2023 leadership award recipients

Matt West | Emerging Leader Award

Matt West is the President of West Construction Company. Originally from Moultrie, Georgia, Matt and his wife Courtney moved to Savannah in 2007, where he worked with a local general contractor for 8 years in various roles. In 2014, Matt founded West Construction with one goal, to provide a more personal and thoughtful approach to commercial construction in Savannah.

In 8 short years, West Construction has received nine awards from the Associated General Contractors and Engineering News Record on various projects. However, the biggest affirmation of a job well done is the number of repeat clients, referrals, and community support.

Matt graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Business Management is an alumnus of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia. Matt is active in many civic and professional organizations, serving on the Board of Directors of the Associated General Contractors of Georgia, the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, Union Mission, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the Board of Trustees of the Telfair Museums.

bob james | Legacy Leadership Award

Robert E. “Bob” James is Chairman of the Board and President of Carver State Bank. He is also Chairman of Carver Financial Corporation, the holding company that owns Carver State Bank of Savannah, Georgia as well as Alamerica BancCorp and Alamerica Bank of Birmingham, Alabama. Having served as President of Carver since 1971 (more than 51 years), Bob holds the distinction of being Georgia’s longest tenured bank president, and the African American with the longest tenure of service as president of a bank.

A native of Hattiesburg, MS, Bob received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morris Brown College and the Master in Business Administration degree from Harvard University. He has also been awarded two honorary doctoral degrees.

During 1973, Bob revived The Savannah Tribune weekly newspaper, one of the oldest newspapers owned by African Americans in the nation. Currently, Bob’s wife is the owner and publisher of The Savannah Tribune.

During 1978, Bob served as Chairman of the National Bankers Association, the trade organization representing the minority and female- owned banks in America. He was elected to a second term as Chairman of the National Bankers Association in 1990.

Don Waters | Legacy Leadership Award

Don L. Waters is the CEO of Waters Capital Partners, LLC, an investment company and family office. From 1993 through 2016, he was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Brasseler USA, Inc., an international manufacturer of dental and medical surgical instrumentation. Prior to his business career, Waters practiced for 20 years as both a Certified Public Accountant, as a partner with Price Waterhouse & Co., and as an attorney, as a partner with the Savannah based law firm Hunter Maclean. At Hunter Maclean he worked closely with former Savannah Mayor, and firm Senior Partner, Malcolm Maclean.

Waters graduated from Armstrong State College with a BBA, cum laude, in Accounting, and the University of Georgia School of Law, cum laude, with a JD, and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. He and his wife Cindy have two daughters, five grandsons, and are members of the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church.

Ciara is a Grammy Award-winning singer/ songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Over her seventeen-year career, she has sold over 23 million records and 22 million singles worldwide, including charttopping hits “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Oh,” “1, 2 Step,” “I Bet,” and “Level Up.”

Ciara is a Grammy Award-winning singer/ songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Over her seventeen-year career, she has sold over 23 million records and 22 million singles worldwide, including chart-topping hits “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Oh,” “1, 2 Step,” “I Bet,” and “Level Up.”

Denver Broncos quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson has not only cemented himself among the most accomplished and influential athletes of his generation, but he has also redefined the scope of the modern sports superstar through his work as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, and more.

Ciara is not only known for her vocal talent and dance moves (her videos have been viewed over 2 billion times), but she has starred in both film and television roles.

Ciara is not only known for her vocal talent and dance moves (her videos have been viewed over 2 billion times), but she has starred in both film and television roles.

Ciara

Singer/songwriter, Entrepreneur, philanthropist

Ciara is the founder and CEO of Beauty Marks Entertainment (BME), a company at the vanguard of the fast-changing music industry. With a business model built on fully supporting the artist, the female-led enterprise places Ciara at the forefront of forward-thinking entertainers taking an entrepreneurial approach to their careers.

Ciara is the founder and CEO of Beauty Marks Entertainment (BME), a company at the vanguard of the fast-changing music industry. With a business model built on fully supporting the artist, the female-led enterprise places Ciara at the forefront of forward-thinking entertainers taking an entrepreneurial approach to their careers.

As a nine-time Pro Bowler who helped pave the way for dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, Wilson ranks among the greatest players of his era. However, it is his commitment to his community off the field that has provided him with his most cherished experiences and memories.

To that end, the company positions music at the intersection of Ciara’s other passions: film, fashion, philanthropy, and technology. And as part of her ongoing philanthropy work, Ciara sits on the board of the Why Not You Foundation, a charity launched by her husband Russell Wilson dedicated to fighting poverty through education, empowering youth to lead with a ‘why not you’ attitude.

In keeping with her entrepreneurial Ciara is the co-owner of Ten To One rum and recently launched her skincare line OAM (On A Mission) which provides clinical level results through vitamin C.

To that end, the company positions music at the intersection of Ciara’s other passions: film, fashion, philanthropy, and technology. And as part of her ongoing philanthropy work, Ciara sits on the board of the Why Not You Foundation, a charity launched by her husband Russell Wilson dedicated to fighting poverty through education, empowering youth to lead with a ‘why not you’ attitude.

In 2021, Wilson was recognized with the prestigious 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award, an honor bestowed upon one player each season in recognition of his commitment to philanthropy and community impact, as well as his excellence on the field. Wilson was awarded with this recognition due both to his lifelong charitable mission as well as work as founder of The Why Not You Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to empowering impoverished children through education, health, and wellness. Wilson and his wife, Ciara, have three children, Future, Sienna, and Win.

Most recently they became New York Times Bestselling authors with the release of their first children’s book “Why Not You” (Random House) which was inspired by the work they do through their foundation.

Most recently they became New York Times Bestselling authors with the release of their first children’s book “Why Not You” (Random House) which was inspired by the work they do through their foundation.