DSP Mentors

Bruce Alexander is the Senior Communications Outreach Advisor to the Administrator dedicated to expanding outreach beyond traditionally reached markets to advance the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services strategic plan to increase communications with communities and people served by CMS’ programs through identifying non-traditional media and under heard/underserved stakeholder audiences.  Such engagements and communications efforts will be in alignment with the Office of the Administrator’s (OA) priorities and closely coordinated with CMS components.

He formerly served as the Director of the Office of Communications (OC) for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In this role, he led a team of 300 Communications and Operations professionals that oversaw the development and execution of the Agency’s communications strategy. Bruce has a wealth of knowledge and experience in public affairs, media relations, community outreach and strategic communications.

Prior to joining CMS, Mr. Alexander served as the Vice President of Communications and Outreach for Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that serves veterans and their families in their time of need. There he provided direction for the organization’s strategic communications plans, crisis communications, content management, media and community outreach, and stakeholder messaging.

Mr. Alexander also served as the Director of Communications and Governmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. In this role he was responsible for the oversight, planning, direction, and evaluation of the agency’s initiatives to inform and engage stakeholders, the media, Congress, and the general public.

A retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Alexander was previously responsible for directing the communications program at Andrews Air Force Base, the highest-profile U.S. military installation in the National Capital Region. There he provided direct support to the nation’s President and Vice President, Cabinet, Congress, Department of Defense, and U.S. Air Force leaders. He has held several command positions at the flight, squadron and group level throughout his military career.

Among Mr. Alexander’s many accomplishments during his time with the U.S. Air Force was his role as the chief of the external media division for the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee where he planned and directed media coverage for all White House-sanctioned events during the 2005 Presidential Inauguration. Mr. Alexander earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from The Citadel, Military College of South Carolina and a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources from Central Michigan University. He also is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air War College, the Defense Information Joint School of Journalism, and Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Leadership Program.

Christy Allen has practiced law at the Charleston law firm of Wills Massalon & Allen, LLC for over 20 years. She is a skilled litigator and legal professional working in a wide range of legal practice areas, including business and real estate litigation, complex commercial litigation, and probate and trust litigation. As a certified mediator and a leader in the Federal and Charleston County Bar Associations, Christy is committed to delivering exceptional client-focused legal services and to promoting alternative dispute resolution methods. She has earned recognition as an AV-Preeminent Rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and has been consistently recognized in in South Carolina Super Lawyers^® for Business Litigation. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Christy contributes to the Charleston community, serving on the board of directors for Lowcountry Local First, acting periodically as an advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and volunteering at the MUSC Sean Jenkins Children’s Hospital.

Mr. Rob Baker is Vice President of Strategic Space Protection for System High Corporation, headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. In this role, he established System High’s first discreetly defined market segment for strategic space protection. He is a member of the Strategic Growth team and seeks new opportunities for System High to support military, intelligence, and civil space organizations. Mr. Baker has served System High from 2009 – 2017, and 2021 to present. During his combined 12 years at System High, Mr. Baker has served as Vice President/Chief Strategy Officer, Vice President/Chief Business Development Officer, and Program Manager. He has 40 years of security operations experience and is a national security subject matter expert, focused on space acquisition and operations. During the years 2017-2021, Mr. Baker was President and Owner of Rob Baker & Associates, a consultancy focused primarily on the commercial space launch sector.  

Mr. Baker has worked across a variety of Department of Defense and Intelligence Community security operations, with a primary focus on space acquisition, research & development, and operations. He is a retired United States Air Force Master Sergeant (E-7) having served 20 years in the security police/security forces career field. The second half of his career saw service in special assignments supporting Air Intelligence Agency and Air Force Space Command both in overseas locations and at Air Force Space Command (Major Command) at Peterson Air Force Base (now Peterson Space Force Base) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Since his retirement in 2004 he has continued to serve U.S. national security within the defense industry. Mr. Baker also had a 17-year career teaching college (overlapping his active duty and contracting careers), first for Central Texas College while stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan and then for many years online with American Military University.  

He has a master’s degree in security management from American Military University and a master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Baker is also a certified Physical Security Professional (PSP) through the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). He lives in Summerville, South Carolina.

Dr. Mark Bebensee came to The Citadel in the Fall of 1977 as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration. After five years of teaching Economics courses, Communication in Business, Money & Banking, and MBA economics courses, he rose through the administrative ranks serving first as Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, then Department Head of Business Administration, then Associate Dean of the School of Business Administration, and ultimately Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. He originally planned to retire after a 41-year Citadel career in the summer of 2018, but when Provost Connie Book was selected to become the next President of Elon University, General Rosa asked Mark to postpone his retirement in order to serve as Interim Provost until a permanent replacement for Connie could be named. Dr. Bebensee assumed the duties of Interim Provost (and the college rank of Brigadier General) in March of 2018 and served in that position through June of 2019 when our current Provost, Dr. Selden, arrived on campus. The Citadel Alumni Association named him an Honorary Lifetime Member in 2006, at that time only the second non-alumnus faculty member to be so honored. 

Ms. Diane Biagianti is an independent director for indie Semiconductors, a publicly traded automotive company focused on developing innovative, high-performance and energy-efficient technology for advanced driver assistance systems, user experience and electrification applications.  She also currently serves as senior vice president and general counsel for Glaukos Corporation, a publicly traded medical technology and pharmaceutical company focused on novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders and retinal disease.  Prior to joining Glaukos in 2020, Ms. Biagianti was chief responsibility officer for nine years at Edwards Lifesciences, a global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart disease and critical care and surgical monitoring, responsible for global ethics and compliance, corporate sustainability and information security. Previously, she was with Advanced Medical Optics from 2002 to 2009, serving in various leadership positions, including as senior vice president and general counsel, and division vice president, legal section head upon Abbott Laboratories’ acquisition of Advanced Medical Optics in 2009 until 2011. Earlier, from 1997 to 2002, she served as vice president and assistant general counsel for Experian Information Solutions, Inc. She has also worked as a labor and employment attorney for O’Melveny & Myers LLP and a senior accountant for M.J. Seby & Associates, Ltd., CPAs.  ​ 

Ms. Biagianti earned a juris doctorate from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arizona. She currently serves on the Audit and Governance Committees for Human Options, a non-profit organization supporting lives free from fear and domestic violence. From 2009 to 2021, she served as a board member and was Board President from 2019 to 2020 for this non-profit organization. She previously served as a member of the Orange County Bar Association Corporate Committee, and a board member of the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Ms. Biagianti is the recipient of PwC award for Leadership in the Advancement of Ethics in the medical device industry, the Orange County Anti-Defamation League Marcus Kaufman Jurisprudence award, and the Warren Christopher Values award. 

Mark was born in Atlanta but spent his formative years in Greenville.  He attended The Citadel as the Star of the West Scholar, receiving a B.A., summa cum laude, in English in 1990. He attended Duke Law School as a South Carolina Law Alumni Scholar and received his J.D. in 1993.  He returned to Charleston and spent two years as a law clerk for the Honorable William L. Howard, Sr., both on the Circuit Court and at the S.C. Court of Appeals. At the conclusion of his clerkship, he opened his own firm, where he focused on appellate practice.  He eventually merged his firm with another solo practitioner, and the two practiced together for several years.  During that time, he also served as an Adjunct Professor of English at The Citadel, teaching Legal Writing and Rhetoric of Law and coaching the mock trial team. In 1999, he joined Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms as special counsel and spent the next six years defending his alma mater, among other clients.  In 2005, he joined the staff of The Citadel as its first general counsel, where he continues today.

Ryan’s purpose in life is to inspire people to establish a foundation for sustained success, break generational curses and longstanding chains of adversity, and chart a desirable course for life. Ryan discovered the power of goal setting 12 years ago when he made the choice to do something about breaking a longstanding chain of alcohol and emotional abuse in his family. Since then, he has become an expert on building systems and an indomitable mindset to accomplish goals and conquer any obstacle that life puts in front of you. Ryan’s systems have enabled him to earn a Senior Management position at The Boeing Company while simultaneously launching and running two personal development companies, a globally downloaded podcast, and a scholarship fund for students who are committed to breaking generational curses within their households.

In 2019 he founded Won Day, which serves as his primary outlet to teach and inspire students and professionals to incorporate powerful habits into their lifestyles. Since founding Won Day, he has spoken to thousands of students and professionals, teaching methods and best practices related to goal setting and leadership. Continuing on his purpose journey, he co-founded Champion Tribe in 2022 with the mission to create a community of doers who strive to excel in five key pillars of life: Family, Faith, Fitness, Finance, Foundation.

Ryan is very active in the community and loves giving back—he believes the best gift is to give back. He serves as a Big Brother and Board Member through Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Lowcountry in addition to regularly volunteering with The First Tee of Greater Charleston. When not involved in business or community activities, he loves exploring and testing his limits. Ryan has completed 5 ultra marathons including a 100 mile race and has qualified for The Boston Marathon—he is always on the run!

Claudine Ebeid is the executive producer of audio at The Atlantic, home to podcasts Radio Atlantic, the How To series and Holy Week. Prior to joining The Atlantic, she was senior editor of news projects at The New York Times. She spent eight years at NPR, where she was a supervising producer and editor at Morning Edition, and a producer for All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. She was also the creator and host of the podcast Broken Ground, from the Southern Environmental Law Center, which was nominated for a 2021 iHeart Radio Award. She got her start at WBUR in Boston.

Mr. John W. Falkenbury was appointed as Executive Vice President for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in Charleston in July 2019. He is responsible for the health and welfare of the 66 living Medal of Honor recipients, expanding and managing programs and outreach efforts that continues to build the legacy of the Medal of Honor, supervising a staff of 10 geographically locate in multiple locations in the United States, coordinating with the Medal of Honor Foundation and its staff, and making recommendations concerning staffing to the Society’s board of directors. 

Prior to joining the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Mr. Falkenbury served as the President and CEO for USO of NC from March 2009 until July 2019. He was responsible for planning, organizing and directing the operations of the state headquarters, 11 locations, in the areas in and surrounding Jacksonville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Raleigh-Durham.  Mr. Falkenbury served over 20 years in the U.S. Army as a field artillery officer, with assignments throughout the United States and in Germany, including Director of Public Affairs, US Army War College and Carlisle Barracks at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; Battalion Executive Officer, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Chief of Operations and later Director of Public Affairs, 56th Field Artillery Command, Germany. From 1984-1987, he was an Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactical Officer at The Citadel. 

Mr. Falkenbury has served on the boards for The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, The Citadel School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Carolinas Freedom Foundation, and Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra.  Mr. Falkenbury received a bachelor’s degree in History from The Citadel and earned his master’s degree in management from Webster University in St. Louis. He is also a distinguished graduate from the Defense Information School and a graduate from both the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Sarah A. Imam is the Director of Health Sciences at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. She is on multiple committees within NAAHP and SAAHP, including being on the NAAHP and SAAHP Board of Directors. She co-authored the NAAHP New Advisors Handbook, is the National Occupational Therapy Liaison, and is an advisor for the AAMC at their virtual fairs. Sarah is currently the President of the Medical University of South Carolina Women’s Club, the Chair of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Women’s Club Scholarship Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors at the MUSC Waring Medical Historical Library Society. Sarah has developed many programs for PreHealth students to be able to develop both holistically and academically. She has developed a 3-credit hour course to help prepare students for their applications and organized agreements for pre-courses and aids for students at discounted prices. She developed a program to help feed those in need in Charleston and the student-run program is a huge success for all involved. Sarah is the faculty advisor for Alpha Epsilon Delta, the health preprofessional honor society, and has used this platform to arrange for multiple different volunteering opportunities. The Citadel Kenya Medical Camp designed and led by Sarah is the only medical camp entirely run by a U.S undergraduate institution. In the summer of 2022, 5000 patients were treated in the 3-week study abroad program. Dr. Imam assists students in conducting their own research and has had over 80 student presentations. Her own most recent research includes 9 publications on COVID-19.

Allison Dean Love has served more than 23 years in higher education board governance. Her service includes the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, where she served as vice chair. She also served on the Lowcountry Graduate Center Board of Directors, where she was chair and vice chair. She is currently serving on The Citadel Board of Visitors where she has chaired the Communications and Community Relations Committee for many years. She also serves as a Senior Consultant for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

With more than 30 years of experience in communications, public relations, media relations, as well as loss prevention and risk management, Love’s professional experience ranges from property and casualty insurance to banking, healthcare, nonprofit and association management. As a consultant for national, state and local clients for more than 10 years, Love engages in media and public relations, crisis communications and strategic planning. She also worked in human resources, recruiting and business development for search firms and hired thousands of employees for a variety of companies including financial services and healthcare organizations.

Dr. Lowry Manson has led multi-discipline engineering teams in broad range of technologies to accomplish goals in product development and manufacturing, including  projects in diamond synthesis, x-ray tubes and detectors, neutron generators, ultrasound imaging systems. Over the course of his career, he has trained more than 2,000 engineers and scientists around the world in advanced techniques for building mathematical models for products and processes to achieve robust performance.

Lowry graduated from The Citadel in 1970 with a degree in Physics. He received his Ph.D. from Duke University, where he studied Millimeter and Sub-Millimeter Wave Spectra and Molecular Constants of Cuprous Halides and received an National Science Foundation fellowship. He served as a research associate at Duke, investigating radiation physics and X-ray detection methods before starting work as a Product & Project Development Engineer at GE Specialty Materials. From that division, he transitioned to GE Medical Systems, where he managed X-Ray Tube Materials & Processes Engineering, developing a high performance X-ray tube for CT and production of new components for CT X-Ray tubes. He then went to work for GE’s Aerospace division, where he managed Neutron Generator Engineering in cooperation with Sandia National Labs to manufacture triggers for nuclear weapons. In the early 1990s, he became the Program Manager for GE Medical Systems Ultrasound Imaging and led the development of the first GE digital ultrasound. He then trained more than 2,000 engineers for GE around the world, resulting in projects that delivered $20,000,000 annual benefits. Starting in 2000, he co-founded SigMax Solutions, for which he serves as the Chief Technology Officer. SigMax Solutions has trained engineers and led projects in 70 companies in 12 different countries, producing annualized benefits greater than $100,000,000.

Dr. Mintzer is a Professor in the Department of Health Sciences in the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and a staff physician at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System. He is a Subject Matter Expert for the Ralph H. Johnson VA National Institute for Brain Health as well as a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and an honorary professor at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is the former Executive Director of the Roper St. Francis Healthcare System Clinical Biotechnology Research Institute. At MUSC, he developed the Geriatric Psychiatry and Alzheimer’s Research Program in 1991, which includes inpatient, outpatient, and consultation services as well as a fellowship program. Dr. Mintzer has been involved in clinical research on Alzheimer’s disease for the last 20 years and is author of over 230 peer-reviewed research articles. He is the former President of the International Psychogeriatric Association, founding board member of the AARP supported Global Council on Brain Health, board member of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Association, and former member of the Alzheimer’s Association (national) Public Policy Committee. He is also the former treasurer of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Mintzer has devoted most of his career to the understanding and the development of treatments for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia.  

Thomas is a senior financial services practitioner specializing in enterprise risk, data management, and digital transformation.  The arc of his career has been investment banking and capital markets at J.P. Morgan, hedge fund management, and commercial banking at PNC Financial Services.  He has often been on the operating side of risk management and markets and the business leadership side of the technology interface. He currently teaches corporate finance at the College of Charleston. For the last 10 years, he has mentored service members transitioning from military to civilian careers under the auspices of American Corporate Partners, which he highly recommends.  His interests include world affairs & international relations, technology, and shotgun sports.  Thomas is certified Firefighter I in Pennsylvania and is currently a rescue technician with the Charleston County Volunteer Rescue Squad.  He is also on the board of the World Affairs Council of Charleston (which he also highly recommends.) He has a BA in Government and Asian Studies from Hamilton College and an MBA from Harvard.  He lives in downtown Charleston with his wife, Jill. 

Dr. Richard Savior serves on the faculty in the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship, Baker School of Business at The Citadel. Before joining The Citadel, he served as Chair and Professor Emeritus, Management & Human Resources Management at the State University of New York.  An accomplished global scholar, he has taught in ten countries and had the privilege of serving as a Stevens Initiative Fellow at the American University of Technology in Beirut, Lebanon and as a Fulbright Scholar at Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Amman Jordan.  

Prior to becoming an academic, he served as a managing director for a U.S.-based management consulting firm and as a chief human resource officer for a multinational technology organization where he was responsible for providing strategic leadership by articulating HR needs and plans to the executive management team, shareholders, and the board of directors for operations in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

As an educator, he brings the theoretical foundation of a doctorate in Educational Leadership, Administration & Policy from Fordham University, a research agenda centered on examining the complexity of leadership, human capital, governance and strategy across multiple cultural perspectives and organizational environments, and the applied knowledge gained from working and teaching on four continents throughout his professional career.

Dr. David Shimp is a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. In 1984, he received a Master of Science in Information Systems from the Naval Postgraduate School and in 2010, a PhD in Continental Philosophy from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria.

During his U.S. Naval career, he served aboard 13 ships and in ground operations in Iraq and Bosnia, and was Commanding Officer of a combined US-Korean military unit supporting volatile operations on the Korean Peninsula. His last assignment on active duty was as Director of the U.S. Naval Security Group, and concurrently as Director for Cryptology and Director of Information Operations for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Upon his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2001, he was appointed by the Governor of South Carolina to the rank of Rear Admiral and became Chairman of the South Carolina Maritime Security Commission and subsequently appointed Commander of the South Carolina Naval Militia (Naval National Guard), the federally-recognized state naval force. Upon his retirement from state service in 2009, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the President of the South Carolina Senate.

Since 2010, Dr. Shimp has served as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Georgia and has been extensively engaged in promoting U.S.-Georgia economic and cultural activities as well as a variety of other important initiatives. Dr. Shimp currently serves as Dean of New Westminster College, a constituent college of Caucasus University in Tbilisi, Georgia, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Association of University Presidents headquartered at the United Nations. In 2021, he was appointed to the Board of Georgia’s Wounded Warrior Foundation and is an advisor to several non-governmental organizations active in Eastern Europe. Locally, he also serves on the Advisory Board of the Military Magnet Academy, Charleston County School District’s military magnet high school.

Dr. Shimp is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, the Washington Light Infantry, the Piobaireachd Society (an ancient society for classical bagpiping), and holds a third dan black belt with the World Taekwondo Federation Kukkiwon in Seoul, Korea. For his many years of international public service, Dr. Shimp has been awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of St. George of Hungary and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Dom Carlos Primeiro of Portugal, and was elected a Freeman of the City of London.

Dr. Triz V. Smith is a native of Sumter, South Carolina, where he practices medicine with Prisma Health Sumter OB GYN. He has practiced in Sumter since 2007. He has served in numerous leadership roles with hospital and state societies. He has served as president of the state OB GYN society, South Carolina representative to the South Atlantic OB GYN Society, Prisma Health department of OB GYN chair, and the DHEC Advisory Task Force. Dr. Smith majored in Biology at The Citadel and earned an M.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2003; he completed his postdoctoral training in OBGYN with the Medical University of South Carolina from 2003 – 2007. He was recently elected Vice Chair of The Citadel Board of Visitors.

Ellen S. Steinberg is an accomplished legal professional with a distinguished career dedicated to advancing justice and equity within the criminal justice system. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she earned her Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law Houston. Ellen is licensed to practice law in both the Texas and South Carolina State Bars.

Her career includes roles as a Public Defender, Assistant Solicitor, and Charleston County Magistrate, where she made significant contributions to the legal landscape. Notably, Ellen, in collaboration with Jeffrey Yungman, pioneered the first Housing Court initiative in Charleston, providing critical representation for tenants in eviction hearings. This initiative has since been implemented across South Carolina.

In 2015, Ellen was appointed Chief Magistrate for Charleston County, and it was during her tenure that the Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) was formally established. She was immediately drawn to the CJCC’s vision of fostering a criminal justice system that is fair, just, and equitably applied. Ellen played a key role in the Council’s work as a Magistrate and served as Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee. In August 2022, she left the bench to be Director of the CJCC, where she continues to champion her commitment to a more just criminal justice system.

Ellen S. Steinberg’s career reflects her unwavering dedication to creating positive changes in the legal field, particularly in advancing justice for all South Carolinians.

Dr. Stevens got his Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College and was a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Augustana College, focusing on constitutional law, American politics, and political theory. After that, he turned to administrative work, serving as the Dean of the Faculty, Provost, and Acting President of Hampden-Sydney College. He has published two books, Religion, Politics, and the Law and Challenges to Peace in the Middle East, as well as a number of scholarly articles. Currently, he works as a columnist for Charleston’s Post and Courier. He is also active as a martial artist. He is a 5th degree black belt and certified instructor of the martial arts and has taught it for over 20 years. He is married, has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Lieutenant General Roger G. Thompson Jr., United States Army, retired, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science Degree.  He earned a Master’s Degree in Business from the Whitman School of Business, Syracuse University, and a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.  He served in the U.S. Army for 34 years in Field Artillery, Financial Management and Logistics positions culminating in service as the Director of the Army Budget and then as Deputy Commander of the United States Transportation Command.  He then served as the Vice President of Membership and Meetings in the not-for-profit Association of the United States Army (AUSA) from 2000-2016.  He was elected to the Board of Directors of Force Protection, Incorporated and served as Lead Independent Director from 2008 to 2011. 

Currently he is the Chairman of the Board of the Charleston Chapter of AUSA supporting Army members and Veterans.  General Thompson also served as a mentor in the Citadel Business School, is an advisor to SC Members of Congress reviewing applicants to the national service academies, and is a Member of the Flag Officer Advisory committee to the South Carolina Military Base Task Force.  He resides in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Page Tisdale is the Senior Director of Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations at The Citadel Foundation. Her work focuses on fostering robust corporate partnerships to secure funding for student scholarships, academic programs, special initiatives, and capital projects at The Citadel. Prior to this role, Page served at The Citadel Career Center for 11 years in three different capacities: Career Education Coordinator, Associate Director, and Director. As Director for over seven years, she led a team dedicated to creating engaging campus partnerships and immersive programming, embedding the expectation of successful employment or graduate school acceptance into the campus culture. Under her leadership, strategic corporate partnerships and employment outcomes became a central focus, resulting in consistent employment rates of over 80% at graduation. Before joining The Citadel, Page gained extensive experience in the corporate sector, working in sales, corporate recruiting, and human resource management. She is a 1995 graduate of Clemson University and a 2011 graduate of The Citadel’s Graduate College. With deep familial ties to The Citadel, Page is a passionate advocate for its students and the college’s mission.

Wallace “Earl” Walker is the Founding Director of The Citadel Distinguished Scholars Program. He is a West Point graduate, has a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College as well as the National War College. His career highlights include publishing three books and over 25 journal articles, 18 years on the faculty at West Point, a White House Fellowship with work in the Department of Energy and the Reagan White House, a NATO Research Fellowship, President of the White House Fellows Association, Founding Director of Development at a Wal-Mart subsidiary, Founding Dean of The Citadel School of Business, and Professor Emeritus of The Citadel. He is married and has two children.

Scott has specialized in information security since 1997 supporting numerous Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Navy (DoN) programs with emphasis on technical and organizational risk assessment and information systems security management. He has led numerous multi-disciplined teams of cybersecurity professionals in support of Federal, DoD, DoN, and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programs. As the Director (acting) of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR)’s NSA-certified and USCYBERCOM accredited DoD Cyber Red Team, as well as the Supervisor for SPAWAR Atlantic’s Penetration Testing and Risk Mitigation competency, Mr. West leads, promotes, equips, staffs, and develops SSC Atlantic’s capability to support Adversarial Cybersecurity Testing and Evaluation (T&E), vulnerability assessment, and advanced cyber threat emulation across a wide spectrum of customers, missions, systems, and platforms. Scott West is a 1993 alumnus of The Citadel Corps of Cadets and has a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University. He has been a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) since 2002, and holds industry certifications in Incident Handling (GCIH), Web Application Penetration Testing (GWAPT), Network Penetration Testing (GPEN), and Mobile Device Security Analysis (GMOB).

While a cadet, James Harrison Whetstone was a Gold Star student and a member of the Summerall Guards, the elite precision drill platoon. Following his graduation from The Citadel in 1960 with a degree in Political Science, he began a career in the textile industry, eventually becoming the corporate director overseeing the global operations of Unifi Inc., the largest producer of textile yarns in the U. S. and one of the largest international companies of this type. As a senior leader there, Whetstone sought opportunities to mentor and help develop junior colleagues.

After retiring, Whetstone returned to Charleston, joining forces with his alma mater to expand mentorship opportunities for cadets of all majors and career goals. Out of his commitment grew a new initiative, the Cadet Corps Leaders Mentor Program, a mentorship program open to cadets serving in key leadership positions throughout the Corps. Assembling a diverse group of leaders from the military, civilian, government and private sectors, Whetstone has built a thriving program benefitting hundreds of cadets, and he now is sharing his leadership and mentorship with the DSP. For his dedication to his alma mater and his noble ambition to mentor the next generation of principled leaders, The Citadel Board of Visitors awarded Whetstone the 2019 Palmetto Medal.