Wesleyan College is proud to introduce five new members to its board of trustees. Their tenures began immediately after receiving unanimous support from the current board.

Stanford “Stan” Brown

Stan is an adjunct instructor of history at Columbus State University. For nineteen years, he taught social studies at Central High School in Macon. Stan earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Duke University in 1992 and his master of arts degree in history from the University of Georgia in 1994. A native of Howard, Georgia, Stan is the son of Sylvia Maxwell Brown ‘63 and the late Harold Searcy Brown, and the brother of Mary Beth Brown Swearingen ’89. He is a member of Howard United Methodist Church and for many years has been a lay member of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, elected by the Howard Charge. 

Bishop David Graves

David serves as the resident bishop of the South Georgia Conference and as the resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference. He has been an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church more than thirty-two years and served as the senior pastor of Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville, TN, and as the district superintendent for the Kingsport District of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, two years as dean of the cabinet, among other previous appointments. A Knoxville native, David graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a bachelor of science in business administration and Candler School of Theology at Emory University with a master of divinity degree. He has shared forty years of marriage with his wife, Nancy. The couple has two children.

Janice Mays ’73

Applying her background in government and her deep understanding of the factors influencing both elected and professional participants in government, Janice serves as managing director for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, D.C. In this position, she advises the firm’s clients on a broad range of tax, health, trade, and policy issues. Janice joins PwC after a forty-year career on Capitol Hill including more than twenty-two years as the Democratic chief counsel and staff director for the House Ways and Means Committee. As the first woman named to lead the staff of any major committee in the House, she worked extensively on health reform and international trade legislation serving under five democratic chairmen/ranking members on the committee. She was closely involved with and responsible for much tax legislation, including the Tax Reform Act of 1986. 

Carla Ruiz-Ney ’08

At Wesleyan, Carla was active in many roles and participated in the 2007 Summer Leadership Institute. Following her graduation from Wesleyan with a degree in economics, she earned her M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University. Within her career in the financial industry in Houston, Texas, she manages clients through the execution, structure, and origination of non-investment-grade syndicated loans and high yield bonds in the natural resources and consumer/retail sectors. Carla works with clients and lawyers to manage the marketing process and legal documentation, respectively. 

Reverend Felecia Pearson Smith ’74

Felecia is a licensed and ordained minister of the Georgia Ministerial Assembly of the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. Following graduation from Wesleyan, she entered the Candler School of Theology at Emory University where she earned a master of divinity degree. In 2005, she was honored by the Program of Black Church Studies at Emory University for being the first African American woman graduate of the School of Theology. In 2015, Felecia was honored by the Black Student Caucus of the Candler School of Theology and received the first “Felecia Pearson Smith Alumna Trail Blazer Award.” This award will be given every year to alumni who have displayed significant leadership in the church and the community. Felecia is a sought-after speaker, instructor, scholar, community servant, published author, and host of Authentic Conversations on Blog talk radio.