Dr. Lisa McWherter SWU's New VP for Development

Southern Wesleyan University announced that Dr. Lisa McWherter will become vice president for development.

McWherter has assembled more than 20 years of leadership experience serving at the axis of higher education and business.

“Dr. Lisa McWherter will bring an outstanding level of understanding for development and a proven track record of relationship building that will dramatically move Southern Wesleyan forward,” said Dr. Todd Voss, university president. “Her work ethic and mission fit are incredible assets for our Development team. She has a passion for connecting people, a commitment to creating win-win results, and the drive for expanding our base of supporters.”

A native Tennessean, McWherter moved to South Carolina in 2006 to serve as the vice president for institutional advancement with Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton and executive director of the TCTC Foundation, Inc. Previously, she served as associate vice president for leadership and fund development at Chattanooga State Community College in Chattanooga, Tenn.  McWherter has served as the president of the Tennessee Council for Resource Development and the southern regional director for the Council for Resource Development. 

McWherter has served as an instructor at Vanderbilt University; a member of a National Think Tank with The Gallup Organization regarding higher education and workforce issues; project director for Anderson, Oconee and Pickens County OneStop Workforce Centers with ResCare Workforce Services; a branch manager for Randstad Staffing Services; an Olympic venue manager and a United States Olympic Ambassador at the 1996 Games.

McWherter serves on various area boards which include Nurse-Family Partnership, The Rotary Club of Anderson and she serves as the Chairman of AlignSC. She is a certified shelter manager with the Red Cross and a volunteer with a number of other community agencies.

She holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Tennessee; an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University; and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. McWherter is an alumna of the Harvard Business School as a graduate of the General Management Program and recently returned from Shanghai, China to attend Harvard Business School’s Executive Renewal Program. She is also a quarterly contributor to the HBS Alumni Bulletin magazine and serves as a GMP class officer.

She and her husband, Dr. Douglas Hanner and their three children live in Anderson.   

McWherter will assume her new post at SWU Aug. 1.

Southern Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered, student-focused learning community devoted to transforming lives by challenging students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ.