BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Emory Shaw Campbell

Mr. Campbell is President of the Gullah Heritage Consulting Service and an inaugural chairman of Heritage Days Celebrations. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, The Today Show, PBS, and C-SPAN, and received awards including the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation and the Carter G. Woodson Award for Civil Rights. He authored Gullah Cultural Legacies, translated the Bible into Gullah, and wrote A Sense of Self and Place: Unmasking My Gullah Heritage. He holds a B.S. in Biology, an M.S. in Engineering, and honorary doctorates from Bank Street College and the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORY COUNCIL

Peter Chapman
Vice-Chairperson

Peter Chapman, CEO of Urban Policy Innovations LLC, is an economic development strategist with 20+ years of leadership experience. He advises clients in the Midwest and Eastern Caribbean on economic diversification and community revitalization. Previously, he founded a U.S. Treasury-certified CDFI, led economic development in Denver and Detroit—creating 4,600 jobs—and served as a senior strategist at Abt Associates on a national HUD HOPE VI study.

He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan and an M.P.P. from Tufts, with additional studies at MIT. He is vice chair of the Center for Creative Partnerships, advisor to Renaissance Equity Partners, and has guided a U.S. Virgin Islands economic agency to national recognition.

Col. Alexander Conyers

Col. Alexander Conyers, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the 13th President of South Carolina State University. A 1989 alumnus with a B.A. in Criminal Justice, he brings 28 years of military leadership, serving worldwide from the Pentagon to Afghanistan, before retiring as a colonel in 2016.

He later returned to SC State, first as VP for Strategic Alliances, then as acting president, and was appointed president in 2022. Under his leadership, the university has grown enrollment from under 2,000 to over 3,000, cleared $9.8 million in student debt, and secured more than $150 million in state investment and new construction.

An active alumnus, Col. Conyers has chaired alumni committees, was inducted into the ROTC Hall of Fame, and holds master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina and Troy University.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORY COUNCIL

James (Jim) Evans

Jim is a minister, activist, legislator, and former NFL athlete. He serves as President of the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance and as National Community Engagement Coordinator for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

For 24 years, he represented his community in the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he was an active member of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus.

Jim has also held prominent leadership roles beyond public office, including Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Jackson Advocate newspaper and President of the Jackson, Mississippi Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

William C. Hine

Chairperson

Bill is a retired historian and longtime educator who taught for over 40 years at South Carolina State University. He has published widely in journals such as Phylon, Journal of Southern History, Labor History, and Agricultural History.

He co-authored the widely used textbook The African American Odyssey (7th ed.) and wrote South Carolina State University: A Black Land-Grant College in Jim Crow America (2018). He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University (B.A.), University of Wyoming (M.A.), and Kent State University (Ph.D. in U.S. History).

Ronnie Hopkins

Dr. Ronnie Hopkins is the 10th President of Voorhees University, appointed in 2021. With nearly 30 years in higher education, he has served as Provost, VP for Academic Affairs, and Professor of English at Voorhees, and previously held leadership roles at Benedict, Claflin, and Allen universities.

A successful grant-maker who has secured more than $30 million, Dr. Hopkins has led Voorhees’ transition to university status, launched its first doctoral program, expanded transfer partnerships, and was named among the “Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025.

Skyler Hutto

Skyler B. Hutto is an Orangeburg-born attorney with a civil and criminal practice at Williams & Williams. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and Indiana University Maurer School of Law, he excelled in oral advocacy and served on the Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality.

He began his career clerking for Judge Perry M. Buckner in South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit and now represents clients in cases ranging from auto accidents and DUI defense to constitutional claims and general litigation.

Sasha H. Levites

Sasha H. Levites is a Partner in Frankfurt Kurnit’s Entertainment Group, advising talent, production companies, and IP owners across film, TV, and digital media. Her work spans development, financing, rights, distribution, and production legal matters.

Previously, she worked in Business & Legal Affairs at FilmNation Entertainment—on projects including Nebraska and The Imitation Game—and at MTV on international distribution and format licensing.

She has been recognized by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Best Lawyers, Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Super Lawyers for her impact and leadership in entertainment law.

Craig Morrison

Craig Morrison is a historic preservationist with over 20 years of experience restoring major landmarks including Union Station, Grand Central Terminal, and the Pennsylvania Capitol. He is also known for theater restorations such as the 1885 Academy of Music and Oscar Hammerstein’s opera houses, and for curating exhibits like Direct from Broadway.

Author of the seminal study Theaters, Craig has taught at several universities and lectured at Yale and the Library of Congress. He has held leadership roles in preservation organizations and received the League of Historic American Theatres’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Davion Petty

Davion Petty is Director of Admissions and Recruitment at South Carolina State University, leading student outreach and enrollment initiatives. Since joining SCSU in 2013, he has held key roles including Educational Outreach Manager, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Funds, and Public Programs & Development Manager.

Cleveland Sellers

Cleveland Sellers is an educator and civil rights activist who rose to prominence as a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement. Though not a protester, he was wounded and wrongfully convicted in the Orangeburg Massacre, where police killed three students and injured dozens; he was pardoned 25 years later.

He later directed the African American Studies Program at the University of South Carolina and served as President of Voorhees College from 2008 to 2015. Dr. Sellers holds degrees from Shaw University, Harvard University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ora Smith

Ora Smith is a historical fiction author, genealogist, artist, and storyteller whose work is deeply influenced by her Christian faith. With more than 30 years of genealogical research, she pioneered a “Heritage Fiction” style, weaving novels from her ancestors’ lives.

Her books include White Oak River: A Story of Slavery’s Secrets, The Pulse of His Soul, The Peace of Pocahontas, and the children’s picture book A Christmas Story of Light, which she also illustrated. She holds an M.A. in Creative Writing.

Walt A. Tobin

Dr. Walt A. Tobin has served as President of Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College since 2011, forging partnerships with schools, industry, and community organizations. Under his leadership, OCtech has expanded dual enrollment, improved outcomes for students of color, secured major funding, and launched initiatives such as mobile advanced manufacturing labs and a Holly Hill satellite campus.

With over 20 years in education, he has also served as Interim President of Denmark Technical College, VP for Academic Affairs at OCtech, and in multiple K–12 leadership roles. Dr. Tobin holds degrees from Clemson and the University of South Carolina, completed postdoctoral training at Harvard, and is an Aspen Job Quality Fellow active on local boards.

Anna T. Zacherl

Anna has served as Director of the Orangeburg County Public Library system for seven years, leading projects such as the new downtown library on Russell Street. She is a past chair of the South Carolina Association of Public Library Administrators and currently serves on the board of Ace Basin Growers, a nonprofit supporting local farmers and food access. Anna holds a B.A. in History from George Mason University and a Master’s in Library Science from the University of South Carolina.