Foundation Board
- Cordes Ford, IV '94 - Chair, Foundation Board
- Denise Apple
- Courtney Cavatoni
- Hank Cheves '87 - Chair, Board of Trustees
- Ryan Bluestein '91
- Charles Darby, IV' 01
- Michael Handler
- Richard Morse '99
- Chris Osborne '95
- Greer Polansky '88
- Betsy Saal
- Richard Star
- Tom Trouche '82
- Ellen Lucas - ex officio, Porter-Gaud Parents Association
- Justin Kahn '84 - ex officio, Porter-Gaud Fathers Association
- Craig Stewart - Executive Director, Porter-Gaud Foundation
- DuBose Egleston '93 - Head of School
Cordes Ford, IV '94 - Chair, Foundation Board
Cordes is a partner at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP. He is in his thirteenth year of practice, focusing on construction law and litigation. He began with Buist Moore Smythe McGee in 2003, which merged with Womble in 2011. The firm now has 550 lawyers in 15 offices across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, as well as in Palo Alto, California.
Cordes holds a BA in History from Furman University (1998) and a Juris Doctorate from University of South Carolina School of Law (2003).
Cordes is the current President of the Country Club of Charleston.
He is a member of the Porter-Gaud Class of 1994 (attended from 2nd grade on) and is married to Emily Pittard Ford, Class of 1995.
Cordes is a member of the Porter-Gaud Athletic Hall of Fame for Golf and Past President of the Porter-Gaud Alumni Association.
He has three children currently enrolled at Porter-Gaud – Nathaniel, Class of 2021; Eliza Ann, Class of 2022; and Cecilia, Class of 2025.
Denise Apple
Denise Apple is a professional creative and technical writer, including writing grant applications. Her family moved to Charleston in 2018 from Myrtle Beach where she has been active with several local boards, including serving as Chair of the Development Committee of the Board of Visitors at Coastal Carolina University. She is a graduate of N.C. State University and an avid tennis player. She and her husband Jim have three children at Porter-Gaud, Henry (Class of 2023), Charlie (Class of 2025) and Evie (Class of 2025).
Courtney Cavatoni
Courtney is a former Managing Director of the JPMorgan Private Bank in Chicago, where she managed private banking relationships for ultra high-net-worth individuals and families in the Midwestern U.S. She was responsible for approximately 80 client relationships with total client assets of over $5.0 billion. She was named one of the “Top 100 Women Financial Advisers” in the United States by The Winner’s Circle and Barron’s Magazine, as well as one of the “Top 50 Financial Advisors” by Chicago Magazine. During her 14-year tenure with the firm, she also worked in Debt Capital Markets/Swaps Marketing and Investment Banking. Courtney received her B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (1993), where she graduated summa cum laude and was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. She received her MBA from Harvard University (1999).
Courtney is active in a variety of community activities. She served two consecutive terms on the UNC College of Arts and Sciences Foundation Board, which supports the efforts of the largest and broadest college within UNC. She served as Past Chair, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Sullins Academy Board (an independent private school in Bristol, VA), where she also sat on the Advancement, Finance, Investment and Executive Committees. She served on the Board of Directors of the Eleanor Foundation and Lincoln Park Zoo Women’s Board in Chicago, as well as the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina. She participated in the selection process of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship by sitting on the Central Selection Committee and Asheville Regional Selection Committees and acting as an alumni reader. She has been a member of the Junior Leagues in New York, Chicago, Bristol TN/VA and Charleston, SC. She enjoys work-outs, violin, tennis, fishing, reading and traveling. She currently resides in Charleston, SC with her husband Philip and their two children, Charles (16) and Sarah-Courtney (13).
Hank Cheves '87 - Chair, Board of Trustees
Job Experience:
Mr. Cheves is the President and CEO of Anchor Sign, Inc. Headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina with offices nationwide, Anchor has been a leading provider of identity packages to many of the world's premier companies since 1991. Mr. Cheves is the managing partner of Xiphias Holdings, LLC a South Carolina corporation that develops and manages commercial real estate.
Education:
B.S. in Business Administration from the College of Charleston, 1991
Affiliations:
Hank and his wife Sandra support the following organizations personally and/or through Anchor Sign's "Giving Back" program: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston, Camp Happy Days Kids Kickin' Cancer, Rotary Club of Charleston Charity Duck Race, The Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center, Louie’s Kids and MUSC Children's Hospital. In addition to these charitable organizations, Hank serves on Wells Fargo’s Advisory Board.
Porter-Gaud Connection:
Hank grew up in Charleston and attended Porter-Gaud from first through twelfth grade graduating in 1987. Currently he has three children attending Porter-Gaud, Middleton Cheves '20, Charles Cheves '21 and Langdon Cheves ’23.
Ryan Bluestein '91
Born and raised in Charleston, Ryan is a member of the Porter-Gaud class of 1991 having attending from the 1st grade through the 12th grade. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina in 1999. After graduating from law school, he worked for a large plaintiff’s law firm in Charleston and in 2003 left to start his private practice which is now known as Bluestein, Johnson & Burke, LLC. His law practice focuses on real estate, construction and business transactions and litigation. Ryan is married to Sharyn Epley Bluestein from Columbia, SC. They have two children, Abby (class of 2025) and Max (class of 2028).
Charles Darby, IV' 01
Michael Handler
Michael Handler served as Head of the Portfolio Trading Desk in London for Cantor Fitzgerald in their London office for 14 years (16 years total with the firm) before moving to Charleston. He is a graduate of Boston University and an avid outdoorsman. He and his wife Tracey have two children at Porter-Gaud, Abby (Class of 2027) and Gabe (Class of 2029).
Richard Morse '99
Richard B. Morse, CCIM joined Palmetto Commercial Properties in 2004 and is continuing his family's legacy of successful real estate brokerage, development, and investment. He focuses on office and retail leasing, most notably representing the ownership of the Cigar Factory, Faber Plaza and GARCo Mill, but has experience in almost every facet of commercial real estate in the Lowcountry.
Additionally Morse is an active investor in retail, office, mixed-use and self-storage investment development projects throughout the Tri-County area. It is because of this wide range of experience that Morse has the ability to assist clients with any kind of investment or development project.Charleston Peninsula and are members of Grace Episcopal Church.
Affiliations
• Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)
• Commercial Investment Division, Member
• Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, Member
• Carolina Yacht Club, Member
• College of Charleston Cougar Club, Board MemberNotable Achievements• Represented Seller in $1.25 million investment sale of 511 King Street.
• Represented Seller in $3.5 million investment sale of 482-484 King Street.
• Represented self-storage development Buyer in $1.65 million land sale of 810 St. Andrews.
• Represents Developer of The Cigar Factory in the leasing of the 215,000 square foot building.
• Represents Developer of Faber Plaza in the leasing of the 125,000 square foot building.
Originally from Arkansas, Morse has lived in Charleston for most of his life. He graduated from Porter-Gaud School and holds a degree in Asian History from Washington and Lee University. Upon graduation he moved to Tokyo, Japan for a year where he worked for FedEx in their international relations division.
He received the prestigious CCIM designation in 2010 and in 2015 with his two partners purchased Palmetto Commercial Properties from the founders of the firm. Richard lives in the Lowcountry with his wife Jessica, daughter Annabel, and son Woody.
Chris Osborne '95
Chris Osborne ’95 is a partner and wealth advisor at Family Asset Management, an independent registered investment advisory firm in Charleston. He has many connections to Porter-Gaud: alumnus, PG Athletic Hall of Fame member, Current Parent, outgoing President of the PG Alumni Association and member of the PG Foundation Investment Committee. Chris is a graduate of The University of the South (Sewanee). He and his wife Libba have two sons at PG – Granger (Class of 2026) and Caldwell (Class of 2030).
Greer Polansky '88
Greer has deep experience in all aspects of planning, leading and advising comprehensive fundraising campaigns. She has developed expertise in every stage of philanthropy, from developing organizational structure to successfully completing multimillion dollar campaigns. Greer also specializes in helping organizations implement custom planned giving programs and campaigns.
As Director of Client Partnerships at the Angeletti Group, LLC, Greer is mindful of the changing environment of philanthropy as she helps organizations enhance charitable funding to increase their impact. She understands organizational finances and how best to use available resources to secure revenue for buildings, programs and endowments. Greer oversees a variety of client service projects including writing, high level strategy and developing and managing clients’ action plans. Her experience, focus, mentoring and strong initiative have helped her clients reach—and many times surpass—their organizational and professional goals.
Before joining the Angeletti Group, Greer served as a senior consultant with another leading national firm advising campaigns and helping diverse clients achieve fundraising success, including zoos, gardens, hospitals, children’s organizations, independent schools and universities. Due to her accomplishments, Greer earned the firm’s Consultant of the Year Award for her fundraising success and high client approval ratings.
Greer began her career in philanthropy at her alma mater, Porter-Gaud School, as director of alumni and public relations. She went on to serve successfully the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry as its founding director of development and the Coastal Community Foundation as donor services director. This executive experience gives her insight into the needs and challenges that charitable organizations face daily.
Greer received her undergraduate degree from The University of Pennsylvania. She is past president of the Lowcountry Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and served on the board of the South Carolina Planned Giving Council for 7 years. In 2017, Greer began her third term on the Junior League of Charleston's Board of Directors. Greer has also been a speaker and panelist at national conferences on fundraising topics including capital campaigns and planned giving.
She is an avid tennis player and recently completed her 9th marathon in November at the New York City Marathon.
Betsy Saal
Betsy Saal is a native of Cincinnati, OH who moved to the Charleston area in 2007. She is a retired real estate developer who is now recognized as a community volunteer and philanthropist with her focus on education. She has served on several local boards, including Gibbes Museum of Art, Roper St. Francis Foundation, Trident United Way and Florence Crittenton Programs of SC. Her son and daughter-in-law, Dunne and Rogan Saal, are the parents of two PG students--Trey Saal (5th grader) and Emmet Saal (2nd grader)—and an O’Quinn student, Bay Saal.
Richard Star
Richard Star is currently a principal and co-founder of NEXgistics, LLC, a national third-party logistics provider. He has an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and holds Masters degrees from both Duke University and New York University. Richard currently serves as Chairman of the Regional Board for Reading Partners South Carolina, a non-profit focused on addressing literacy gaps in public schools across the state. Richard is also a member of the advisory board for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He also serves on the boards of a number of other corporate and non-profit entities. Richard and his wife Shara have two daughters who are students at Porter-Gaud, Samantha (Class of 2027) and Jillian (Class of 2031).
Tom Trouche '82
Ellen Lucas - ex officio, Porter-Gaud Parents Association
Ellen Markham Lucas, a native of Lookout Mountain, graduated from Girls Preparatory School and the University of Georgia with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Upon graduation, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia and began her career at Sterling Travel, specializing in upscale leisure and adventure travel within the Virtuoso network. Upon moving to Charleston in 1998, Ellen managed the Leisure Travel division of Ravenel Travel until 2005 when she left the travel business to concentrate on her growing family.
Ellen soon found herself running the Toddler Time program at St. Michael's Church while continuing to volunteer with many local organizations.
Ellen has been involved in many facets of Porter-Gaud and the Porter-Gaud Parents Guild over the past 13 years. She and co-chair, Jennifer Holland, created and branded the wildly successful PorterPalooza. She is currently the President of the Parents Guild.
Ellen is married to David Lucas, MD, and they have three children, Jack ‘18, Kathryn ’19, and Dee Dee ’23.
Justin Kahn '84 - ex officio, Porter-Gaud Fathers Association
President - Porter-Gaud Fathers Association
Justin S. Kahn graduated from Porter-Gaud in 1984, attended Tulane University receiving a Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Communication and then received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
He is married to Mitzi and they have three children. Rebecca graduated Porter-Gaud in 2018 and now attends Clemson University Honors College. Benjamin is a junior and Anna is in the seventh grade.
Justin has been active with the Porter-Gaud Fathers Association and served in various capacities for several years and is now the president. He also participates in other school events.
Justin is a partner at Kahn Law Firm, LLP. He also is an adjunct professor at the Charleston School of Law. Justin is board certified in Medical Malpractice and Civil Trial Advocacy. He is a member of various legal organizations and has written several books on the rules of evidence and procedure used by lawyers and judges throughout South Carolina. He writes articles and lectures throughout the country on litigation, persuasion, and technology.
Craig Stewart - Executive Director, Porter-Gaud Foundation
Prior to taking the helm of the Foundation, Craig served as Vice President at Bernstein Private Wealth Management in Washington, DC and before that as Associate Development Director at Episcopal High School (EHS) in Alexandria, VA. He is a graduate of EHS and has a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. He and his wife, Cricket, live in Mt. Pleasant and have three children, Ansley, Craig and Lee. He served on the boards of an Episcopal retirement community foundation, a military museum and education-focused nonprofit in the Washington area before moving to South Carolina. He loves college sports and reading--mostly novels.
DuBose Egleston '93 - Head of School
D. DuBose Egleston, Jr. is the 6th Head of School of Porter-Gaud. He attended O’Quinn and then Porter-Gaud for 12 years, graduating in 1993. DuBose studied Chemistry and Biology at Furman University and later completed a Master’s in Business at The Citadel and graduate credits as a Kingenstein Fellow at Columbia University.
DuBose joined the Faculty and Staff at Porter-Gaud as Director of Technology in 2000. In 2006, DuBose became Assistant Head for Finance and Operations. DuBose took over as Interim Head in 2009 and became the permanent Head of School later that school year.
DuBose serves on the Governing Board for the National Association of Episcopal Schools and is a member of the Southern Headmasters’ Association and the Country Day School Headmasters’ Association of the United States.
DuBose and Nancy have been married 17 years and have 3 children who attend Porter-Gaud. They enjoy travel and sailing and the blessing of living on campus.