Bethea Volunteer Service Award

Born September 10, 1951, in Washington, D.C., John is the youngest of five children of Antoinette and Charles Wentzell. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1969, John attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1974 from the College of Business Administration with a degree in accounting. During college he was a member of the international business fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi where he served in many leadership roles including President in 1974.

Upon graduation, John worked with McGregor and Company as a Certified Public Accountant. In 1980, he went to work as Chief Financial Officer with a group of Anheuser – Busch Beverage Distributorships. In 2005, he formed John Wentzell Consulting and Advisory Services.

During his career, John served on numerous boards and committees of the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants including President in 1994 and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) including AICPA Council, AICPA Foundation and AICPA Benevolent Fund serving as Chairman from 1999-2002. John also served on the boards of Junior Achievement, Boys Clubs of America and the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

At the University of South Carolina, John served on several Boards including the Business Partnership Foundation, Treasurer of the Alumni Association Board of Governors for over two decades (2000-2024), and the Education Foundation for over 14 years serving in various roles including Treasurer, Secretary, Chairman Elect, Chairman (2 terms), and Past Chairman (2 terms).

John is a member of Union United Methodist Church in Irmo where he served on the Finance and Recreation committees. When his children were younger, John served in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts as Den Leader, Cubmaster, Committee Chairman and Assistant Scoutmaster. He also coached rec league baseball, softball, soccer and basketball in the Irmo community.

John and his beautiful wife, Debbie of Liberty, Kentucky, recently celebrated their 50^th anniversary! They are the proud parents of three children, all of whom have graduated from The University of South Carolina: Johnny (Juris Doctor), Stephanie (Master of Social Work) and Christopher (Bachelor of Science in Business). They also have seven delightful grandchildren who will hopefully be future Gamecocks!

In his retirement, John enjoys attending his grandchildren’s activities, traveling with friends and family, attending USC sporting events, walking and weight training, and bass fishing where he was a co-angler in numerous Bassmaster’s Elite Series tournaments.

1971, B.S. Business Administration, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

Tommy Suggs is President and CEO for the Carolinas Region of HUB International. Residing in Columbia, South Carolina, his responsibilities include managing HUB’s 10 offices throughout North Carolina and South Carolina.

Previously, Tommy was the President and CEO of KeenanSuggs, the largest independently owned insurance, risk management and benefits company in the Carolinas. Before purchasing KeenanSuggs in 1996, Tommy spent twenty-three years in banking ending his career with twelve years as Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer and Board member with South Carolina Federal Savings Bank before selling to a multi-state bank holding company. Previously he was Vice President / Commercial Lending at South Carolina National Bank for eleven years. Tommy’s banking experience also includes serving as Founding Chairman of First Bank of the Midlands and serving as its Chairman before selling to South State Bank in 1999. He recently retired from the bank’s Corporate Board, Executive Committee and Trust & Wealth Management Committee. He also serves on the Trustmark Insurance Company’s National Advisory Council.

Tommy graduated from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He also graduated from the School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University; the National Commercial Lending Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma and the Wharton School of Business, Executive Education Program through the University of Pennsylvania. He received an Honorary Doctorate degree from The Darla Moore School of Business in 2011 and is a frequent speaker at the North Carolina and South Carolina Bankers Schools and various conferences and seminars on cyber liability and professional coverages. Recently, Tommy was recognized by the Columbia Regional Business Report as a 2020 Business Icon and he was awarded the Community Champion in the Icons awards division.

Tommy was a starting quarterback for the University of South Carolina football team, Most Valuable Player his senior year and Most Valuable Player of the annual Blue-Gray Post Season game. In 2012 his friends and family honored him by establishing the Tommy Suggs Endowed Quarterback Scholarship.

He is married and has two children and one grandchild. Tommy has served as President of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, South Carolina Nature Conservancy, Leadership Columbia, Chairman of the Providence Hospital Foundation and Chair of the University of South Carolina’s Development Foundation. His hobbies include golf, exercise, traveling and USC athletics.