GREENVILLE, S.C. — Travis Wharton and Tomeika Bennett have joined Hollingsworth Funds as Community Investments Officers and Katy Sides has been promoted to Director of Learning.
Sides joined Hollingsworth Funds in 2017 as a Strategic Initiatives Associate and has served as the Knowledge Management Officer since 2019. Previous to that, she was Vice President of Finance and Operations for the Institute for Childhood Success. In her new position, she’ll be tasked with building on a collaborative learning environment for the board and staff, developing and managing an improved framework to measure and evaluate our work, and executing the internal and external communications plan. Sides earned her bachelor’s degree from Furman University and her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Georgia.
A Greenville native, Wharton earned his bachelor’s degree from Claflin University in 2007 and a master’s from Clemson University in 2012. His past experience includes being the Director of Education and Economic Mobility at United Way of Greenville County; the Economic Mobility Consultant at the Spartanburg County Foundation; and an Education Coordinator at the Urban League of the Upstate. Prior to that, he was the Principal at Next High School from 2015 to 2017 and served as the principal at Mitchell Road Christian Academy from 2010 to 2015.
Bennett also has an extensive background in education. A graduate of Lander University (bachelor’s) and Springfield College (master’s), Bennett comes to Hollingsworth Funds from Greenville Technical College, where she held a variety of positions over the years including Academic Program Director, Planning and Transfer Headquarters Faculty Liaison, Career Specialist, and Academic Advisor. She has also worked at a variety of other schools and universities including Lander University, Furman University, and St. Andrews Middle School in Columbia.
“Tomeika and Travis are joining our team at a pivotal time in our journey to address the systemic barriers that make it hard for people to advance and thrive in our community. As Community Investment Officers, they will increase our capacity to identify and build relationships with key stakeholders, convene critical players to discover potential solutions, and determine the best opportunities to deploy all forms of our philanthropic capital. Katy continues to be an amazing force for positive change in Greenville and we are excited about the expanded role she will play for Hollingsworth Funds,” said Tamela Spann, Vice President Community Investments.
About Hollingsworth Funds:
Hollingsworth Funds is a charitable support organization focused exclusively on Greenville, South Carolina. Endowed by the estate of textile machinery magnate John D. Hollingsworth Jr., Hollingsworth Funds’ vision is a vibrant, just, and inclusive Greenville where equitable opportunities exist for all to advance and thrive. Its mission is to collectively remove the systemic barriers that hold people back based on race, place, and socioeconomic status, and to strengthen the pathways that propel all people forward. Visit www.hollingsworthfunds.org for more.