Experts at the American Theater

Susan Pearlstine is a seventh-generation Charlestonian who ran a fifth-generation family distribution business before turning her attention to The Bend — a 20-acre community development along the Ashley River rooted in conservation and place. She has given more than $5 million to establish the MUSC Susan Pearlstine Sarocidodis Center of Excellence, one of the top sarcoidosis care centers in the country.

Jessica Munday founded TRIO in 2001 and has spent 25 years building one of South Carolina's most established female-owned marketing agencies — while donating more than $1.5 million in pro bono services to 90 Lowcountry nonprofits. She became EO Charleston's first female president. She leads by giving back.

Shaniequa Washington left a 24-year senior leadership career at a Fortune 500 company to build something entirely her own and as founder and CEO of Zuriel Kingdom Collections, she transforms wearable art into a tool for community impact — using fashion to champion self-love, authenticity, and equity. A certified diversity and inclusion trainer, life coach, and lead curriculum writer for Atiras International Coaching Academy, she brings the same precision to building people that she once brought to leading teams of 200. She doesn't just design clothes — she designs possibility.

A native South Carolinian with deep family roots in Lowcountry gardening and farming, Glen studied Architecture and then Landscape Architecture at Clemson University. A recipient of both the Mickell Grant for Urban Studies in Italy and the Garden Club of South Carolina's Hessie Morrah scholarship, his thesis project won the Landscape Architecture Foundation's 2001 national Grace Design Competition. He opened his landscape architecture studio in 2006 and has spent nearly two decades creating classically structured gardens with lush, carefully selected plantings across the Southeast. He has served on the boards of the Preservation Society of Charleston, Historic Charleston Foundation, and Spoleto Festival USA, and is a past president of the Charitable Society of Charleston. With co-founder Patrick Bradley, he also established Charleston GardenWorks in 2014.

Principal of Potted Pleasures, Tracee holds a B.S. in Biology from the College of Charleston and continued her studies in horticulture at UC Berkeley and Trident Technical College. Before founding Potted Pleasures in 2007, she worked in environmental education on Seabrook Island and in the Marin Headlands outside San Francisco, and gained further experience with Charleston firm Wertimer and Cline. With more than 15 years of experience in Lowcountry landscape design, she specializes in the fine details of gardening — from container and window box installations to flower beds, hanging baskets, and seasonal color across the Charleston area.

Cokie Cox is best known for building Alphavest from the ground up after three decades in one of the most male-dominated industries in the country. As author of Perfect Day and a tireless advocate for women in financial leadership, she doesn't just open doors — she reframes the entire conversation.

Stephanie Hunt is a Charleston-based writer whose work has appeared in Charleston Magazine, Veranda, Southern Living, The Washington Post, and beyond — including two published Veranda coffee-table books. She makes sure the right stories get told.

Zandrina Dunning is a powerhouse vocalist who turned her passion for performance into a full-scale production company. As Executive Artistic Director and founder of The ZD Experience — launched as a band in 2013 and expanded into production in 2018 — she has produced acclaimed tribute shows, co-created the P.U.R.E. Concert Series, and built a platform that merges soulful performance with real community conversation. A graduate of South Carolina State University, she also serves as Chair of Performers for TEDx Charleston and Development & Outreach Director for the North Charleston POPS!. She sets the stage — in every sense.

Founder and principal of Elizabeth Pope Landscape Architect (EPLA), Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia's College of Environment and Design in 2009. She spent nearly eleven formative years with a renowned Charleston-based landscape architecture firm before launching EPLA in 2021. Her practice offers full-service garden design with a communicative, detail-oriented approach — producing timeless results for private clients throughout the Lowcountry.

Co-founder of Charleston GardenWorks, Patrick graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Historic Preservation and Community Planning and a minor in Art History. His studies in Italy, Germany, Charleston, and Savannah — alongside prior work in architectural salvage — shaped his eye for curating distinctive garden objects and furnishings. In 2014, he and landscape architect Glen Gardner launched Charleston GardenWorks, scouting antique dealers, markets, and historic estates around the world to bring elevated style to private gardens and the decorative trade throughout Charleston.