Board of Trustees gains four new members

During its October meeting, the Furman University Board of Trustees welcomed several new, returning and emeritus members.

The board, which meets three times each year, is responsible for providing governance and oversight of Furman University and for identifying, deliberating and acting upon matters of strategic importance to the university’s well-being and achievement of its mission and goals.

New trustees

Four new members started their first three-year terms on July 1:

Mark A. Kaiser ’79

Mark A. Kaiser ’79 is an independent consultant specializing in deploying partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, innovation and corporate venturing. A former CEO of several high-growth companies, he has been involved in the acquisition of more than 100 companies and designed and supported more than 50 Fortune 500 corporate venture capital funds, innovation centers and incubators. As CEO, he has twice won the Forbes magazine Fast Tech 50 award.

Raymond B. King

Raymond B. King has been president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta since 2010, leading efforts to raise more than $140 million of support to modernize the facility. Previously, he worked for SunTrust Banks for 22 years, most recently serving as senior vice president for community affairs. He and his wife, Robin Lord King, live in Atlanta; their daughter, Courtney King, is a member of Furman’s Class of 2024.

Elizabeth B. Taylor ’76

Elizabeth B. Taylor ’76, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, is the daughter of Francis Bonner, who joined the Furman faculty in 1949 and served as dean, vice president and provost of the university. In 1978, Taylor became an instructor in health and physical education at Furman, developing a curriculum in adult fitness and cardiac rehabilitation. She joined the staff of Greenville’s St. Francis Hospital in 1984, establishing its cardiac rehabilitation program.

Lizanne Thomas ’79

Lizanne Thomas ’79 is in her 41st year as a practicing attorney. As chair of the corporate governance practice of the global law firm Jones Day, Thomas participates in about 100 board meetings per year as counsel to a number of public companies. She also serves on the boards of directors of Southern Company and American Software, and is a trustee of the Georgia Research Alliance, Washington and Lee University and the Woodruff Arts Center.

Trustees emeriti

Three board members have joined the ranks of trustees emeriti:

Ravenel B. Curry III ’63

Ravenel B. Curry III ’63 is a founder and co-chief investment officer of Eagle Capital Management. A former U.S. Army officer, he is a trustee of The Duke Endowment, the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute, the New York Historical Society and the Genetics Endowment of South Carolina. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a trustee emeritus of Success Academy Charter Schools and New York Hall of Science.

P. Edwin Good Jr. ’67

P. Edwin Good Jr. ’67 is the founder of Hampton Development Company in Greenville, South Carolina. From 2020 to 2022, he served as chair of the Furman University Board of Trustees, and he has also served with the Furman Advisory Council, Hollingsworth Funds, United Way of Greenville County, the Upcountry History Museum and Public Education Partners. He and his wife, former trustee Peggy Ellison Good ’67, have three sons who are also Furman alumni.

David J. Trone ’77

David J. Trone ’77 has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, representing Maryland’s sixth congressional district and sitting on the House Appropriations Committee. He is the founder and owner of Total Wine & More, the largest independent retailer of wine, spirits and beer in the United States. He also serves on the Wharton Graduate Executive Board at the University of Pennsylvania and the American University Board of Trustees.

Returning for new terms

On July 1, Susan Thomson Shi ’71 and A. Alexander Taylor ’75 began their fourth three-year terms on the board; Lee C. Dilworth ’83 and Rachelle H. Thompson ’92 began their third terms; and Kristin Baucom Davies ’89, Anthony W. McDade ’79 and C. Kemmons Wilson III ’98 began their second terms.