Board of Directors
Paul R. Barkus
Managing Director, Bessemer Trust
Mr. Barkus joined Bessemer Trust, an international financial services firm with headquarters in New York, in 2000 after its acquisition of Brundage, Story and Rose, where he served as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. Previously, he was a portfolio manager at Bankers Trust Company. He graduated from Deerfield Academy and earned a B.A. at Vanderbilt University with Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. A Chartered Financial Analyst, he is past Governor and Treasurer of the Investment Counsel Association of America.
“The Mebane Foundation serves as a catalyst for developing programs to address many of the challenges facing education today, providing both inspired leadership and funding in melding state-of-the-art technology with innovative teaching techniques. Allen Mebane's vision and drive to improve early childhood education, combined with his firsthand knowledge of the importance of education in developing the skills needed to allow American workers to remain competitive in today's global marketplace, serve as a model for how public/private partnerships should work in North Carolina and across the nation. Seeing firsthand the enthusiasm with which both students and teachers embrace these new programs, along with the support that has grown throughout the community, makes my involvement with the Foundation particularly rewarding.”
Carl N. Boon
Owner, Whip-O-Will Land and Cattle, LLC
Mr. Boon is a former partner of Piece Goods Shops, Inc., a retailer of fabrics, notions and crafts, which at its peak had more than 300 stores in the Eastern United States. Previously, he was in fabric merchandising with such department stores as Stix, Baer & Fuller in St. Louis and May Department Stores in Los Angeles. He graduated with a B.S. in Business from Washington University in St. Louis.
“All of my life I've had a passion for helping children. I'm so happy and proud to be with the Mebane Foundation, an organization that is sincere and true to its mission to help education our children, no matter what walk of life they may come from.”
John A. Hilton, Jr.
President and CEO, The Bessemer Group, Inc.
Before joining The Bessemer Group, a division of Bessemer Trust, Mr. Hilton was managing director for The Deerpath Group of Lake Forest, Illinois, and as executive director for Merrill Lynch & Co.'s Private Capital Group in Chicago. He began his career at Citibank in 1969 and served in offices in New York City, Syracuse, N.Y., Houston and Rio de Janeiro. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Finance. Beyond his service with the Mebane Foundation, he is on board of directors at Churchview Building Corp. and the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. He is a Trustee at the University of Vermont.
"I firmly believe there is nothing more important to the future of our country than educating young Americans. What the Mebane Foundation is doing for education in rural North Carolina is truly extraordinary."
Rev. John C. Lathrop
Rector, St. Matthew's Anglican Church, Weaverville, NC, and Dean of Appalachia, Anglican Province of America
From 1979 to 1995, he was Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Community and Family Services, a California nonprofit corporation with child development and Head Start programs. Lathrop received his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and also holds B.D. M. Div., and Ph. D. degrees, as well as a graduate degree from the Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He is a retired Colonel, United States Army.
"The Foundation is a tribute to the genius, determination, and dedication of Alan Mebane to early childhood education, literacy, and excellence at all levels of education. Hopefully, the models of innovative excellence that the Foundation has crafted with many partners will spread across American to the betterment of all educational systems."
Donald C. McMillion
President, McMillion Capital Management, Inc.
Before founding McMillion Capital Management, Mr. McMillion worked with Citibank, New York; Venture Capital; First Securities of North Carolina, President; Wheat, First Securities, Richmond, Virginia, Officer/Director; and Eastern Music Festival, Greensboro, North Carolina, Director and Finance Committee Chairman. He received a B.S. in Business and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a J.D. from the UNC School of Law, and a LLM-Taxation from NYU School of Law.
"The great 18th century English poet, Alexander Pope, wrote in his Moral Essays: ‘Tis education forms the common mind/Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined.' To be given the opportunity to affect the direction of just one twig, at its most formative stage, is a gift in keeping with the Mission Statement of the Mebane Foundation and is ample reward for the privilege of board membership."
Marianne Cheek Mebane
Chairperson, Mebane Foundation Board of Directors
Mrs. Mebane is a past member of the Junior League of Winston-Salem and a member of Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem. She is a graduate of Averett University.
"Our Foundation has had the goal of improving the education of children since its beginning, and I feel that we are successfully engaged in accomplishing this."
Dr. Mary E. Rittling
President, Davidson County Community College
Before becoming Davidson County Community College President, Dr. Rittling served as President of Potomac State College and was Regional Vice President for West Virginia University. She has held administrative posts at State University of New York's College at Delhi, including Vice President of Academic Affairs and Interim President. She received a B.S. in Nursing from D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York, and a M.S. in Nursing from Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. She also holds an M.S. and Doctorate of Education from Columbia in New York.
“Serving the Mebane Foundation is humbling. The work funded by the Foundation is enhancing the future of our young citizens. In return our community will flourish. While I find the dedication of the staff of the organizations funded outstanding, it is Mr. Mebane's vision that is indescribable. His perseverance and passion has made the work of the foundation a success. I am honored to be part of this effort."
Roger Berrier
President & Chief Operating Officer of Unifi
Mr. Berrier has been President & Chief Operating Officer of Unifi, Inc. since March of 2011, and has been a member of Unifi’s Board of Directors and the company’s Executive Committee since September 2007. Mr. Berrier joined Unifi in 1991 and previously held various management positions within the company including international operations, while living in Thailand for two years; machinery technology; research and development; and quality control. Unifi is one of the largest polyester & nylon yarn manufacturing companies globally and was founded by G. Allen Mebane in 1971.
Mr. Berrier received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His interests include golf, scuba diving, tennis and traveling.
"The Mebane Foundation is involved in so many educational initiatives that impact the future generation of America and I am honored to be a part of this through my work with the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Early education, learning techniques and comprehension is vitally important and serves as the core for personal and career development.
The Mebane Foundation challenges the process of learning and provides teachers, schools and students with the latest educational tools, technology and techniques; helping to make a difference for today and tomorrow. Mr. Mebane’s passion for education was extraordinary; he wanted to make sure every child had access to the latest educational platforms, and had the opportunity to be successful. I am honored to be a part of this wonderful foundation and will do my part in ensuring both teachers and students have the foundation and tools that help them to reach their maximum potential."
William Mebane
Mr. Mebane received a B.S. in Accounting from Elon University in 2011. He is currently earning a Masters of Science in Accountancy from Wake Forest University. He enjoys hunting, traveling, scuba diving and playing golf.
"It is crucial for children to master reading and writing early in life. I believe the Mebane Foundation is committed to helping children accomplish this goal as well as prepare them for the rest of their educational career."
Paul H. Livingston, Jr.
Attorney, Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC
Mr. Livingston engages in the private practice of law in North Carolina and concentrates his practice in Trusts and Estates and Exempt Organizations. He received a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina (is a CPA) and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. Mr. Livingston is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is a former chair of the Tax Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. In addition to serving on the Board of the Mebane Charitable Foundation, Mr. Livingston currently serves as a Board Member of Well Spring Retirement Community, Inc. and of Guilford County Community College Foundation, Inc.
"I believe there is no more important task for the future of our country than to provide a world-class education for the next generation. A primary focus of the Mebane Charitable Foundation is to identify cutting-edge approaches to education, to document the effectiveness of those approaches in the field, and then to find ways to replicate those approaches across the country. I am truly honored to play a role in these efforts."