The Board of Directors
Karina Garrison
Karina Garrison is a senior vice president and office leader for Pinnacle Financial Partners. She leads an amazing team of experienced financial services professionals at Pinnacle’s North Mount Pleasant office. Karina has been supporting her community by delivering distinctive service and effective advice to her personal and business clients for 20 years.
As part of Pinnacle’s commitment to help grow and support local economies, Karina offers financial education classes to community partners and businesses, supports underserved communities with opportunities for financial independence through entrepreneurship, and advocates for affordable housing and homeownership in partnership with community and mortgage programs.
Karina is passionate about supporting small businesses and hosts an annual Mastermind forum to create community and synergy among local small business owners. She works in partnership with local schools to promote childhood and adolescent financial literacy.
Originally hailing from Cambridge, England, Karina moved to the United States in 2001 and began her career in banking after graduating from Mildenhall College of Technology. She enjoys traveling with her husband and two young daughters.
Ben Nesvold
Benjamin Nesvold is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments in Mount Pleasant. Ben helps business owners and individuals with their complex investment and financial planning needs. He has successfully grown his practice by becoming deeply involved in the community and working to understand his client's personal goals and needs before developing their financial strategies.
Ben graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2014, with degrees in Economics and Political Science. He relocated to the Charleston area from Madison, Wisconsin, in 2019, and met his girlfriend Audrey, an Audiologist in Charleston, shortly thereafter.
Ben was awarded the "40 under 40" distinction by the Charleston Regional Business Journal in 2022. He serves on the Investment Board for Trident United Way and is an active volunteer with First Tee of Greater Charleston, Trident United Way and the East Cooper Community Outreach.
Outside of work Ben and Audrey enjoy traveling, golfing, eating at the countless amazing restaurants of Charleston, and taking their lively Golden Retriever Winston to the beach!
Jordan McKinney
Jordan Martini McKinney is the General Manager at AdvantEdge HR & Benefits. She leads a team here in Charleston and in New Jersey. AdvantEdge offers small businesses a single-source solution for payroll, benefits, and human resources. Passionate about team leadership and collaboration, Jordan emphasizes customer service and a “can-do” attitude with her clients and internal team.
Jordan takes pride in developing real relationships with her clients and enjoys learning about the many small businesses that represent the Lowcountry.
A graduate of the College of Charleston (go Cougars!), Jordan and her husband Turner, and their English Springer Spaniel, Pepper have called Charleston home for the past 5 years and enjoy exploring the city’s hospitality scene and staying active.
Kathi Herrmann
Kathi Herrmann is the Marketing Director for Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. She creates and implements marketing programs for the 500,000+ square foot outdoor mixed-use shopping center, including events such as Lights Up, Fall Festival, Play Dayz, Live Under The Oaks, Pink Promenade and Pup Bowl. Previously she was the Director of Marketing for four regional shopping centers on Long Island, New York for Simon Property Group, including Roosevelt Field, the 9th largest shopping center in the United States. Kathi has been in the shopping center marketing industry for more than 20 years.
Kathi Herrmann majored in Marketing and received a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT.
Kathi and her husband Danny, relocated to Mount Pleasant in February, 2016 and spend their time with their incredibly cute rescue shepherd mutt Herbie.
Louis Tyson
Louis Tyson is the founder/operator of Tyson Accounting Services LLC in Mt. Pleasant, SC. As an IRS licensed Enrolled Agent with over 25 years of experience, Louis provides a variety of income tax services to small businesses and individuals: tax planning, return preparation, and IRS correspondence evaluation and response. While helping individuals, families and small businesses navigate the complex U. S. Tax Code, Louis stays abreast of the ever-changing laws and focuses his attention on the firm’s developing role in the tax field and its expanding clientele who require tax help.
Louis is also the co-founder of Hanahan Community Cats (a 501(c)3 non-profit) dedicated to reducing cat overpopulation in Hanahan, SC through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return. He volunteers with Berkeley Animal Center and Charleston Animal Society.
Louis is a graduate of the University of Georgia and moved to Charleston, SC in 1992. Louis resides in Hanahan with his wife, Taylar, two sons, and multiple pets.
CHRIS STAUBES
Chris Staubes is the owner of the Staubes Law Firm and the Harbor Group business brokerage, where he assists clients with mergers and acquisitions, corporate start-ups, contract review and negotiation, franchise rights, and general corporate matters.
Chris currently leads the Coastal Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America as President of the Council's Executive Board. In addition to his service as President Emeritus of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, Chris has served as an elected member of the Charleston County School Board, President of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, President of the Mount Pleasant Chamber Foundation and President of the Mount Pleasant Business Association. In 2012, Chris participated in The Riley Institute® at Furman University, and was named a Riley Institute Diversity Fellow. Chris was the General Counsel and a member of the Board of Directors for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce from 2000–2003, and he is a 1998 graduate of the Leadership Charleston. In 2001, Chris was named to the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 for his public and community service. Chris has an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2010 in the field of Corporate Law. Charleston Business Magazine has named Chris to their 2017 Legal Elite of the Lowcountry for his work in Corporate law and Mergers and Acquisitions. Chris was awarded the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award in 2019 for his contributions at the local, state, and regional level.
Chris is a graduate of Wofford College and the University of South Carolina School of Law, and resides in Mt. Pleasant with his wife Tanya.
Matt Brady
Town of Mount Pleasant Liaison
John Carroll
John Carroll is a national award-winning columnist, author, consultant, executive coach and serial entrepreneur. He helps executives and organizations be more productive and more profitable and have more fun. John is one of only 20 professionals worldwide recognized by peers for his work in consulting with emerging growth companies. John has worked with executives and entrepreneurs in businesses, trade groups and charitable organizations.
An accomplished and engaging speaker, he has been internationally recognized for Sales and Facilitation Excellence. His approaches have attracted attention globally, including articles appearing in Chief Executive China magazine.
A national award-winning columnist, John is also the author of Sales Illustrated: 68 Sales Lessons from Everyday Life (available in three languages) and The Great Big Book of Goal Setting and Getting. His columns have appeared regularly in The Charleston Regional Business Journal and The Catholic Miscellany.
With firsthand experience in manufacturing, distribution and service industries, he works well in start-up situations, having launched or helped to launch six organizations. John is the first layperson to serve on the Clergy Personnel Advisory Board of the Diocese of Charleston.
A founding board member of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, he is also the founding board chair and a current board member of Camp Rise Above, providing summer camp experiences for children with life-threatening illness and serious life challenges. He is a founding board member of Lowcountry Local First and has served as board president of the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center and president of what is now the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce. He is the father of two grown daughters and grandfather of one and lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife, Lori.
Tripp Hays
Tripp Hays joined the team at Explore Charleston in 2022 as a Destination Service Manager. In this capacity he works with groups to arrange activities and events outside of their host hotel. Prior to joining Explore Charleston Mr. Hays has spent 35 years in the hospitality industry with time at the Francis Marion Hotel, InterContinental Hotels, The Doubletree Historic District (currently Hotel Emeline) and The Mills House Hotel. His responsibilities have included General Manager, Director of Sales and Marketing, Rooms Division Manager and Portfolio Revenue Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Charleston and served in the US Army as an Intelligence Analyst.
He is a former President of the Charleston Area Hotel Association and Chair of Charleston Travel Council. He has served adjunct faculty at The Culinary Institute at Trident Technical College and on Charleston County School District Career and Technology Steering Committee as well as Industry Advisor for Garrett Academy of Technology. He is a former Board Member of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and also served on the board of the Chamber’s Educational Foundation.
He resided in Charleston, SC and enjoys time at the beach and boating.
Past Presidents
2017-2018 Chris Staubes
2019-2020 Shane Griffin
2021 Edward Phipps
2022 Michael Cochran
2023 Jennifer Maxwell
2024 Kathleen Herrmann