The Community Foundation welcomes five community leaders as they join our Board of Directors in 2025! We are excited to have their knowledge and expertise, and we are thankful for their commitment to our mission of improving the lives of Greenville County residents through strategic philanthropy, community investment, and collaborative leadership.
Stan Davis
Stan Davis is a Leadership Development Consultant specializing in organizational development, executive coaching, and strategy development and execution. He has a diverse array of consulting experiences that include Fortune 500 corporations, state and local agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Prior to becoming a full-time consultant in 2001, Stan held the position of Strategic Planning Officer at USC-Upstate for six years. Before joining the university, Stan accumulated over twelve years of management, engineering, and manufacturing experience with Fortune 500 corporations including General Electric, Westinghouse Electric, and Sara Lee Corporation. Stan holds a Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1983) and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University (1981). Stan serves his community as a coach/mentor to emerging young leaders in the Upstate of South Carolina. Stan is also an advocate for grassroots leadership development and very early child development. Stan is a Jazz aficionado and collector of several Jazz and Blues recordings. Stan is married to Tan Kirby Davis and resides in Greer, South Carolina.
Melinda Davis Lux
Melinda Davis Lux serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel at United Community Bank. In that role, Melinda oversees the bank’s information technology, operations, and legal functions and is responsible for significant transactional, regulatory, and strategic matters. Prior to joining United, Melinda was a corporate partner at Womble Bond Dickinson in Greenville, where she also served as a Global Board Member of Womble Bond Dickinson International, and a corporate partner at Wyche, P.A., advising clients on M&A, corporate governance, and strategic transactions. Melinda holds a Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law, a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, an MBA from Clemson University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College. She is a graduate of Leadership Greenville and Leadership South Carolina and is a Liberty Fellow. Melinda is married to her husband, Brian, and has two children, Jackson and Danielle.
Beth Pontari
Beth Pontari was named Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost on May 1, 2024, after serving in the interim role since July 1, 2022. While she served as Interim Provost, she co-led the campus-wide university strategic planning. Beth served as Associate Provost for Engaged Learning from 2017 – 2022. In that role, she helped to launch The Furman Advantage and was responsible for promoting Furman’s academic vision to internal and external audiences and for tracking and assessing its progress, including by facilitating Furman’s partnership with Gallup. Beth has served on Furman’s faculty in the psychology department since 2001 and chaired that department for four years. She was Furman’s lead researcher and steering committee member for The Duke Endowment’s $3.4 million Resiliency Grant for a project that examined college student resiliency. She received her Ph.D. and master’s degrees from the University of Florida and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Colgate University. Beth is originally from New Jersey, and has two daughters with her husband, David Chastain.
Drew Rogers
Drew Rogers is a Shareholder with Elliott Davis in Greenville, SC. As the firm’s Closely Held Business Specialty Group Leader, he focuses on business strategy and income tax planning for closely held businesses, their owners, and high net worth individuals. Drew has extensive experience working with flow-through entities, corporations, trusts, estates, and individuals. In addition to income tax services, Drew provides business succession planning and estate planning services for business owners. Drew is married to his wife, Elizabeth, and has two children, Mary Blair and Eason. Outside of work, Drew enjoys spending time with his family, coaching youth baseball, playing golf and tennis, and serving the community and his church.
Ed Stein
Ed Stein is the Director of Business Development for Azalea Capital, a Greenville, SC based private investment firm. Since 2001, Azalea has invested in numerous consumer and industrial related businesses throughout the Southeast and Midwest. Prior to joining Azalea in 2022, Ed spent close to 30 years working with a number of commercial banks
in Greenville. After growing up in the Atlanta area, Ed made his way to Furman University where he played soccer and earned an accounting degree, graduating in 1993. He has spent his entire professional career in Greenville. In addition to serving on the Community Foundation board, Ed is the immediate past chair of Artisphere. Ed is married to his wife of 30 years, Anne, and has two sons, Connor and Dylan. Clemson University.
To see our complete list of Board Members, click here.