New PC Board Members Elected

New PC Board Members Elected

Five new board members have been elected to serve on the Presbyterian College Board of Trustees. The new members include three alumni and two leaders from the worlds of banking and medicine. Their service to the College will commence on Jan. 1, 2019.

“We are excited to have these individuals joining the Board in the new year,” said PC President Bob Staton. “They bring a wealth of insight, experience, and love for the College that will prove to be beneficial as we continue to move forward with the Promise of PC.”

The new board members include:

  • John D. Clark ’86, Clark Law Firm, LLC, Sumter, S.C.
  • Gregg N. Frierson, Senior Vice President and Commercial Credit Manager, Bank of America, Orangeburg, S.C.
  • Cody T. Mitchell ’08 (Alumni Representative), Lucas, Warr, White, and Mitchell, Hartsville, S.C.
  • James A. Pfeiffer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Self Regional Healthcare, Greenwood, S.C.
  • Steve Smith ’84, President and Owner, Swagelok North Carolina / East Tennessee, Weddington, N.C.

Full list of the PC Board of Trustees »


John D. Clark ’86

Clark graduated from PC in 1986 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991. A year later, he joined the staff of Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr. of the Supreme Court of South Carolina as a judicial law clerk. From 1994 to 1996, Clark was a public defender in Sumter County. Since 1998, Clark has been the managing partner of the Clark Law Firm, LLC, in Sumter and currently concentrates on personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. He is a member of the S.C. Association of Justice, American Association of Justice, American Board of Trial Advocates, and the S.C. Injured Workers’ Advocates.

Gregg N. Frierson

Frierson has been with Bank of America for more than three decades and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Claflin University, a private HBCU in Orangeburg, S.C., from 1996 to 2011. More recently, Frierson served as a member of the Board of Directors of Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc., from 2007 to 2018.

Cody T. Mitchell ’08

Mitchell serves as a partner in the firm of Lucas, Warr, White, & Mitchell in Hartsville, S.C., and practices with his mentor, S.C. House of Representatives Speaker Jay Lucas.  Mitchell’s practice focuses on the areas of personal injury, criminal defense, general litigation, family court, and real estate. He is a 2008 distinguished military graduate and cum laude graduate of PC, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in history and business administration. While attending PC, Mitchell served as student body president, ROTC Battalion Commander, and president of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order.

James A. Pfeiffer

Pfeiffer has served in the leadership role at Self Regional since July 2008. Prior to that, he served with Morton Plant Mease Healthcare, a four-hospital system in Tampa, Florida. There, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer from 2005 to 2008, and as president and CEO from 2000-2005. He helped lead Morton Plant Mease Healthcare to numerous awards, including the prestigious Top 100 Hospitals Overall. Under his leadership, the hospital also became the first one in Florida to earn Magnet status for nursing.

Steve Smith ’84

Smith graduated from PC in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. He is now president and owner of Swagelok North Carolina / East Tennessee, a distributor of premium Swagelok Fluid System Components. Smith has served on PC’s Alumni Board, as well as the Search Committee for a PC head basketball coach. Steve and his wife, Gayla, are longtime supporters of the Scotsman Club and continue to support the Steve and Gayla Smith Athletic Scholarship Fund. In addition to supporting PC, Smith supports various community charities including Make-A-Wish Foundation, Dress for Success, FCA and United Way.