Trustees 

Lucile E. Beaver, Emerita

Daughter of General & Mrs. Sandy Beaver, Ms. Beaver has been a member of the board since 1970. A resident of Arlington, Va., she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Agnes Scott College, a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Library Science. In 1954, Ms. Beaver accepted a civilian position with the U.S. Army in Europe, and was employed as a librarian by Army Special Services, the organization whose responsiblities included the delivery of library servies to USAREUR communities.  She was stationed in Germany and after two years, was promoted to assistant command librarian.  This command was responsible for 45 libraries.  In 1959, Ms. Beaver was transferred from Germany to Washington, D.C. for a position in the overseas recruiting team of Army Special Services.  This five-person team was responsible for recruiting personnel to staff service clubs, libraries, arts and entertainment facilities.  In 1963, she accepted a position as reference librarian in the library of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) in Washington, D.C. and was later promoted to chief, Reference Branch of the FAA Library.  This department was later merged into the Department of Transportation and in 1982, Ms. Beaver retired from the position of director of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Library in Washington, D.C.  During her service, Ms. Beaver was listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Government, and Who's Who of American Women.

P. Alexander Fraser, Chairman

Frederick J. Kennedy '64, Vice Chairman

Mr. Fred Kennedy, a 1964 graduate of Riverside Military Academy, is president of Kennedy Trucking Company in Kearny, NJ. He is a distinguished military graduate of The Citadel in which he received his Bachelor of Arts in political science. He later earned master's degrees in psychology and special education from Georgia State University and Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Kennedy spent his first career in the Army as an infantry and special forces officer. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1990 and served as senior army instructor and later president of North Carolina's Oak Ridge Military Academy as well as assistant commandant at The Citadel.  A well decorated veteran, Mr. Kennedy has served as past president of the Retired Officers Association and the Military Order of the World Wars.  Mr. Kennedy joined the Riverside board of trustees in February 2006.

Ira J. Middleberg, Esq. '66, Treasurer

Mr. Middleberg is a Managing Partner, and heads the Business Services Section in real estate and construction litigation. He attended the Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he received a Juris Doctor degree in May 1973. Mr. Middleberg was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of New Orleans from 1973 to 1981 under the administrations of Mayor Moon Landrieu and Mayor Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial where he was in charge of real estate and construction litigation. He served as General Counsel to the New Orleans Aviation Board from 1994 to2002. He was primarily responsible for overseeing two hundred million dollars of new construction and renovations and the airport's regulatory matters.   In the Metropolitan New Orleans area, Mr. Middleberg has overseen the Firm's representation of clients developing over 1,000 hotel rooms and zoning and permitting issues for Harrah's Casino, as well as representing large shopping centers in all construction matters.  He is the author of "Louisiana Foreclosure Synopsis," The National Mortgage Servicer's Reference Directory (Fifth Edition), Vernon Enterprises, Publisher, 1988. He is also co-author of the Louisiana Section of the Residential Mortgage Lending: State Regulation Manual - South Central Region (1991). He has served as Special Counsel to the Attorney General, State of Louisiana and Special Counsel to the Insurance Commissioner, State of Louisiana. He has served as judge pro tempore of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. Mr. Middleberg is admitted to practice law in the state of Louisiana, District of Columbia, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.  In his commitment to education, he has founded an endowed scholarship at the University of Southern Mississippi, served on the USM Board of Directors and was past president of the Foundation Board, served as a member of the Loyola University Law School Visiting Law Committee, and serves on Riverside Military Academy Board of Trustees and on numerous local non-profit Boards.

C. Brian Daniel, Secretary

Mr. Brian Daniel of Gainesville, Georgia, is president and CEO of Carroll Daniel Construction Co. of Gainesville. Mr. Daniel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Auburn University and a Masters of Science in building construction from Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia. His community involvement includes membership on the board of directors for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Daniel serves as a director of the Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia and Associated General Contractors. He and his wife, Kristin, are members of First Baptist Church of Gainesville and are the parents of a son, Stuart, and a daughter, Callie.

Margaret O. Blackstock

Margaret Owen Blackstock of Atlanta is known for her many volunteer leadership positions over the years, particularly in educational institutions. Her late husband, Jerry Byron Blackstock, RMA Class of 1962, was Chairman of the Academy’s Board of Trustees from 2002 until his death in 2006.  Mrs. Blackstock is a native of Charlotte, NC and a graduate of Brenau University in Gainesville. She served as President of the Brenau Alumni Association and repeatedly received the Alumnae Leadership Award as well as being the recipient of the Outstanding Alumna Award and The Service to Brenau Award. In 2002 she was named to the University’s Roll of Honor. In addition to her work as an alumnae with Brenau, Mrs. Blackstock has been involved with various parent leadership organizations related to her children’s educations. She served as President of both the Trinity School Parents’ Association and the Woodward Academy Parents’ Association. Mrs. Blackstock also served on multiple capital campaign committees through her children’s educational careers. Mrs. Blackstock’s involvement in the Atlanta community includes positions with the Atlanta Unit of the American Cancer Society, where she served on the Board of Trustees and Board of Advisors in addition to chairing the unit’s Residential Crusade and the American Red Cross, where Mrs. Blackstock chaired the Fulton County Volunteers. Mrs. Blackstock has also served as President of the Circle for Children, an Atlanta based organization that supports Tallulah Falls School, where she was on the Board of Trustees. As an active member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Mrs. Blackstock has held numerous leadership positions including Chairman of the Administrative Board and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.  As a member of the Phi Mu Sorority, Mrs. Blackstock served on the local and district levels before being named National Public Relations Director and later being elected first as National Alumnae Vice President and then National President. Most recently, she chaired the organization’s capitol campaign for the building of its national headquarters.  Mrs. Blackstock’s interests include history, travel, reading, running, photography and genealogy. She is a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, a past Trustee of its Board and a current member of its Council of Advisors. She has authored and compiled a book of her paternal family tree, The Lineage of the Reverend John Owen which will be published later this year.

Arnold B. Evans

Mr. Evans graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in May 1988. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Army Air Defense Artillery until 1993. As a Captain, he held many leadership and planning positions of increasing responsibility in the United States, Europe and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Evans led between 39-150 soldiers in a broad range of training, logistics and operational missions. After leaving the Army, he attended the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia where he received his Masters in Business Administration followed by graduating from The School of Law at the University of Virginia in 1997. Upon receiving his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Evans went to work for JP Morgan Financial Institutions Group in New York. He was later promoted to Vice President, Equity Capital Markets and served in this role from 1999 - 2005. In 2005, Mr. Evans moved to SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (STRH) in Atlanta, GA. He is currently Managing Director and Head of the Equity Capital Markets Originations Group and oversees 80+ Client Managers who are responsible for 1,000+ corporate clients. In addition, Mr. Evans serves as a Corporate Leadership Council Member for Fernbank Museum of Natural History and is a member of the New York Bar Association. He is also a former Alumni Counsel Member for the University of Virginia School of Law and a former U.S. Chairman for The British-American Project (BAP).

Gregory A. Fisher

Mr. Fisher of Atlanta has been in the securities business for over 20 years and since 2005 has worked for Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. as managing director of investments. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, he worked at Bear Stearns & Co., as a senior managing director in charge of sales and trading where he covered approximately 14 countries and maintained in custody a total of $2.3 billion in client assets. He was instrumental in the creation of a new Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. branch, Atlanta International. Mr. Fisher grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, with a Bachelor of Arts in history. Mr. Fisher and his wife, Christi, are the parents of two children, Helena, and Nicholai, who is a cadet at Riverside.

Bernard M. Freeman, ‘58

Mr. Freeman is a 1958 graduate of Riverside Military Academy. He attended the United States Military Academy from 1958 to 1960 and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1964. From 1964 to 1973 he held a variety of engineering positions with Virginia Department of Highways, E.I. Dupont Engineering, and Construction and Allied Chemical Corp. Engineering. He joined Steel-Fab Inc. in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1973 as general manager. He purchased the company in 1979 and became chairman, president and CEO from 1979 to 2007. Since 2007 he is now chairman and treasurer. Mr. Freeman and his wife, Marcia, divide their time between homes in Vero Beach, Florida, and East Harwich, Massachusetts.

Felix A. Gonzalez Canto, '86

Felix Gonzalez Canto is governor of the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico since 2005. A native of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, he attended Riverside from eighth through twelfth grades, and graduated in1986. He was battalion commander his senior year as well as class president each year from eighth through eleventh grades. Following graduating from Riverside, Gov. Gonzalez earned a degree in economics from the Technological and Higher Studies Institute in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Prior to entering the public sector, he was the coordinator of advisors for the Center of Finance and Economics at the Institute, and also served as advisor to the president of CANACO on the subject of external commerce during the presidency of Victor Santin Padilla.  His elected positions include mayor of Cozumel from 1999-2002, federal representative of the 59th Legislature of Congress of the Union for District 1, Quintana Roo; secretary of the committee of tourism of the Chamber of Representatives of the Congress of the Union, and representative of Mexico before the Central American Parliament in 2004.Gov. Gonzalez includes among his accolades and awards the earning of the Douglas McArthur Award presented to him personally by General McArthur’s widow at Riverside Military Academy in 1986.  Gov. Gonzalez and his wife, Narcedalia Martin Villanueva, have two children, Victoria Patricia and Felix Lenin.

Paul A. Gross '57

Mr. Gross, a native of Richmond, Virginia, is retired from the health administration industry as an executive with Humana Inc. and as a professor of health administration at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. Mr. Gross spent one year at Riverside Military Academy. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in industrial psychology/sociology, and earned a master’s in hospital administration from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. He joined Humana in 1972 and was named president of the hospital division in 1984 – the position he retired from in 1992 after 20 years with Humana. He received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Medical College of Virginia, and was recently honored with the Lifetime Service Award. Mr. Gross has two grown sons and a daughter and lives in Terra Ceia, Florida. 

Charles A. James '64

Mr. James, a 1964 graduate of Riverside Military Academy, also graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1968 to 1992, he was employed by Kindley Yarns, Inc. and served as President and Treasurer from 1982 – 1992. He served as Chairman of the Board of Cabarrus Bank from 1996 to 2000. Presently, he is a Director of Frontier Spinning Mills and First Charter Corporation. Currently, he is the owner of Charles James Farms and co owner of Mt. Pleasant Bonded Warehouse. Mr. James is a resident of Fernandina Beach Florida and Georgetown, South Carolina where he is a member of the Winyah Indigo Society and De Bordieu Country Club.  He began serving as a Trustee in September 2008.

Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman

In September 2005, Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman became the charter president of the new Georgia Gwinnett College, located in Lawrenceville, the first new 4-year college in Georgia in over 100 years. The college admitted its first students in August 2006 and its first freshman class in August 2007. The mission of GGC is to provide baccalaureate level degrees that contribute to the economic development needs of Gwinnett County and the surrounding region. The programs at GGC emphasize the innovative use of educational technology and an integrated educational experience that emphasizes student intellectual, social and personal development.   In addition to his duties at the college, Dr. Kaufman is a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Partnership Gwinnett Steering Committee, a member of the Executive Committee of the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development Committee, a member of the Board of Directors of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville and is a founding director of Touchmark National Bank. Prior to assuming his duties as president of Georgia Gwinnett College, Dr. Kaufman was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army, serving as Dean of the Academic Board and Chief Academic Officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, a position from which he retired in June 2005.   In his capacity as the chief academic officer, Dr. Kaufman was responsible for the design and implementation of the academic program at West Point. Prior to his selection as chief academic officer, Brigadier General Kaufman was Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences, which offers programs in political science and economics. Prior to being named Department Head, General Kaufman was director of the International Relations and National Security Studies program at West Point. He has taught courses in international relations, comparative politics, national security affairs, U.S. foreign policy, and American politics and government. He has written several books, the most recent being Understanding International Relations. His other books include U.S. National Security Strategy for the 1990s, U.S. National Security: A Framework for Analysis; Democracy, Strategy, and Vietnam; and NATO at Forty: Change, Continuity, and Prospects.   Dr. Kaufman graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1968; he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Armor and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. Dr. Kaufman also holds a Masters of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Studies Association, and the American Political Science Association. Upon his retirement from active duty, Dr. Kaufman was honored by the British government as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honorary Society   Dr. Kaufman’s military service includes tours with cavalry and armor units in the United States and Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star for heroism and two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during combat. He also has served as a member of the National Security Council staff in the White House and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He served as a Special Assistant to three Chiefs of Staff of the Army.  He also was a member of the Department of Defense Presidential Transition Team in 1992. Brigadier General Kaufman also was involved in the development of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, which opened in Kabul in April 2005.  He and his wife, Kathryn, are both natives of Brunswick, Georgia. They have two children, daughter Emily and son David, one granddaughter, Emma, and one grandson, Connor.

Charlie J. (Jody) Lail, Jr.

Mr. Lail is the president and CEO of the Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia, which opened in September, 2008.  Mr. Lail led the organization through regulatory approval, capital-raising and the pre-opening organizational process; he also serves as a director of the bank. His previous bank experience includes tenures at Quantum National Bank and SunTrust Bank. Mr. Lail earned a Bachelor of Science engineering degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, his juris doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law, and a master’s from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He served in the Georgia National Guard from 1988 to 1995. Mr. Lail is a native of Atlanta and a long-time resident of south Hall County, Georgia. He and his wife, Nancy, have two sons.

J. Allen Nivens Jr.

O. Jon McRae

Mr. McRae is a 1959 graduate of Davidson College and served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, earning Airborne wings and a Ranger Tab. He then served as a junior executive with Wachovia Bank and later, in 1968, founded Jon McRae and Associates, Inc., a national executive search firm that serves educational institutions. The firm provides search counsel for trustees and presidents of colleges, universities, independent schools, military schools and other not-for-profit institutions in search of presidents and other senior executives. McRae joined the board in September 2000.

Richard M. Nichols

Mr. Nichols joined the board in October 2006. A native of Cynthiava, Kentucky, he is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Mr. Nichols served as a history, government and economics instructor at Riverside Military Academy from 1962 until his retirement in 2000. During those years, he also served as basketball coach, assistant principal, athletic director, activities director, drama director, and advisor for the Horton Society. He is now an active community volunteer and serves as the sports announcer for Riverside Military Academy athletic events.

Jeffrey S. Weiner, Esq. '66

Following graduation from Riverside Military Academy in 1966, Mr. Weiner attended the University of Miami, where he was voted a member of the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University's highest honor.  In 1974, Mr. Weiner earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he was president of the Student Bar Association, a Moot Court winner and an intern with the Cook County Public Defender.  After graduating from law school, Mr. Weiner began private practice with one of the top criminal defense law firms in Miami.  Two years later, he formed his own law firm, which evolved into one of the largest exclusively criminal defense law firms in the nation, Weiner, Robbins, Tunkey & Ross.  Seventeen years later, Mr. Weiner formed a smaller criminal defense law firm, known as Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A., in which he is the managing partner.  For 35 years, Mr. Weiner has been a practicing criminal defense attorney.  He has argued trials and appeals in state and Federal courts throughout Florida and the United States, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Florida Supreme Court and numerous Federal and state Courts of Appeal.  As an international criminal defense lawyer, Mr. Weiner has represented clients all over the world.   Mr. Weiner has been invited to lecture on constitutional criminal law and procedural topics before practicing lawyers, law students, law enforcement personnel and dozens of bar associations and seminars throughout the U.S.  Mr. Weiner was a Regent and faculty member at the National Criminal Defense College at Mercer University School of Law.  He taught practicing attorneys at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy in Seattle, WA.  In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at numerous universities, colleges, law schools and high schools including Riverside Military Academy.  Mr. Weiner is a "Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer" by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.  He has published many peer-reviewed articles in national legal publications.  Mr. Weiner is a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (which represents over 25,000 lawyers & law professors), and of the Florida Criminal Defense Attorneys Association.  Jeff was also Chair of the Miami-Dade County Bar Association Criminal Courts Committeeand of the Criminal Law Section of the Acadmey of Florida Trial Lawyers.  He is a recipient of NACDL's highest honor, the Robert C. Heeney Award, for his representation of fellow lawyers faced with contempt or other sanctions because of their advocacy on behalf of their clients.  Mr. Weiner was voted one of the "Top Lawyers in South Florida" in the South Florida Legal Guide and the "Top 1.7% of Lawyers in Florida as voted by members of the Florida Bar" in Florida Trend's "Florida Legal Elite."  In 2006, Mr. Weiner was a recipient of his law school's prestigious Professional Achievement Award.  In 2008, Mr. Weiner was honored with Riverside's Distinguished Alumnus Award.  Mr. Weiner is very active as a volunteer in numerous community, civic and charitable organizations and has donated hundreds of hours of pro bono legal work to protect rights which are guaranted by our Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Mr. Weiner is married to Bonnie Weiner and they have four sons, 3 who currently attend Riveriside and the eldest graduated from Riverside in 2009.

William "Keith" Wood

Mr. Wood grew up in Columbus, GA, and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia.  An entrepreneur, Mr. Wood founded BeBetter Networks in 1999 which deals with in corporate wellness and disease management.   In 2004, Mr. Wood sold the company but continues to serve on the board of directors.  He went to work as Chief Risk Officer for Safe-Guard Products International, and specialized in operating offshore reinsurance facilities and managed over $100 million in premium placements.  In 2005, he founded Lautus Special Risks, LLC which deals in risk management, insurance brokerage and reinsurance.  In his current role as managing partner, he manages over $300 million in commercial insurance premiums specializing in large property, warranty and casualty risks.  Mr. Wood enjoys working with non-profits fundraising events and is a former advisory board member of Fuqua Center for Late Life Depression and George West Mental Health Foundation.  He is an active member of Buckhead Church and serves on the Hope Ministry team.  Mr. Wood enjoys playing golf and occasionally competes in statewide and national championships.  He also serves on the Tour Championship fundraising committee for the East Lake Foundation.  Mr. Wood and his wife Jennifer have two children, Eilliott who currently attends Riverside, and Emily.