Dick is a serial entrepreneur with companies in real estate investment, wireless communications, and hospitality. He is an active community volunteer.
Caitlin is an attorney with Jolley Law Group in Beaufort, SC, specializing in estate planning, probate and trust administration, with ten years experience handling real estate matters. She is engaged in her field through service on the Board for the Beaufort County Bar Association and as a member of the South Carolina Women Lawyer’s Association, and in her community through service on the Board of Trustees for Lowcountry Legal Volunteers, as a Trustee for her church, The Baptist Church of Beaufort, and as a former member of Rotary of the Lowcountry and sustaining member of the Junior Service League of Beaufort.
Outside of the office and between extracurriculars, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.
As CEO of Bluffton Self Help, Courtney Hampson leads the organization’s efforts to empower and advocate for South Carolina Lowcountry neighbors through education, training, and basic needs support, working to close the gap from surviving to thriving. A decorated marketing and operations professional, Courtney has more than two decades of experience in strategic communications, community building, public relations, and business development in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. In her free time, Courtney pens a monthly magazine column and teaches communications at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. She lives in Bluffton, SC with her firefighter husband and chocolate lab.
Ashley is Community Affairs and Economic Development Manager for Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc. She leads the Cooperative’s local and statewide legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts and oversees its involvement in regional economic development initiatives. Ashley also spent nine years as Chief Executive Officer of the Hilton Head Area Home Builders Association. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Management from The George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree from The University of Florida. Deeply committed to her community, Ashley currently serves on the boards of the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation, the Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance, the Don Ryan Center for Innovation, and the Beaufort-Jasper Housing Trust. Ashley and her husband, Jeff, live in historic downtown Bluffton, South Carolina, with their two children.
Jan retired in December 2024 after 33 years with Palmetto State Bank, a $600 million community bank. Prior to his retirement he was the bank’s CEO. Previous housing-related experience includes serving as a Commissioner with the Beaufort Housing Authority.
David is a retired Group President with American Express. Prior to American Express he held Sales and marketing positions with Procter and Gamble, Majers Corp., Pepsi USA and Reebok. He is the Founder of a family investment business called Serenoa LLC. He served on both public boards such as J Crew and private equity Boards such as SecureKey. He served 12 years on Beaufort Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees. He was Chair of Finance for Six years and Chairman for six years. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Business Administration and The Harvard Business School Executive training Program for Management Development.
Ethan James is a native of Beaufort, South Carolina and brings over 12 years of dedicated experience to the real estate industry. Recognized consistently as a top-performing broker, Ethan specializes in new home construction and has worked extensively with premier builders and developers in the area. Beyond his professional achievements, Ethan is an active community leader and advocate for Beaufort. He currently serves as Chairman of the Beaufort Housing Authority and is a Director on numerous non-profit boards, including the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust Fund, the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Lowcountry Housing and Redevelopment Corporation, the Rotary Club of Beaufort, and many more.
In addition to his role at Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Tom is also adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. He was market president for Synovus Bank locally from 1992 until retiring from banking in 2020. Tom is a graduate of Miami University (B.S. in Business Administration), The University of Dayton (MBA), and The Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Active in the community, he has served on numerous local boards including United Way of the Lowcountry (past chairman), Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island, Sea Pines Property Owners Association, Leadership Hilton Head, Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, Miami University Hilton Head Alumni Club, Port Royal Sound Foundation, and Greater Island Council. He now serves on the Town of Hilton Head Island Planning Commission and the Gullah Geechee Land & Cultural Preservation Task Force. He is chairman of the advisory committee for the USCB Center for Strategic Planning and serves on the boards of Deep Well Project, Don Ryan Center for Innovation, and Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust.
Camika Beaton is a Jasper County native, born in Charleston, South Carolina, and a proud mother of one daughter. A dedicated public servant and community advocate, Camika holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Allen University, an M.S. in Forensic Accounting from Strayer University, and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Criminal Justice from Walden University. Professionally, she serves as a Staff Accountant for the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority (Palmetto Breeze Transit). Camika proudly represents Jasper County on the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust Board, where she advocates for equitable, sustainable housing solutions across the region.
Christine Raetsch is semi-retired, splitting her time between volunteering, hobbies, and consulting. She owns CRR Strategy which provides People and HR consulting to startup and early stage tech companies. Prior to starting her company, Christine served as Duolingo’s (DUOL) Chief People Officer, building the HR and people practices for the company behind the most downloaded education app worldwide. Prior to joining Duolingo, Christine was a senior executive at Vanguard, where she spent the first 20 years of her career. Christine received her M.B.A. and M.A. in History from Villanova University. She has served on non-profit Boards in a variety of capacities for 20 years, and she is a 2024 graduate of Leadership Beaufort.
Claude has dedicated the lion’s share of his professional journey to the development, construction, preservation, and acquisition of affordable housing. With a steadfast commitment to ensuring families and seniors have access to safe and affordable homes, his impact has been felt across a vast 10-state footprint, primarily in the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions of the United States.Throughout his career, Claude has been instrumental in leading the development of over 250 affordable communities, contributing to the creation of more than 15,000 housing units. Born into a family with deep roots outside Charleston, South Carolina, he is a proud graduate of Southern Illinois University and Victor Valley College. He also served his country as a distinguished veteran of the United States Air Force. Claude shares a loving partnership with his wife, Shawn, and together they nurture a family of five children and three special needs dogs.
Jennifer oversees the day-to-day management and implementation of BJHT’s programs and initiatives. She coordinates with our partners and plays a key role in advancing BJHT’s mission to support housing affordability in Beaufort and Jasper counties. Jennifer was previously the Chief Administrative Officer at Carolina Air, Inc., an HVAC company in Beaufort where she gained expertise in operational management, financial planning, project management, and process improvement.She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry with a minor in Environmental Studies from Converse College. Jennifer is actively engaged in her community by serving on several boards, including the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and the TCL Foundation Board and The Complete Student. She and her husband John live on St Helena, and have two children, Anne Watts and Ellyn Grace.
