BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF

Kristin is a lifelong bibliophile who has become a devoted audiobook listener. Whilst driving, cleaning, or doing almost anything, novels are her soundtrack. She earned her undergraduate degree in English Literature from The University of Michigan and later earned an MD from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a practicing, board-certified, emergency medicine physician in Savannah, Georgia. She is the founder of Women Physician Writers which boasts over 2,500 members. Some of Kristin’s essays can be found online and she is beginning work on her second novel. She lives in Vernonburg with her husband and their two children.

Ivy joined the SBF Board in 2017 and has served as a member of the Executive Committee. She has been Chief Compliance Officer and Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Citi Trends, Inc. since March 2012. Ms. Council served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Citi Trends since January 8, 2007. From February 2006 to November 2006, she served as Vice President of Human Resources for Baja Fresh Restaurants, a division of Wendy’s, Inc. From September 2003 to January 2006, Ms. Council served as Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Pasta Pomodoro Restaurants.

Matt is an Audit Supervisor at Hancock Askew’s Savannah office. Prior to his career in accounting, Matt served six years in the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the “Night Stalkers,” as a Helicopter Crewmember Supervisor. Matt received a B.B.A Summa Cum Laude in Accounting from Georgia Southern University.

Bradd and his wife Kathi moved to Savannah in 2013 after living in Columbus, Ohio for 30 years where Bradd was a partner in a large Columbus-based law firm. While in Columbus, Bradd served on the Board of BalletMet, Columbus’s professional ballet company, and was a Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. He also taught Labor and Employment Law at Capital University Law School. Bradd has always loved reading and was a member of the History Book Club for many years. Bradd served three years on The Landings Club Golf and Green Committee, The Landings Association’s Appeals Committee, and on the Board of The Landings Men’s Golf Association, becoming its President.

Bradd is a graduate of Cornell University, The National Law Center, George Washington University, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Dawn is a retired senior executive with 37 years of global leadership experience in research and development at Procter & Gamble. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Global Beauty R&D, overseeing a $15 billion business and leading over 500 scientists across five international technical centers. Her expertise spans innovation strategy, long-range investment planning, global operations, and technical talent development. She has deep experience in consumer insights, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making.

Based in the Ford River and Field Community, Dawn serves as Treasurer of the Georgia Native Plant Society (Maritime Chapter) and volunteers with the Neighborhood Improvement Association, preparing taxes for low-income families. She is eager to further contribute her skills to the local community through board service.

Dawn holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University and has lived and led teams in Japan, England, and Singapore, bringing a global perspective to leadership and collaboration.

Jack, retired CEO of Simon & Schuster, joined the Board of the Savannah Book Festival in 2009. He has remained involved for over 13 years, both as a Board member, president and currently as Chairman Emeritus. Jack served as head of the Author Selection Committee until 2020. His favorite book is The Godfather by Mario Puzo.

Dr. Robert Zerbe is an enthusiastic supporter of the Savannah Book Festival and has served on its Board since 2018 and as its Treasurer since 2020. He enjoys reading most anything, but has a particular interest in science, medicine, history and philosophy. Dr. Zerbe is a retired physician who retired to Richmond Hill after a career as a pharmaceutical Research and Development executive. He and his wife Linda spend the winters in Georgia and the summers in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Cecilia is a Principal and Certified Professional Services Marketer at Thomas & Hutton. With over 23 years of experience, she oversees marketing, communications, and community relations for Thomas & Hutton’s 10 regions in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Cecilia is passionate about service to the community and serves on various professional and non-profit boards and committees, including Savannah Sports Council, TEDxSavannah, Society of Marketing Professional Services, Leadership Southeast Georgia, United Way of the Coastal Empire, and the Georgia Economic Developers Association. Named to the list of Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 and Engineering Georgia’s List of 100 Influential Women in Georgia, Cecilia is an alumnus of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Southeast Georgia, and Leadership Savannah. She is an avid runner and founder of Read, Run & Rant, an active running book club as featured in Shape and Savannah Magazines.

Virginia is a retired executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management, resource development, and community engagement. Her career has been defined by a strong commitment to fostering sustainable growth through strategic partnerships and mission-driven service. Virginia most recently served as a consultant with Elixir Marketing, focusing on multi-sector partnerships and development strategies. She was previously President and CEO of United Way of Coastal Georgia (2015–2020), where she led regional philanthropic initiatives and community impact programs. Prior roles include Executive Director of Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity (2005–2014), freelance nonprofit management consultant, and Manager of Grant Development at SCAD.

Throughout her career, Virginia has been recognized for her effective leadership, fundraising acumen, and dedication to empowering communities. She continues to seek meaningful opportunities to contribute her experience and insight through board service.

Tucker is a Client Advisor at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. He specializes in bonding, property, and complex casualty risk management programs, with a focus on the construction, energy, and healthcare industries. A Savannah native and graduate of Savannah Country Day School. He frequently contributes insights on topics such as tort reform, catastrophic weather events, and the evolving solar industry. Tucker is actively involved in community organizations, running an annual charity event for Make-A-Wish Southeast Georgia, serving on the Savannah Country Day School Board of Alumni, and coaching middle school soccer for Hancock Day School. He lives on Isle of Hope with his wife, Leslie, and one-year-old daughter, Maggie, where they enjoy activities on the water and spending time with other family and friends around town.

Tucker holds a BBA in Risk Management & Insurance from the University of Georgia. He holds professional designations including CPCU and AIC and is involved in the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia.

Bev is a retired higher education leader and active community volunteer. She dedicated over 30 years to Florida International University (FIU), where she began her career in Career Services and later became the founding Executive Director of the Center for Leadership and Service. In this role, she helped students develop personal leadership skills and emphasized that leadership is a skill everyone can and needs to develop.

Since retiring to Savannah, she has become active in the community as a docent for Telfair Museums and a board member of The One Hundred Children’s Foundation along with many activities on Skidaway Island. Bev has been a volunteer with the Savannah Book Festival for several years, including former chair of the Volunteer Committee.

She holds a doctorate in education from FIU and is an alumna of The College of New Rochelle.

Matt is the General Manager at Thompson Savannah, located in the new Eastern Wharf neighborhood. He lives in Ardsley Park with his wife Sarah and their sons Henry and Jack, Matt’s daughter is a school teacher in Rochester, NY. He is originally from the NYC area, and his career has brought him up and down the Eastern seaboard, as far north as Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and as far south as Miami, Florida. Matt grew up in a family of journalist and editors has always had an appreciation for the written word. Matt studied literature at the University of Washington. Some of his favorite authors are T.C. Boyle, Pynchon, Gaddis, Wolfe, Garcia-Marquez, Greene, Hesse and Eco.

Robert is a Professor of Writing at SCAD, he was previously with the University of Evansville, IN and University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Rob is the author of several books of poetry including The Moon from Every Window which was nominated for the 2013 Poets’ Prize. He is a founding Publisher of Measure Press. His fantasy novel, Engines of Night, is forthcoming from Hydra Publications. Rob received his B.A. from the University of Tennessee and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas, and in 2005, was awarded the University of Evansville’s Outstanding Professor Award.

Sherry is an accomplished marketing and communications executive with a distinguished career spanning over 25 years. She recently retired as Executive Vice President at Radancy, a global leader in talent acquisition technology, marketing and brand development, where she directed business strategies for NorthEast and Global markets. Jacobson is renowned for her entrepreneurial spirit, strategic leadership, and exceptional relationship-building skills, having cultivated long-standing partnerships with numerous Fortune 100 companies. Throughout her career, Jacobson has been instrumental in setting new standards in recruitment advertising, marketing and integrated communications. Her innovative work has earned her multiple industry accolades, including the EMA Creative Award, CEA, Golden Harvey Nursing Award, and EMA Radio/TV Creative for Military and Student Enrollment. Beyond her corporate achievements, Jacobson is deeply committed to nonprofit and community engagement. She served as Co-President of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, was a board member of the Institute for Healthy Aging, and is still active on the Advisory Board for the Lienhard School of Nursing and the College of Health Professions at Pace University.

Dividing her time between New York City and Savannah, Georgia, Sherry exemplifies a lifelong dedication to innovation, leadership, and social responsibility.

Jacobson holds a BA in Psychology from Hofstra University and pursued graduate studies in experimental psychology at The New School in New York City.

Betsy is a current SBF Development Committee member and resident of The Ford Field and River Club. Betsy and her husband became “snowbirds” traveling between Chagrin Falls, OH to Savannah and Richmond Hill back in 1999. In 2019 they became full-time Georgia residents. For 30 years Betsy was an active member of a book club in Chagrin Falls, and for the last 10 years she has chaired the Ford Book Club.

Jacqueline is a real estate agent in the downtown Savannah area who loves Savannah as much as she loves her clients. After visiting Savannah for the first time in the spring of 2001, she realized that Savannah was home to her future. Jacqueline received a B.S. in Interior Design from Western Michigan University.

Erick is a retired General Counsel with broad experience in corporate law and operations. Most recently, he served as General Counsel at Wells Enterprises, maker of Blue Bunny ice cream, where he led legal, risk management, security, and facilities operations across North America. Previously, Erick held senior legal roles at Pactiv Corporation, Kimberly-Clark, and Brunswick Corporation; starting his career in the corporate finance team at a large national law firm.

Erick has served on the boards of the Iowa Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Northwest Iowa Chamber of Commerce, and has been active in youth sports and church leadership. He and his wife, Kim, recently relocated full-time to the Savannah area at the Ford River and Field Community, where they’ve had a second home since 2013.

He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago, a J.D. from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Caroline “Caro” is a retired realtor who lived in Jacksonville for most of her adult life. She is originally from Savannah and is a graduate of Savannah Country Day School and Hollins University. Caro resides in downtown Savannah and is well-connected among the downtown residents. Caro is a fan of SBF and E. Shaver.

Partner at Energage and EBS Brain, is a former journalist, with a history of working in the research industry. He is at his best when connecting the dots between behaviors and outcomes. He is pursuing advanced degrees in cognitive neuroscience. Dan received a BA in Political Science from the University of Delaware.

Lisa moved to Savannah in 2007 and has held many leadership positions at Savannah State University. She served on Deep Center’s Board of Directors from 2011-17, including a two-year term as Board Chair. Lisa began her tenure on the Savannah Book Festival Board in 2018. Her roles at Savannah State University have been instrumental in supporting the missions of both the Savannah State University campus and the Festival. As a philosophy professor, Lisa is drawn to fiction that attempts to express philosophical ideas through characters in action.