Board Members
Robert Sams
Board Chair
Robert Sams is the full time Broker in Charge of Saluda River Realty Services. He serves as an Elder at Easley Presbyterian Church. He also serves as treasurer of Friends of Pickens County Library and Pickens County Advocacy Center.
Dr. Betty McDaniel
Vice Chair
A retired school-teacher, Betty now spends her time helping to preserve Upcountry life and culture through a variety of non-profits, including the Hagood Mill Foundation.
Tom Hagood
Treasurer
Tom Hagood is Vice President of National for the McGee Corporation in Matthews, NC. He serves as the Treasurer for the Hagood Mill Foundation. He is the Great Great Great grandson of Colonel Benjamin Hagood and the Great Great grandson of James E. Hagood.
Ron Masters
Secretary
Ron Masters worked in the dental industry for 30 years and was a sales rep for several major U.S. companies In the Charlotte NC area. Ron is currently serving as Historical Events Director for the Pickens County Historical Society. In his spare time, he works for the Pickens County Clerk of Court as a court bailiff.
Danielle “Dani” Buckhiester Holt
Board Member
Born and raised in Pickens, South Carolina, Dani is a graduate of Furman University and National Service alumni. After past careers in the nonprofit sector and restaurant industry, she is now pursuing a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and Comparative Literature through Harvard University’s Extension School while working on her first novel. Dani and her husband Jackson live in Greenville, South Carolina with their border collie Draco and two rescue cats, Gus and Sisu. Together they enjoy traveling, hiking, gardening, and all things food.
Dani also volunteered for Hagood Mill and received her 10-year volunteer pin. She started in elementary school and continued throughout her high school career in varying frequencies. While at Furman, she volunteered at the Native American Celebration with painted ponies.
Ben Hagood
Board Member
Ben Hagood is a retired commercial banker who currently serves on the Tri County Technical College Foundation, the Rotary Club of Anderson, SC, and a member of the Board of Visitors at Anderson University. Ben’s hobbies include traveling, hiking, golf, and scuba diving.
Michael Bramlett
Board Member
Michael Bramlett has always had the desire to rediscover history. He assisted and apprenticed under State Archaeologist Tommy Charles from 1996 until his retirement in 2010. Much of their work is chronicled in Tommy Charles’s seminal work “Discovering South Carolinas Rock Art” published in 2010. Much of their work is chronicled in Tommy Charles’s seminal work “Discovering South Carolinas Rock Art” published in 2010.
Ben Hagood
Board Member
Ben Hagood is a retired commercial banker who currently serves on the Tri County Technical College Foundation, the Rotary Club of Anderson, SC, and a member of the Board of Visitors at Anderson University. Ben’s hobbies include traveling, hiking, golf, and scuba diving.
Nicklaus McKinney
Board Member
Nicklaus McKinney is the Director of the Pickens County Museum of Art and History in Pickens, South Carolina. After completing a B.A. in Philosophy from Coastal Carolina University, he moved to Seneca and began designing exhibitions for the Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum. Nick worked for the City of Seneca for 9 years and left Seneca as the Director of Museums, Design, and Technology and began his current job at the Pickens County Museum in June of 2024. Nick completed an M.A. in Museum Studies at the University of Oklahoma and currently works on multiple grant projects with Clemson University and the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina.
Alfred B. Robinson, Jr.
Board Member
Alfred Robinson is a graduate of Washington & Lee University and University of South Carolina Law School. He is active in Robinson Company and affiliated with Robinson Funeral Home in Easley and continues to practice law.
Dr. Kathy McKenzie-Mitiku
Board Member
Dr. McKenzie-Mitiku was the director of auditing for the City of Winston Salem, NC for nearly 30 years. Upon retirement she edited several academic journals as well as managed the family business. She is a descendant of the Hagood family and proud to serve the community.
Ryan Ferrell
Board Member
Ryan Ferrell has enjoyed a long career in the commercial elevator industry. He has served in many different roles throughout his career, from field work, to sales, to district management and supervision. He currently oversees the service operation for Schi ndler Elevator Company for the areas of Greenville SC and Asheville NC. A native of Rock Hill SC, Ryan and his wife Teresa moved to the Upstate of South Carolina in 1997 where they planted their roots and raised their two sons, only few miles from Hagood Mill. In 2017 Ryan and his wife moved to Ft. Lauderdale FL for his career. They returned to the Upstate in 2020 and now reside in Easley SC. During his time in the Upstate, and even while away in Florida, Ryan remained active in various Upstate events and non - profits. He assisted with the Founders Day Music festival formerly held in Pickens through the Pickens Revitalization Association. In 2011 he organized and kicked off the first Winter Bluegrass Jubilee in Pickens SC through the Young Appalachian Musi cians Program. Currently he serves as Board Chair for Preserving Our Southern Appalachian Music (the parent organization for the Young Appalachian Musicians Program) and is an active Board member for the Holly Springs Center as well as the Hagood Mill Fou ndation. Ryan enjoys hiking, scuba diving, spending time on the water, playing disc golf, and swinging the clubs on the traditional golf course on occasion. Ryan holds a BS in Business Administration and an MBA from Southern Wesleyan University.