Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
Spoleto Festival USA continues to renew and expand its governing board, adding eight more members in recent weeks, a development that is part of a broader shift meant to invigorate the arts festival as it prepared to mark its 50th anniversary. The board now consists of 33 active members and officers, plus a group of honorary and emeritus members. The announcement comes a little more than a year after a rift at the arts organization resulted in an exodus of 10 board members who sided with the Chairwoman Alicia Mullen Gregory, ousted from her leadership position in July 2024 after raising concerns about a financial deficit and management issues. This is the second round of new additions since last year’s turmoil. On Oct. 29, 2024, the festival announced it had appointed seven new board members. The growth of the board broadens the organization’s ability to rely on a variety of perspectives and a wealth of expertise, according to chairman Phil Smith. It also demonstrates the importance and vitality of a unique, multidisciplinary festival, which will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027. “New board members reflect that a lot of people are aware of us and want to join,” Smith said. Board members all support the festival financially, and help find other backers, he added. In so doing they help achieve the stability needed to produce and present a variety of performances, some of which feature new work that can challenge audiences. The new members are: Sarah Beardsley, board member, is a realtor at Carriage Properties in Charleston. Anthony Grant, board member, is founder of Grant Business Advisors and has held senior leadership roles at NationsBank Corporation and Bank of America. He lives in Columbia. Lou Hammond, emerita board member, is founding chairman of Lou Hammond Group, a marketing and public relations firm. She served on the Spoleto Festival board for 18 years. Hammond resides in New York and Charleston. Anil Matai, board member, held key management roles at Bank of America. He has served on the boards of Freedom School Partners and United Way. Matai resides in Charlotte. Wenda Harris Millard, board member, was vice chairman of MediaLink, a founding executive at DoubleClick and chief sales officer at Yahoo! Currently, she is a director of Caleres, a footwear company. She lives in Charleston. Denis O’Hare, honorary board member, is a Tony award-winning American actor, singer and author. He portrayed the vampire king Russell Edgington in HBO’s “True Blood.” O’Hare co-wrote the plays “An Iliad” and “The Song of Rome.” He lives in Paris. Renee Romberger, board member, is a former health care executive who spent 25 years with the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. She serves as chairwoman of the College of Charleston’s Board of Trustees. She lives on St. Helena Island. Loren Ziff, emeritus board member, is a Charleston-based real estate investor and principal owner of EastRock Properties. He lives on Sullivan’s Island. Mena Mark Hanna, general director of Spoleto Festival USA, said a bigger board whose members have a range of experience can only bolster the festival’s influence and reach. “This is a diverse group of individuals that advocate for and champion Spoleto throughout the world,” Hanna said. That’s important during these two “threshold years” — 2026, when the festival will partner with the city to mark the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, and 2027, when the festival reaches its 50th year. The organization is anticipating a 50 percent growth in contributed income (donations) in 2026, and a 22 percent growth in its endowment, he said.
