Board of Directors

Board of Directors

REPRESENTING TWO COUNTIES

The governing body of the Coast Regional Transportation Authority is its Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors are appointed by the member counties, municipalities or the Governor as recommended by the Legislative Delegation. 

Meetings are open to the public and the media.  Please contact lmorris@coastrta.com to be added to the Board Meeting email list.

Current Coast RTA Board of Directors:

DARRELL EICKHOFF

HORRY COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION – IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN

Mr. Eickhoff hails from Indiana where he received his B.S. degree in Business Administration/ Marketing from the University of Evansville, in Evansville, IN. In 1977, he received his M.S. in Health Care Administration from the University of Colorado in Denver.

From 1969-1997 he proudly served in the U. S. Air Force as a Medical Service Corps Officer. Additionally, Mr. Eickhoff served in multiple positions as Administrator/COO, CFO, and Commander/CEO in hospitals and staff agencies including Air Staff (Pentagon level) and U.S. Transportation Command. His assignments took him to Germany (five years), Philipines (two years), and Washington D.C. (eleven years).

Mr. Eickhoff’s private Sector career spanned from 1997-2008 and included prominent positions with Medlink International, Mowasat Hospital, Kuwait as CFO, Administrator at Saint Louis University Family Practice Residency, and as COO of Touchette Regional Hospital, Centreville, IL. His extensive community service and volunteer involvements include the Boy Scouts of America, the Lewis and Clark Council (Belleville, IL), and as an AARP Legislative Advocate for the Conway/Myrtle Beach Chapter as a Board Member and Chair.

Mr. Eickhoff is active in numerous community service projects in addition to his commitment to CoastRTA, including the Citizens Advisory Committee and Transportation Task Force. He is also a volunteer driver for the Myrtle Beach Neighbor to Neighbor program.

Mr. Eickhoff’s private Sector career spanned from 1997-2008 and included prominent positions with Medlink International, Mowasat Hospital, Kuwait as CFO, Administrator at Saint Louis University Family Practice Residency, and as COO of Touchette Regional Hospital, Centreville, IL. His extensive community service and volunteer involvements include the Boy Scouts of America, the Lewis and Clark Council (Belleville, IL), and is active in AARP at both local and state levels. Darrell serves as Chair of the Community Service Projects Committee, Myrtle Beach-Conway Chapter 5434, and is a member of the AARP South Carolina Executive Council representing the Seventh U.S. Congressional District advocating legislation of interest to seniors.

DR. ROBERT SHEEHAN

HORRY COUNTY – VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Dr. Robert Sheehan is a Professor at Coastal Carolina University specializing in assessment, statistics, research methodology, and policy-oriented research in Psychology, Education and related fields. He has over 40 years of experience with conducting research projects, teaching and/or administering in higher education and state government.

Dr. Sheehan recently retired from administration having served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Coastal Carolina University, as well as Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at The University of Toledo (UT). While at UT, Dr. Sheehan led the effort to develop a close working relationship between the university and the Toledo Public School District, a metropolitan school district, of more than 30,000 students. Prior to joining Coastal Carolina University, Dr. Sheehan also served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Performance Reporting & Analysis for the Ohio Board of Regents.  His post-doctoral study was at UCLA from 1980-1982.  He received his doctorate from Georgia State University in 1977 and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Child Development and Early Childhood Education in 1974.  He is the author of 3 textbooks, more than 60 refereed journal articles and numerous grants and contracts from federal, state, and local funding agencies.

Sheehan and his wife, Heather, are parents of 8 children, three of whom are honors college students studying at Coastal Carolina University, College of Charleston, and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst Massachusetts. His wife, Heather, works for the Horry County School District and is responsible for district-wide testing for all students as well as research projects in the district and supervision of charter schools throughout the district.

BERNARD SILVERMAN

HORRY COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION

Mr. Silverman has been a Coast RTA rider since the Waccamaw Regional Transportation Authority’s inception over 25 years ago. He joined the Coast RTA Board of Directors in January of 2008 with the goal of bringing riders concerns to the table.

Mr. Silverman has expressed a sincere desire to work with the Board of Directors, Management and Staff to continue developing Coast RTA into an integral part of the community. He believes an efficient transit network in Horry and Georgetown Counties is necessary to meet the employment, educational, health care, and quality of life needs of the citizens, including the disabled, in the agency’s service area.

Mr. Silverman has been a resident in South Carolina for over 40 years, including Myrtle Beach, Columbia, and 30 years in Conway. He is married with two children. Prior to retirement, Mr. Silverman operated a plant nursery in the Conway area for 20 years.

JOSEPH T. LAZZARA

CITY OF GEORGETOWN

Mr. Lazzara, a native of Chicago, IL, brings over 40 years of transit experience to his Board of Directors seat. He earned an AAS Degree in Accounting at Wright Junior College and a BA Degree in Management & Developing Organizations at DePaul University, both in Chicago.

For 33 years he served the Chicago Transit Authority in a variety of positions, including operations management, auditing, accounting, program implementation and project management. As a Senior Project Controller he was responsible for development and management of all projects related to buses, rail cars, construction, contracting, procurement contracting and environmental assessment.

He continued his transit career as an independent contractor for ATE Transit Management and Services Co. of Cincinnati, OH and his membership in the Project Management Institute, where he served as the Financial Officer from 1992-1994. He has also served as the Transportation Coordinator for Proviso Council on Aging in Bellwood, IL managing a transit operation for elderly and handicapped, including training of employees and construction projects oversight. Most recently Mr. Lazzara was the accountant and office manager for the Castle Credit Corporation.

In February of 1999 Mr. Lazzara and his wife, Marlene, relocated to Pawleys Island, SC. They are the proud parents of four children and five grandchildren and on June 7, 2018 celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary.

IVORY WILSON

CITY OF CONWAY

A native of Little River, SC, Ivory Wilson is married to the former Vivian Smith of Conway, SC. They enjoy their three children: Colonel Iva Wilson, a U.S. Army Major, Ivory J. Wilson, U.S. Army, and Sonja Wilson.

Mr. Wilson graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering with a degree in mechanical engineering, and also attended Coastal Carolina University, majoring in Business Management.

Additionally, Mr. Wilson retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer after 26-years of service. Following retirement from the South Carolina education system, Mr. Wilson devoted himself to community endeavors including the City of Conway Council, the advisory board of Wachovia Bank, and was a founder and Chairperson of the Waccamaw Regional Transportation Authority dba/ Coast RTA.

Mr. Wilson passed away in July 2020.

RANDAL WALLACE

HORRY COUNTY

Randal Wallace is a commercial Real Estate Agent at Waccamaw Land and Timber and served four (4) terms on the Myrtle Beach City Council from 2002 – 2018. He is a life-long resident of Myrtle Beach and graduated from Myrtle Beach High School in 1989. He attended Spartanburg Methodist College, earning an Associate’s Degree in History. He then attended Lander University where he earned two (2) Bachelor’s degrees, in History and in Mass Communications.

While on the Myrtle Beach City Council, he was very supportive of Coast RTA and is excited to be representing Horry County as a member of the Board of Directors.

DR. MARVIN KEENE

HORRY COUNTY – CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Dr. Keene is currently a professor of finance and the chair of the Department of Finance and Economics at Coastal Carolina University. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. After graduating high school he attended Florida State University (FSU), where he completed an undergraduate degree in Applied Economics and his doctorate degree in Finance. In 2004, he joined the faculty of Coastal Carolina University. In 2010, he earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Dr. Keene and his wife Kay have three children. 

LILLIE JEAN JOHNSON

GEORGETOWN COUNTY

Lillie Jean Johnson is a lifelong native and current resident of Georgetown and is the daughter of the late Joe and Ida Izard Johnson, and mother of one son.  Ms. Johnson has earned degrees from Allen University and the University of South Carolina and retired as a high school teacher from the Georgetown County School District in 1994.

Ms. Johnson is a member of Arnett A.M.E. Church, a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the NAACP.  She also serves as an Ombudsman volunteer with South Carolina Long Term Care, Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments Region 8. She is also a tutor with the Freedom Readers program.

Ms. Johnson has served as a board member of Georgetown County Habitat for Humanity, the YMCA, Waccamaw EOC, was a hospice volunteer and was also a member of the City of Georgetown Planning Commission.  

She previously served on Georgetown County Council for two terms and returned to represent County Council District 4 after an eight-year absence in 2008.

GREG JAMES

CITY OF MYRTLE BEACH

Greg James, the son of Mickey and Sherry James, was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina September 13th, 1988. He attended all Myrtle Beach public schools and went to Horry – Georgetown Technical College for Hospitality & Tourism. One accomplishment he is most proud of is being one of the founders of the Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival. It was founded in 2015 and continues to grow every year. In his spare time, he likes to be around family and friends, watch sports, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors. Fun fact: He has a twin by the name of Melissa James.

Nicholas Twigg

CONWAY REPRESENTATIVE

Nicholas W. Twigg, D.B.A. is a Professor Emeritus at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC. He spent 22 years on active duty in the United States Navy Nuclear power Field going from E-1 to E-9. Among other duties he was assigned to new construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (NNS&DD Co.). Besides providing oversight on the construction of nuclear power plant electronics, he qualified and was assigned as a shift bus driver to ferry personnel from remote parking to the shipyard employing over 15,000 people.
After the US Navy he worked on High Energy Physics projects at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Quality Manager and was liaison with other National Laboratories and scientists. He worked in the Bay Area of California, Texas, and Louisiana. After his tour in High Energy Physics, he went back to school for his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) and delivered courses in Operations Management, Logistics, Statistics, and Management Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA; Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA; Lamar University, Beaumont, TX; McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA; and Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC.
A resident of Conway, SC since 2006, Dr. Twigg has been involved in the community serving and supporting various organizations including Create!Conway, the Long Bay Symphony, Carolina Master Chorale and the Waccamaw Regional Transit Authority.

KATHARINE D’ANGELO

CITY OF NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Ms. D’Angelo graduated from Burlington City, New Jersey High School, attended Rider University studying Business Administration and went to work for the State Treasurer of NJ. After marriage and a short stay at home raising two children, she renewed her career at the College of New Jersey as Assistant to the Director of Security, while taking classes in management. To further career goals, she transferred to The Department of Transportation where she dealt with State and Federal contracts.

While at NJDOT, Ms. D’Angelo attended classes at Mercer County College to gain certification in accounting techniques. She was asked to go on loan to the Governor’s Office, where a new department was being established to make State Government more efficient. Her office was charged with pairing the private sector with State offices to make them more efficient and establishing an OMB for the State of NJ. Her new department had the opportunity to work with the Xerox Corporation in setting up a State of the Art computerized office center.

The Governor was running for re-election and Ms. D’Angelo was asked to set up an office that dealt with Education. She ran a speaker’s bureau to focus on educating children, which was Governor’s Kean’s platform.

In 1986 she retired from State Government and with her husband, Louis, moved to North Myrtle Beach, where she studied art techniques and her husband continued his musical career. Ms. D’Angelo remains active in civic and community affairs.

Our Mission

To provide safe, reliable, affordable and courteous mass public transportation that enhances the quality of life for residents and supports the growth of tourism.

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