Savannah Board of Visitors

The Savannah Board of Visitors is a voluntary board comprised of leaders in business, industry, education, and art and design. The board plays an integral role in assisting the office of institutional advancement in fundraising and friendship-building for the Savannah College of Art and Design. The board is responsible for managing the college’s endowment fund.

Chairman Arnold Tenenbaum, a native Savannahian, recently retired as president of Chatham Steel Corporation, distributors of metal products. He graduated from Dartmouth College and attended Columbia Business School. A leader of many community organizations, Tenenbaum is credited with starting the Vision 2020 initiative for Savannah, Ga. Tenenbaum resides in Savannah and Santa Fe, N.M.
Frank T. Anderson is a native Virginian and lifelong newspaperman. Educated at Montgomery College and the University of Maryland, Anderson began his career at The Washington Star. He later worked on the staff of The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., and The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Now retired, he has been publisher of the Savannah Morning News, Savannah Magazine, Carolina Morning News, Jasper Sun-Times and other subsidiaries of Morris Communications Company, based in Augusta, Ga. Anderson resides in Savannah.
Stephen R. Braswell concluded a 33-year career with The Prudential Insurance Company as one of its senior officers and went on to found Braswell, Nees and Associates, an executive search firm specializing in the financial services industry. He is currently serving as president of the firm. In addition, Braswell serves as executive vice president of Cora Bett Thomas Realty Company in Savannah. Born in Manila, Philippines, Braswell graduated from Duke University where he served as president of the student union. He resides in Savannah.
John E. Cay III is a native Savannahian. He is chairman of Wachovia Insurance Services, the nation’s ninth largest insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm. Cay is a graduate of the St. James School in Maryland and the University of North Carolina, and he attended the management program at Harvard Business School. Cay resides in Savannah.
Richard D. Eckburg retired from the United Parcel Service in 1986 after a distinguished career of 33 years. Eckburg served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Following the war, he began his UPS career as a driver in his home state of Illinois. He rose through the ranks of UPS, serving in sales, marketing and operations. For a decade, he was responsible for the UPS operation in Chicago and was ultimately promoted to vice president in charge of public affairs. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from SCAD in 2003. Dr. Eckburg resides in Savannah.
Walter O. Evans, M.D., now resides in Savannah, but for more than 20 years he was a surgeon in Detroit, Mich. A graduate of Howard University and the University of Michigan Medical School, Evans was chief of general surgery at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit and also a staff physician at Harper and Grace hospitals. A U.S. Navy veteran, Evans is listed by Art & Antiques Magazine as one of the top 100 collectors of art in the United States. He has amassed one of the largest private collections of African American art, rare books and documents in the world.
Robert S. Jepson Jr. is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Jepson Inc., a private investment company located in Savannah. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Richmond. Jepson was formerly chairman and chief executive officer of Kuhlman Corporation (NYSE) from 1993 until its sale to Borg-Warner Automotive Inc. in 1999. Prior to that, Jepson founded and was chairman and CEO of the Jepson Corporation from 1983 until its sale in 1989. During his tenure as CEO, Jepson built the Jepson Corporation into a Fortune 500, NYSE-traded company. Jepson resides in Savannah.
Hubert F. Millet is a native of France and honorary Consul of France in Savannah. He is an international consultant and adviser to the French government on foreign trade. Millet is a board director of Martell Cognac, Domaine Mumm, Hermès U.S.A., and Parfums Hermès France. He is past president of Seagram’s global brands division and president and CEO of the Cointreau Group. A graduate of the University of Paris, Millet has received four major French decorations, including Officer of National Order of Merit and Officer of the Legion of Honor. Millet resides in Hilton Head, S.C.
E. Michael Powers is a native Tennessean. After a lengthy career managing privately held corporations, he acquired Kennel-Aire LLC in Minneapolis, Minn., in 1995 and continues to serve as chairman and CEO. Powers jointly holds numerous patents including a design that was recognized as one of the top 25 new consumer products worldwide in the 1998 Industrial Design Excellence Awards sponsored by Business Week magazine. He earned a B.A. degree from the University of the South and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Powers resides in Savannah.
Cora Bett Thomas is a native North Carolinian and principal and founder of Cora Bett Thomas Realty Company in Savannah, Ga. The 40-plus member firm is responsible for more than $50 million in sales annually. Cora Bett Thomas Realty is Savannah’s exclusive affiliate of Sotheby’s International Realty. A graduate of East Carolina University with master’s degree work in psychology, Thomas resides in Savannah.
Anne Peeler West was born and raised in Salisbury, N.C. A former homemaker and mother of three sons, she founded a day care center for severely and profoundly retarded children and nurtured its evolution as chairman. She later moved to Atlanta, where she founded Storage Plus, a retail, wholesale and design company with locations in Miami and Atlanta. In 1992, West sold the company and retired to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. She resides on Tybee Island and in Savannah.
Alice Montag Tisch is an Atlanta, native now residing in New York, N.Y., and Savannah. She earned an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She is on the boards of trustees of the New York University School of Medicine, Hospital Center and Child Study Center. She is chairman of KIDS of NYU and serves on the Board of The Brearley School and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. Tisch is a member of the Chairman’s Council of the Museum of Modern Art.