SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA—The South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church elected three new trustees to the Wofford College Board of Trustees on Monday, June 5, in Florence.
The new trustees are Monique McDowell of Atlanta, Georgia; Murrell Smith Jr. of Sumter, South Carolina; and James Switzer of Spartanburg.
The board’s officers will continue to be Chairman Christopher A. P. Carpenter, Vice Chair Ashley Richardson Allen and Secretary the Rev. William F. Malambri III.
“The board of trustees looks forward to working alongside Monique, Murrell and James to ensure Wofford thrives as a superior national liberal arts college,” Carpenter says. “Each of them has valuable experience in their respective fields, leadership skills and a demonstrated passion for the college.”
Blanding Jones, Wade Keisler, Craig Melvin, Greg O’Dell and Margaret Young were reelected to four-year terms on the board. Thomas Bower did not seek reelection, and Switzer filled his seat.
Dr. Danny Morrison rotated off Wofford’s board after 12 years of service. He is a 1975 graduate of the college and a former senior administrator who led the college’s transition to NCAA Division I and membership in the Southern Conference. He was instrumental in making Wofford the host site for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers summer training camp. Morrison is currently the executive director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation and professor of practice in the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management at the University of South Carolina.
Wofford has 31 trustees who serve as the governing body of the college under the terms of the will of the college’s founder, the Rev. Benjamin Wofford, and by the state’s articles of incorporation. Trustees are elected to staggered four-year terms by the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Tenure is limited to 12 consecutive years of service.
About the new trustees
Monique McDowell
McDowell is an attorney focused on issues related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s a civic leader and serves on the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Region 3 Advisory Council, the In-House Benefits Counsel Network Board of Directors and the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Clayton County Advisory Board. She’s volunteered with the United Way for more than 20 years while holding several leadership roles. She also has served as a board member for the National Women in Pensions, Inc., and as a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession and assistant captain on the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team. McDowell’s engagement with Wofford includes endowing a scholarship fund and serving as president of Wofford’s National Alumni Executive Council and as a member of the President’s Advisory Council. McDowell is a 1992 Wofford graduate.
Murrell Smith Jr.
Smith is the speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, and he’s a founding partner at Smith Robinson, a firm that focuses on civil litigation, insurance defense and governmental law. Smith lives in Sumter, South Carolina, and he was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2001. He has served on or chaired the following committees: the Judiciary Committee, the Ways & Means Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, the House Ethics Committee, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority and the South Carolina Military Base Task Force. In 2022, Smith was unanimously elected speaker of the House of Representatives. He’s a 1990 Wofford graduate and a past member of the college’s alumni board.
James Switzer
Switzer, who lives in Spartanburg, is a wealth advisor with more than 32 years of experience. He founded Switzer Wealth Partners, and he is a past board member for M.S. Bailey & Sons in Clinton, South Carolina. Switzer currently serves as a member of the investment committee for The Bailey Foundation. He previously served on the Mary Black Foundation’s investment committee. He’s a former trustee for Christ School in Arden, North Carolina, and Spartanburg Day School. Switzer, a 1980 Wofford graduate, has been active with the college for many years, including past service on the Alumni Board, Parents Advisory Council and Terrier Club Board of Directors.