James F. Byrnes Foundation Directors
Activities of the James F. Byrnes Foundation are under the direction of an 11-member
Board of Directors made up entirely of Byrnes Scholars. The Directors are:
Kristine LaSalle Hobbs, 1989 scholar, graduated from Furman University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Graduating in 1996 from the University of South Carolina with a Master of Social Work degree, she worked for the Governor’s Office Continuum of Care as a Quality Improvement Specialist from 1996-2001. When her first child was born in 2001, she came home to be a full-time mom, has worked part-time for Sistercare, Inc., the local domestic violence shelter. She currently works for South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She joined the James F. Byrnes Board of Directors in 2003. Kristine is married to Bill Hobbs, they live in Lexington, SC with their two sons, a dog and a cat.
Pamela Galloway McElveen, 1984 Scholar, graduated from Columbia College in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She has been active with the Byrnes Foundation since receiving her scholarship. She began her service on the Foundation Board in 2002 and has served as secretary. She currently serves as vice-president. Pam and her family are active in Garden City Chapel, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and attend Surfside Presbyterian Church. She is currently employed by Horry County Schools as a substitute teacher. She and her husband, Dennis McElveen, live in Murrells Inlet with their two children.
Dee McCraw, is the president of McCraw Corporation, an information services and technology company and has served on the Byrnes Foundation board since 1988, most recently as Treasurer. He is a 1978 Scholar and he received the Jake Sally service award in 1992. He graduated from Furman University in 1982 with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Dee is married to Ruthie McCraw and they have 2 children.
Daltrum H. (Dal) Poston is vice president of central operations, power delivery, for Duke Energy’s U.S. Franchised Electric and Gas organization. Poston oversees the operations of smart grid deployment, fleet services, right of way management, and routine work and outage restoration for both the Carolinas and the Midwest. The Kingstree, S.C., native earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., and a master of business administration degree from Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. Poston is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and South Carolina. He is a 1974 scholar and director of the Byrnes Foundation. He is a past member of the board of directors of the National Association of Energy Services Companies and a past president of the Newton-Conover Rotary Club. Poston was born in 1955. He and his wife, the former Jane Courtney, have a son.
Nancy Norton Poston, 1959 Scholar, graduated from Francis Marion University with a bachelor's degree in English and from the University of South Carolina with a Master's degree in Social Work. She has been active with the Byrnes Foundation since receiving her scholarship and has served in various offices on the Foundation Board since 1987. Nancy and her husband, Jerry, live in Columbia, SC, attend Mill Creek United Methodist Church and are active in the Gideon ministry. Since her recent retirement from her position of hospice social worker, she and Jerry enjoy spending more time with their five children and eight grandchildren.
Rory Priester, M.D., is a 1994 Byrnes Scholar who grew up in Hampton County, South Carolina. He is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Biomedical Ethics from Brown University and a Doctorate of Medicine from Brown Medical School (currently the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University). After completing post graduate training in internal medicine and cardiology, he joined a large national health care organization and is a practicing cardiologist. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
James Rhodes is a 1993 Byrnes Scholar, who grew up in Laurens, SC. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science in Analytical Finance and Accountancy. He has served on the Foundation Board since 2008 and currently serves as Treasurer. James is a Vice President with Wells Fargo & Company in Charlotte, NC, where he returned in 2007 following eight years in New York working on Wall Street. He enjoys being back in the Carolinas and spending time with family and friends.
William E. Rowe, M.D., is a retired General Surgeon living in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
He is a member of the first class of scholars awarded the James Byrnes scholarship in 1949. Currently he is with University Surgical Associates General Surgery Clinic for the Uninsured and the Tennessee Medicaid Program. He has held various committee assignments in hospitals for over 36 years and has served on many boards. Bill is the James F Byrnes Foundation Chairman and has served on the board since 2006. He is married to Virginia and they have three children Evelyn Paige Rowe Royal Cruddas, William E. Rowe, Jr, and Christopher D. Rowe.
Lois Hatfield Anderson, 1949 Scholar.
Natalie Owens, 1986 Scholar.
Keith Wood, 1982 Scholar.
