SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church elected two new trustees to the Wofford College Board of Trustees on June 11 in Greenville, South Carolina.
The new trustees are Jimmy Gibbs of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and the Rev. Emily Scales Sutton ’07 of Rock Hill, South Carolina. Gibbs previously served as a trustee from 1998 to 2010, then from 2011 to 2024.
The board’s officers will continue to be Chairman Christopher A. P. Carpenter ’90, Vice Chair Ashley Richardson Allen and the Rev. William F. Malambri III ’98, secretary.
“We are pleased to welcome Emily and Jimmy to the Board of Trustees,” says Dr. Nayef Samhat, Wofford’s president. “Their professional accomplishments, deep ties to the college and dedication to Wofford’s values will be instrumental as we continue to shape the college’s future.”
Dr. Katherine Close ’83, the Hon. Timothy Madden ’85, Steven Mungo ’81 and Josh Whitley ’05 were reelected to four-year terms. Bishop William H. Willimon ’68 and the Hon. Costa Pleicones ’65 rotated off Wofford’s board.
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.
Jimmy Gibbs
Gibbs is the chairman and CEO of Gibbs International, Inc. He and his wife, Marsha, are natives to Spartanburg and have continuously and generously given to Wofford and the Spartanburg community for years. The ways they have impacted Wofford include providing the lead donation for Gibbs Stadium, establishing multiple endowed scholarships, initiating the Trustee Matching fund, funding the Marsha Gibbs Tri Delta House in the Stewart H. Johnson Greek Village and more.
The Rev. Emily Scales Sutton ’07
Sutton, a 2007 graduate of Wofford College, is the pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church, Rock Hill, SC. Sutton holds a Master of Divinity from the Divinity School at Duke University. She has been actively involved in youth athletics and has served on numerous boards within the United Methodist Church and her local community. She is married to Marc Sutton ’07.