GOVERNANCE

Amelie Aimar Cromer, Vice President
Amelie is a native Beaufortonian and a direct descendent of John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell. She holds a current South Carolina teaching certificate in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, Special Education (Emotional Disabilities), Educational Evaluator, and Middle Level Language Arts with an endorsement on Gifted Education. Additionally, she earned the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in Middle Level Language Arts in 2003. Before returning to Beaufort, Mrs. Cromer was the Lead Teacher for The Learning Collaborative, a magnet for highly motivated, high achieving middle schoolers, consisting of 240 students, grades 6-8, and a team of 14 teachers. Amelie was elected Teacher of the Year for Dent Middle and was a finalist for Richland District 2 Teacher of the Year.  She has worked with the SC State Department of Education to evaluate middle school programs and co-developed an Induction Teacher program to support new teachers in Beaufort County. She also served as the school’s liaison for the Young Leaders of Beaufort, working closely with Beaufort City government officials and fellow educators to develop an educational program committed to instilling a strong sense of community awareness in our students. Amelie also formed a school partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center to enlist creative writers as artists in residence to align with the River of Words, a program to promote art and writings about the Port Royal Sound.

Amelie was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in January 2022, and Board Vice President in 2024. 

Lewis Tabb, Secretary
Born and raised in Augusta GA, Lewis was graduated from The Academy of Richmond County, the oldest public high school in the South and the oldest high school in the United States that has never operated as a private school. He then attended Davidson College earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning a Master in Business Administration.

Following service as a Military Police officer in the United States Army, he began a 36-yearcareer in the specialized non-bank financial services industry. The company was acquired several times during this period and Lewis moved to open and manage different offices, returning to Charlotte NC in 1985, where he and Margaret lived until relocating to Beaufort in 2016.

Following retirement, he continues to consult in the industry and has served as expert witness in several cases involving various aspects of the factoring industry. In all these ventures, the focus is on three key goals:

1. Getting a diverse group of professionals to focus on common goals.

2. Weighing risk versus return.

3. Seeing a project through to conclusion and getting the team on board.

Retirement has afforded more time to serve in volunteer position in the community and church as well as to travel and work on his golf game. A favorite endeavor is working on Habitat for Humanity houses, having worked on over 50 in the past 35 years. Many years ago, he enjoyed coaching youth softball and baseball. Softball was more enjoyable as the players pay better attention.

Lewis has been married to Margaret for 48 years. They have 2 children and 5 grandchildren, all of whom are 5 or younger.

Donna Altman, Treasurer
Donna was born and raised in Beaufort. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from the University of SC and a Master of Arts in Business Administration from Webster University. She is also a graduate of the 1990 Class of Leadership Beaufort. She had a 30 year career with the Beaufort County School District retiring as the Chief Financial Officer in 2004. Under her leadership, the BCSD earned the GFOA Certificate in Excellence in Financial Reporting and she was past President of the SC School Business Officials Association. 

After retirement, she focused on giving back to her community by volunteering and serving where needed. She was appointed for 2 terms on the BJWSA Board where she served as Chairman for 3 years. During her career and retirement she has served the Good Neighbor Medical Clinic, Port Royal Sound Foundation Finance Committee, United Way Budget Allocation Committee, YMCA Finance Committee, and Born to Read.

Donna has been a member of the Beaufort Museum for 2 years and was elected to serve as the Board’s Treasurer in July 2024.

Kathryn Sommerville Mixon
Kathy is a fifth generation Beaufortonian. She says, “At an early age I learned to love, appreciate, value and protect the community my family (Sommerville/Christensen) has been instrumental in building since the mid 1800s.” Kathy is multi-talented—she is an artist, educator, real estate broker, businesswoman, banker and civic leader. She earned a BA in Fine Arts, Studio with a minor in Education from the College of Charleston, South Carolina in 1979 and her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina in 1996.

Kathy served as President of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Fort Fremont and was the Design Committee Chair for Beaufort County’s project to build a History Center at Fort Fremont’s site. She is also a Board Member of the Friends of Whitehall Park, Beaufort’s Cultural District Advisory Board, and Beaufort Preservation Board. In addition, she is an active member of several local and historical organizations.

Kathy was elected to serve as our Board Vice President in February 2020 and served as Board President from February 2022 to the end of 2023.

For enjoyment, she cooks, sews, and paints in oils. She is also a master gardner. Kathy has two adult sons—both live here in Beaufort. 

Dr. Gene Grace
Eugene Waring Grace
Personal:
Born in Charleston, SC on December 18, 1948. Married to Elizabeth Harrison
Purvis and they have two daughters, Chilton Elizabeth and Katherine Sykes. We have
lived in Beaufort for the past 50 years.
Education:
Graduated from St. Andrew’s Parish High School in 1966.
Graduated Cum Laude from Wofford College in 1969.
Graduated Emory University School of Dentistry in 1973.
Community Service/Organizations:
Currently a member and volunteer at St. Helena’s Church.
Beaufort Academy – serving in the past as Vice Chairman of the Board and currently
coaching JV Boys Basketball
Past organizations and membership involvement :
Beaufort Historical Society, Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, Beaufort County
Republican Party, Beaufort Men’s Foundation, Bank Board Advisor, Advisory
Committee Wofford College, Friends of Caroline Hospice, Beaufort Open Land
Trust, Coastal Conservation, Sponsor of CAPA, CODA, BMI and others.

Fred Channels
Fred’s career has been characterized by progressively challenging military, Government civil service, and civilian contractor assignments.  From his early days as a Marine Corps helicopter mechanic/crew chief serving with the Presidential Flight Detachment to his final retirement from U.S. Government service more than 50 years later, Fred’s diverse experiences included such prestigious assignments as Executive Officer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Strategic Communications and Business Transformation) as an Army Colonel and later as a senior-grade civil servant in the Army’s Office of the Chief of Engineers responsible for the planning, management, and execution of all aspects of engineering for the Army and other Defense activities.

Fred is a U.S. Army Command and Staff College Graduate, U.S. Army War College (AWC) Graduate, and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Shippensburg University while attending the AWC.  

Fred currently resides in Beaufort, SC where he serves as a docent at three of our area’s most recognized museums including the Beaufort History Museum, the USMC Parris Island Marine Corps Museum, and the Fort Fremont History Center.   He is also a member of the Friends of Fort Fremont and that organization’s Board of Directors.   Additionally, he is the current President of Lowcountry Chapter of the Military Officers of America Association.

Fred was elected to the Board in September 2020.

Katherine Lang
Katherine has a long-time record of support and association with Beaufort History Museum. In 2011, The Beaufort Gazette ran a story on the front page about the demise of the city-owned Beaufort Museum.  With an anonymous donation in memory of Michi and Frank DeSola, and with a handful of other people and with guidance from Lawrence Rowland and Stephen Wise, Katherine formed a 501C-3 nonprofit organization and persuaded City Council to allow them to inventory and manage the collection of artifacts and create a museum in City Hall. Katherine served as the Museum’s president between 2011-2014. In 2014 Katherine led negotiations with the Beaufort Area Chamber of Commerce to return the Beaufort History Museum to the Beaufort Arsenal.

After Katherine stepped down as Board President, she continued to play an active role in the Museum’s programming, exhibitions, and fund-raising.  She was particularly proud of her involvement with two exhibitions during this period: a Hoodoo Exhibit mounted by Beatrice and Andy Tate, and an exhibition on Reconstruction in Beaufort, which is now under loan to the U.S. Park Service.

Katherine says she got into the history museum business because it was something she could do for the community she embraced and made her home twenty-four years ago.  She has been a history buff since John Rice Irwin was her high school history teacher.  He went on to create the Museum of Appalachia, which is now part of the Smithsonian.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, in American Studies and American Literature from George Washington University, Washington, DC.; a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Painting from Corcoran School of Art and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), English and Art.

She was elected to the Beaufort History Museum Board of Directors in September 2022.

Miles Montgomery
Miles is a native of the Old Village in Mt. Pleasant, SC. He graduated from Wando High School, attended college for one year but having a strong desire to serve his country and a family tradition of military service he enlisted in the United States Navy. He later transferred to the South Carolina Air National Guard, graduated from the University of South Carolina, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force, and retired with the rank of Colonel after 37 years of military service.

Additionally, Miles served as a federal civilian in acquisitions at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, CO, writing and managing contracts for goods and services supporting 4,000 Air Force cadets and military personnel, family members and retirees throughout the Colorado Springs region.

Miles has a sincere and deeply personal interest in history, particularly in South Carolina and especially the Lowcountry as his heritage dates back to some of the earliest settlers in Kingstree, the Santee area, Charleston, Beaufort and all points in between. He is a direct descendant of Samuel Montgomery of Kingstree, a planter and Revolutionary War soldier who served under Francis Marion; Captain William Hall who commanded warships out of Charleston for the South Carolina Navy during the American Revolution; Beaufort’s own Colonel John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell; and many of the Huguenots settlers of colonial South Carolina.

Miles’ membership in heritage associations includes Gov. Paul Hamilton Chapter South Carolina Sons of the American Revolution, Gen. Richard H. Anderson Chapter Sons of Confederate Veterans, Society of Colonial Wars in the State of South Carolina, Clan Montgomery Society International, and St. Andrew’s Society of the Lowcountry.

Miles and his wife Joann reside in Beaufort and are members of St. Helena’s Anglican Church.

Deborah Martin
I am a Michigander by birth growing up in Adrian, where my father owned a business, and my mother was the first Black teacher in Lenawee County. So from Michigan, to South Carolina, to the Bahamas, and then back to the Palmetto State has afforded me some once in a lifetime experiences. In 1999 my youngest son and I relocated from Charleston to Beaufort where I worked for 19 years as the media specialist at St. Helena Elementary School.

After 41.5 years in the teaching profession, I retired in 2018. However, I don’t really consider myself retired, but rather redirected. In following my parents’ example of being of service to one’s community, it is necessary for me to honor their memory by giving back. Being involved in the Beaufort community has meant volunteering at the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Center. As a co-founder/presenter of the Teach2Reach Inservice I was involved in a culturally responsive teaching orientation at St. Helena Elementary School for teachers new to the profession, and/or new to the school. My other activities include having served on the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, and currently as a member of the Marshview Community Organic Farm and the Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity Boards. For several years I have also been a member of the Penn Center Heritage Days Planning Committee. Last but not least, I am the proud mother of three sons, grandmother of five grandsons, and one grand dog! As their “Grandma Cookie” I have written a series of five children’s stories entitled The Little Gingerbread Dog, which I hope to have published. My life continues to carry me on a wonderful journey… so I am looking forward to what’s in store!!!!

By living and working in Beaufort I am fortunate to have gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the history, culture, and traditions of my enslaved ancestors, and I want to continue gaining new insights about South Carolina and the place I now call home. Serving on the Board of the Beaufort History Museum provides such an opportunity.