Who We Are 

Carol Clement is the controller for Clement Crawford and Thornhill, Inc. She and her husband, Robert Clement, have four children. She has been active in First Scots Presbyterian Church, the Junior League of Charleston, the Charleston Museum, and the Friends of MUSC Children’s Hospital. Serving on the board of the ABVI is a special honor for her to be able to work with the very talented staff and to help support and promote the services they offer.

Shawn Dobbs was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana, a small town just outside Indianapolis. He is a graduate of the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. After high school, Shawn attended the University of Evansville where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology before enrolling at Indiana University where he earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Organizational Leadership. Shawn has over 15 years of experience working in the blindness field. Since May of 2012, Shawn has worked for The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. first as the Director of Public Relations and Development in Spokane, Washington, and in August 2016, he relocated to the Newest Lighthouse location in Summerville, South Carolina.

Doug is a retired businessman and a former USAF pilot. He and his wife Joni moved to Charleston in 2007 and he became involved with ABVI shortly after that. In addition to his work with ABVI, Doug serves on the Revolving Loan Fund Committee of the Historic Charleston Foundation and is a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs at the College of Charleston.

Doug is a graduate of Stanford University and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.  He and Joni have two grown children and two identical twin granddaughters.

B. Karl Jantzen

Thomas Smythe was born in Charleston, SC.  He attended Porter-Gaud School then went on to graduate from The Taft School in Watertown, CT.  Thomas graduated in 2004 from the University of the South (Sewanee) where he majored in history and was a member of the men’s soccer team.  After college, Thomas lived in Portland, Oregon for three years working in the commercial real estate business. Currently, Thomas lives in Mt. Pleasant with his wife Kalyn and their two dogs Jake and Bentley.  He is a Financial Advisor with MassMutual.

Allison Thompson graduated from the College of Charleston with a BA in English Literature and from the University of South Carolina Law School with a Juris Doctorate. She is a lawyer who has over 18 years of experience in construction and insurance coverage litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. Her practice concentration areas include construction litigation, insurance coverage and analysis at the trial and appellate court levels with a focus on managing complex long-term litigation, research and writing, and collaborating with forensic experts and clients to insure best practices and results. She is admitted to practice in South Carolina, the United States District Court for South Carolina and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She is a member of the Charleston County Bar and is a former president of the Charleston Lawyers Club.

In addition to her service on the board of the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Mrs. Thompson serves as Vice President and Executive Committee Member of the College of Charleston Alumni Board. Mrs. Thompson served as Co-Chair of Student Alumni Associates Alumni-Mentor Program where she aided in the development of the program which identifies alumni willing to serve as mentors to collegiates, identifies alumni with varying talents and professional backgrounds who would complement the interests and aspirations of the students, and partners alumni and students based on their interests. She serves as an international officer for Alpha Delta Pi as a Collegiate Province Director for four universities and previously served six years as a Chapter Advisor.

Mrs. Thompson is married to Charleston native Joseph Thompson, III (Trey) and has a son, Burke (14) and a daughter Ann (12).

Joe Waring joined Evening Post Industries in 2013 as Associate Director of Human Resources.  In 2016, he was promoted to Director of Human Resources and ran the corporate function until the end of 2017.  He then assumed the CFO role on January 1, 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNC-Chapel Hill as well as JD and MBA degrees from the University of South Carolina. He also has attained the Masters in Wealth Management designation from the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment. Prior to joining EPI, Joe served in various positions of the HSBC Group in its New York and London offices.  He has a wife and three young children and resides in Charleston.  He is a Liberty Fellow and actively involved in several local charities.

Taylor Concilio was born and raised in Charlotte NC. Taylor moved to Charleston in 2002 to begin her studies at the College of Charleston. She studied psychology with a minor in Spanish and spent time studying abroad in Spain. For the past 7 years, Taylor has been in a customer support role with a global information technology services & solutions company, TEKsystems. Several years ago she was looking for ways to give back to the Charleston community and was grateful for the opportunity to join ABVI’s advancement committee.

Ellen Hassell grew up in Charleston, SC and attended Ashley Hall School. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing at Clemson University, she returned home to Charleston where she began her banking career at Wells Fargo. She currently works for Synovus Trust Company as a New Business Development Officer. Ellen enjoys giving back to the Charleston community through her involvement with ABVI!

Brian was born in Charleston and raised in nearby Kingstree, SC.  He received a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University in 2003 and Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2007.  Brian returned to Charleston in 2007 and is currently a partner at Hood Law Firm, LLC where he focuses his practice on civil litigation defense in the practice areas of healthcare and commercial litigation.  After years of living and working in Charleston, Brian is looking forward to joining the Advancement Committee and being a part of the ABVI to help foster awareness for Charleston’s blind and visually impaired community.

Courtney Adams grew up in Charleston, SC and attended Bishop England High School. After receiving a degree in Communication at the College of Charleston, she decided to stay in Charleston and begin her career at Blackbaud.  She is currently an Associate on the Customer Operations Training team. Courtney was fortunate to have the experience of interning with the American Red Cross and this is where she discovered her passion for volunteering. She is excited for the opportunity to continue serving the community as a member of the ABVI Advancement Committee.

After studying business at Wofford College, Will Adams returned home to Charleston where he launched his professional career with a downtown real estate company. With a keen interest in technology, Will later joined Radiate Technologies where he has held several positions over the past five years. Currently an IT Manager, he enjoys assisting businesses from a technical perspective and looks forward to broadening his scope of support through his involvement with the Advancement Committee.

Kate Brady was born and raised in Rochester, NY. She attended the University of Hartford in Connecticut where she received her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences, as well as her Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She went on to complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kate and her husband, Karl, moved to Charleston in 2016. She currently works full time as a physical therapist at MUSC. She was introduced to ABVI through Board member Tricia Leyte-Vidal. Kate immediately knew she wanted to help such a wonderful organization and is honored to be a part of the Advancement Committee.

Crystal Brodie was born in West Virginia but became a Lowcountry transplant at the age of six. Considering Charleston home, Crystal earned her Bachelors of Communications at the College of Charleston. With more than ten years of working in the mortgage industry, Crystal recently transitioned into sales and now serves Charleston residents as a licensed Realtor. Her passion is real estate is strong, however, in her spare time she operates a small photography business and volunteers at events and organizations helping the homeless.  Crystal feels a close connection with ABVI as her mother was legally blind. She knows first-hand the hurdles that the visually impaired community face and feels drawn to serve them.

Alyssa is a Communications Coordinator at Ingevity, a global pine chemical company based in Charleston, S.C.  She is also active in Charleston Young Professionals and Two Rivers Methodist Church, with previous involvement at Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center and Trident United Way. She is from Austin, Texas.Alyssa is a graduate of Clemson University, where she earned a B.A. in English with a minor in French and spent time studying abroad in Belgium. She served on the executive committee of the Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity chapter in Clemson.”I’m proud to support ABVI’s empowering work with people who have blindness and visual impairment in the Tri-County. ABVI is a great and growing resource in our community.”

A native of Maryland, Lauren has lived in Charleston for seven years. She is a graduate of the College of Charleston where she majored in elementary education. During college, Lauren interned in the development office in the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina where she developed a passion for seeing the joy that comes from accomplishing good for others. Following graduation, she joined the development staff at MUSC where she began working for the Heart and Vascular Center and recently transferred to Storm Eye.

Lauren resides in downtown Charleston with her golden retriever, Sam, and can often be found walking around town. She is currently pursuing her masters in health administration at MUSC.

Hagood Morrison is a Vice President with Bridge Commercial where he focuses on commercial real estate investment sales in South Carolina. Born and raised in Charleston, Hagood graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in Economics. After working in commercial real estate acquisitions in Washington, DC and Chicago, Hagood and his wife, Whitney, returned home to Charleston to raise a new addition to the Morrison family – a baby boy. Hagood is delighted and thankful to serve as an advocate and volunteer for the Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired.