ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Three new members have recently been appointed to the Winthrop University Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Joining the board are Alice Davis of Rock Hill, South Carolina; Mike Smiley ’92 of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Robert Tidwell ’98 of Woodstock, Georgia.
The Foundation Board of Directors is composed of Winthrop alumni and friends.
Kevin Hughes, vice president for university advancement, said he is energized by the addition of the board’s newest leadership. “We are very fortunate to have three dynamic members join our team as we continue to support strategic Winthrop objectives and the overall mission of the university,” Hughes said. “Our newest board members will contribute meaningful business expertise and experience, and position Winthrop to make notable strides in the coming years.”
Learn more about the three newest members:
Alice Davis
Davis is a Rock Hill native with a B.S. in special education from Presbyterian College. After a brief teaching career, she transitioned to her family's business, Williams & Fudge, where she has served as director of foundation and community support for the past 18 years. In addition to her Foundation board work, she serves on several additional boards, including ChristmasVille, the Anne Springs Close Greenway Advisory Board, Camp Canaan, the Rock Hill Schools Education Foundation, the York County Disabilities Foundation and Miracle Park. Davis and her husband, Kevin, have three children—Blake, 16; Delaney, 15; and Lilli Jane, 11—as well as a bonus son, Diego, 18, an exchange student from Spain. The couple endowed a Winthrop scholarship, The Dreams Float in Education Endowed Scholarship Fund, to support a student majoring in education.
Mike Smiley
Smiley graduated from Winthrop in 1992 with his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in financial management. Smiley joined TrinityPoint Wealth, now Coastal Bridge Advisors, as a managing partner in 2019, and he has over three decades of wealth management experience. Smiley is actively involved in the community, and his philanthropic interests center on cancer research, Christian outreach, nature conservation and children. He and his wife, Shari Lynn, created a charitable fund called Smiley’s 4 C’s to benefit these endeavors, and the couple also created at Winthrop the Mike and Shari Lynn Smiley Endowed Scholarship which supports students pursuing a degree in the health sciences. In addition to his current Foundation board service, he has previously served on a variety of boards and committees.
Robert Tidwell
After serving in the U.S. Army, Tidwell graduated from Winthrop with a B.A. in history in 1998. He then attended law school at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. Upon graduating from law school in 2002, Tidwell moved to Woodstock, Georgia, where he began his legal career. He founded Tidwell Strimban Injury Lawyers where he currently works as a trial attorney. In addition to practicing law, Tidwell serves as the Chief Judge for Woodstock Municipal Court where he presides over traffic cases and non-violent misdemeanors. In addition to his previous service on a variety of boards, he currently serves on the Winthrop Foundation and on the community board of directors for the Goshen Valley Boy’s Ranch, a faith-based group foster home. He and his wife, Lori, a 1997 Winthrop alumna, have two daughters, Reagan and Hadley.
For more information on how to support Winthrop or to learn more about the impact the Winthrop University Foundation has on the mission of the university, please contact the Division of University Advancement at 803/323-2275.
