News Release

Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation

First Meeting Set for May 17

May 16, 2023

The board of directors for Hilton Head Island’s Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation will have its first meeting on Wednesday, May 17, at Town Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Appointed by the Hilton Head Island Town Council, this board of experienced business and community leaders will convene at 11 a.m. and begin laying the foundation for the Corporation’s work to support the preservation, advancement, and sustainability of historic and culturally sensitive communities on Hilton Head Island. Those include the communities of Bay Gall, Big Hill, Chaplin, Gardner, Grassland, Jarvis, Jonesville, Marshland, Mitchelville, Spanish Wells, Squire Pope, and Stoney.

The new members recently named to the Corporation’s board are:

• Town Council member David Ames
• Town Council member Alex Brown
• Terry Brubaker, an accomplished business consultant
• Shirley "Peaches" Peterson, a Hilton Head Island community leader
• Rev. Louis Johnson, Pastor, Central Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Agenda items for the meeting include:

• The swearing-in of board members.
• Election of board officers.
• General discussion and overview of corporation and community objectives.
• Review and ratification of the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Corporation’s by-laws.
• Consideration of proposed calendar year 2023 meeting dates, times, and locations.
• An executive session to discuss the search process for identifying an executive director.

Citizens who wish to address the Committee at its first meeting may do so by contacting the Assistant Town Clerk at 843-341-4646, no later than 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Citizens may also submit written comments on the agenda item via the Town's Open Town Hall Portal.

For more information about the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation and its board members, visit hiltonheadislandsc.gov/gullahgeecheecdc.