francisco, where she honed her skills as a culinary instructor and authored several cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma, including Organic Marin, which focuses on farm-to-table cooking in Northern California. Kingsley and her husband, Chris Kingsley, relocated to Singapore in 2009, where they ventured into the hospitality business and developed Wa Ale, a luxurious eco-resort in Southern Myanmar. She currently splits her time between New York City and Savannah and is eager to contribute to Savannah’s cultural landscape. 

Joyce M. Roché formerly served as President and CEO of Girls Inc., a national nonprofit research, education and advocacy organization in New York, until her retirement in 2010 and is also the author of The Empress Has No Clothes…Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success. Before joining Girls Inc., Roché served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Carson Products Company and Vice President of Global Marketing at Avon Products, Inc. While at Avon, she broke new ground, becoming the company’s first African-American female vice president, the first African-American vice president of marketing and the first vice president of global marketing. She has been featured on the cover of Fortune, honored by Business Week as a Top Manager to Watch and recognized by The Financial Times as an Outstanding Corporate Director. Roché currently chairs the board of Berrett-Koehler Publishers and the Chatham County Hospital Authority and serves on the board of directors of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the World Trade Center of Savannah and the Savannah Community Foundation.