Mar
02
2021
From The Blog
Meet Your Board Director Gaye Stathis
Service Term: 2021-2024
Personal Background
My first family trip to Kiawah was in 2000 when my husband Jim and our young son, John, took a vacation trip from our Atlanta home and stayed at the old inn for a week. We loved the hotel and the beach and appreciated the quiet and beauty of the island as compared to other trips to beaches in South Carolina and Georgia. While we were here, we stopped in at the real estate office at the front gate and met with a realtor to learn more about Kiawah and the opportunities for a second home here. We bought a lot on Governor’s Drive with a KIC membership opportunity in 2003 and about a year later sold that lot and bought another on Marsh Cove Road where we planned to build our second home. That house was completed in 2006 and today we live at that address in retirement. We are full time residents since March 2018. Currently, Jim and I are members of Kiawah Island Club and the Governor’s Club. We spend the majority of our time playing golf, riding our bikes on the many miles of bike paths here, and making use of the facilities with our club memberships for dining, social events, and exercise classes and amenities. I have first hand perspective as a nonresident and full time resident property owner.
Community Involvement
My community involvement over the past 22 years since moving to Atlanta from New Jersey to begin a new career at Bank of America includes several different assignments that translate well to KICA board service. A brief summary follows:
Kiawah: Currently acting co-chair of Arts etc. annual tour of homes. In that capacity I oversee a dozen or so committees with the help of my co-chair and our events chair. I have specific responsibility for business sponsor development. In 2019/2020 I served on the KICA Nominating Committee.
Atlanta: Elected and served as chair of my HOA for over 16 years. I was mainly responsible for the business decisions including management of the landscaping requirements for our common property. Acted as point of contact for our town officials and met with utility officials regarding major water and sewer projects and ongoing problems with metering and billing for all homeowners in our HOA.
Served on the Board of Trustees of St. Martin’s Episcopal School for 6 years (2002-2008) on the Finance and Investments committees. Assisted school’s finance administrator and headmaster with bank relationships and loan document renegotiation, and interviewed asset managers for our endowment. Annual budget of school – approximately $12 million. Endowment approximately $10 million.
Appointed by my elected county commissioner to represent her district as a consumer advocate for over 50,000 water and sewer customers during a complete overhaul of the metering and billing debacle in our county. Met regularly with the county manager and commissioners and other DeKalb County officials monthly over a year and a half (2016- 2018) in a very contentious environment revolving around severe billing problems in the water and sewer authority of DeKalb County, GA.
Professional Background
25 year career in banking, most recently with Bank of America’s corporate lending team in Atlanta, GA. Managed a portfolio of corporate borrowers’ multi-bank credit facilities with heavy emphasis on asset based lending. Many years of experience in negotiation and crafting of loan documentation for large loan facilities. Extensive interface with large middle market companies, some privately held and some publicly traded. Majority of job requirements were analytical skills including financial statement analysis, cash flow analysis and borrowing capacity, and setting loan covenants and collateral monitoring requirements for various sizes and types of loan facilities ranging in amounts up to $250 million. Utilized presentation skills and negotiation skills necessary to loan proposals and borrowers’ updates to senior bank committees on behalf of borrowers as well as running closings and lenders’ committee meetings with many professionals at the table. Managed 10+ borrower relationships at any given time.
Board Service Statement
Kiawah is my home and it’s important to me to have an active involvement in the health and future of my home. Since first coming here in 2000, Kiawah has changed from a very quiet, ecologically sensitive and almost pristine environment to a more developed residential and resort environment, nationally known for the beauty of its beaches and world class golf and amenities. There are challenges ahead as the island and surrounding area continue to be developed and KICA will play a very important role in the planning and management of future development and its effects. As I look to Kiawah’s future, it is critical that all interested parties do all that we can to protect this beautiful place and manage the island’s future so that we can continue to enjoy Kiawah for years and generations to come. This stewardship will require collaboration and cooperation among many different factions. I hope that if elected, my background, skills and talent can be impactful and meaningful to Kiawah’s future. My professional background would be helpful to board service, particularly the financial responsibilities of the board.