STERLING LAND TRUST - Key Persons


BOBBY MILLER

Mr. Miller is a graduate of Sterling High School (Class of '62) and was among the high school's elite basketball stars at the time. He has spent 4 years in the U.S. Navy; a graduate from Rodger Williams University, before beginning a 30-year career in the banking industry. Most recently Mr. Miller was a Commercial Loan Officer and Vice-President of Wachovia National Bank. As a member of the Sterling Land Trust board, Bobby intends to help the community develop its full potential regarding residential housing and the development of small business/commercial opportunities.

James Thompson

A graduate of Sterling High School and Norfolk State University, James spent most of his professional life working as Director of Human Resources for international corporations. He tried retirement for a year but found out he didn't like it. In 2014, he re-entered the workforce as Facilities Project Coordinator for Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources, Inc. (SHARE),

Jeannine Cox

Job Titles:
  • Resident SLT / SNA Secretary
  • Secretary of SLT
Jeannine Cox is the Secretary of SLT. She grew up in the Greenville area, moved into the Sterling neighborhood in 2013 and works for a financial services firm. She supports Sterling neighbors and families working together, growing together and enjoying their community surroundings. She loves being a mom to a 7 year old, a wife to an engineer husband, volunteering as head coach of Special Olympics swimming for 14 years, and visiting warm, sunny beaches.

Kerry Fair

Kerry Fair is a native Greenvillian and a 1969 graduate of Sterling High School. Kerry's a Vietnam-era Army nuclear middle specialist, a graduate of El Paso Community College, Greenville Technical College and Spartanburg Community College. He is also a graduate of the Realtors Institute, and a Licensed Real Estate Broker-In-Charge and Licensed South Carolina Residential Home Builder. He has been the owner and president of The Chowfair Co., lnc. for more than 34 years, and is also a Deacon at Long Branch Baptist Church.

Mack Lockhart

Mack Lockhart, the past President of Sterling Land Trust, is a graduate of Sterling High School and of Bluefield College. He also attended Tuskegee University and Furman University. His career has been spent as a real estate assessor and appraiser, with TD Bank since 2006. Mack has taken leadership roles with other organizations in the Southeast, including the National Kidney Foundation and the National Pan Hellenic Council of Greenville, SC.

Mary J. Neal

Job Titles:
  • Instructor
Mary J. Neal is a Barber Instructor, and has been a Sterling Land Trust Board member for three years. She attended Sterling High School and has lived in the Sterling neighborhood with her husband, Willie, for more than 30 years. She's been a resident since the early '50s with her parents. She worked at the Greenville Memorial Hospital as a Medical Supervisor for more than 12 years, and now owns a Barber Shop on Jenkins Street - once deemed one of the richest streets in Greenville where proud Black Businesses once thrived. Sterling's legacy has helped Mary become who she is today. She would love to leave her home to my next generation and not be forced out by gentrification. As a member of the Sterling Land Trust, she hopes to help make Affordable Housing a reality.

PEGGY BAXTER

Mrs. Baxter is a graduate of Sterling High School. Her undergraduate and post-graduate work was completed Colorado, after which she went on to have a career in Healthcare Administration at the Alameda County of California's NAPA Children's Psychiatric Hospital as their Lead Social Worker for nearly 30 years. While in California, she was awarded a top State of California Legislative Award. Locally, Peggy has been involved in the NAACP, Urban League, American Cancer Society, Friends of the Reedy River, and Bon Secours St. Francis Healthy Community Initiative as a Senior Advocate. Peggy's most recent achievement was the construction of Sterling's (and West Greenville's) first Organic Community Garden on property in Sterling she grew up on as a child (Odessa Street)! As a member of the Sterling Land Trust, Peggy intends to see that the empowerment, voices, and needs of seniors are well represented in the community.

Rebecca Mckinney

Job Titles:
  • Advisor, Bon Secours
  • Community Health Manager for Bon Secours St
Rebecca is Community Health Manager for Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. For over a decade, she has worked with the Greenville community and state of South Carolina to support local food systems and farms.

S.T. PEDEN

Job Titles:
  • Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Minority Economic Development Institute Inc
Mr. Peden is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Minority Economic Development Institute Inc. (MEDII), a Non-Profit, Tax Exempt, Economic Development Organization, which is headquartered in Greenville and serves the 10-county Upstate region of South Carolina. Mr. Peden is a native of Greenville, South Carolina. He is a graduate of South Carolina State (College) now University where he earned a BS Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics and Accounting. Peden began his Supplier Diversity career in 1989 as a volunteer with the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Peden had a prestigious 34 year career with GE. Upon retirement from GE, Peden was selected by Institutional Resources, the Program Management firm which managed the School Construction Program for the School District of Greenville County, where he coordinated the diversity outreach initiative to minority and women owned architectural, engineering and construction firms from 2003 to 2007. He then founded the Minority Enterprise Development Institute, whose mission is to promote the awareness of, development and growth of minority owned businesses, which will enhance their inclusion in the economic development of Upstate South Carolina, was founded in 2007. Mr. Peden is a Furman University Riley Institute Diversity Fellow, having completed the South Carolina Diversity Leaders Initiative Upstate in 2004. In May 2009, Mr. Peden was presented the Calder Ehrmann Diversity Advocate Award by the Riley Institute. In October 2010, the Spartanburg South Carolina Chamber of Commerce presented its 2010 Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Minority Business Advocate of the Year Award and one of its Economic Champion Awards to Mr. Peden.

Sean Dogan

Job Titles:
  • Advisor, Bon Secours
  • Director of Community Health for Bon Secours St Francis
Sean Dogan is the Director of Community Health for Bon Secours St Francis. He has over 25 years of working with the community and volunteers on numerous board and committees in Greenville SC and statewide. He enjoys working with a team of dedicated social workers, nurses, researchers, and volunteers to help further the mission of St. Francis.

Shirley Allmond

Shirley Allmond grew up in the Sterling Community and graduated from Sterling High School. she continued her education at Greenville Technical College, where she majored in Criminal Justice. In 1978 she was hired as the first black female deputy for the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. She retired in 2013 after serving a total 35 years for Greenville County in the offices of Sheriff's and the 13th Circuit Solicitor Office combined. Shirley is also an entrepreneur. In 2002 she and her son started a small business "Shirley & Son Enterprises, LLC," an investment firm through which they own and manage rental properties. In addition to her activities with the Sterling Land Trust, she serves her community through involvement with the Sterling High School Alumni Association.

Sylvia Vandross

Job Titles:
  • Manager
  • Resident Farm Manager
Sylvia Vandross is the Sterling Pride Farms Manager, a Master Gardener, and the Community Resource & Senior Program Coordinator for Greenville County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. Sylvia offers a Junior Master Gardener program with an on-site garden at the Sterling Recreation Center. The program has won the highest state award two years in a row. Her newest project is the development of a neighborhood garden at the Sterling Hope Center.

VERETTA LINDSAY

Job Titles:
  • Sterling Resident & Property Owner
Veretta Lindsay has been involved with the Sterling Land Trust for over a year. She is also a member of the Sterling Neighborhood Association. Her passion for assisting others in need is what drove her to participate in the Sterling Land Trust.