Sterling Ivey, a native of Thomasville, GA, joined Colonial Trust as an Operations and Compliance Analyst in June 2024. With seven years of experience in operations and client support roles, Sterling previously worked at TNB Financial Services. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Presbyterian College and a Masters in Public Administration from Valdosta State University. Sterling has also attended Cannon Financial Institute and earned a Certificate in Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning. Sterling serves on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County and enjoys watching baseball and fly fishing as well as spending time with his girlfriend Marianne and dog Charlie.
Archives: Team
Team
Leeta T. Lister
Leeta joined Colonial in 2013 after nine years of service at Bank of America where she served as a Personal Banker. Leeta holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from USC Upstate and is primarily responsible for trust administration and trust client service in our Spartanburg office.
Shanea M. Ford
Shanea joined Colonial in March of 2019 after nine years of experience in retail banking here in Spartanburg, most recently with Carolina Alliance Bank as an Operations Associate. A native of Bethune, South Carolina, Shanea holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from USC Upstate and is a Senior Trust Administrator in our Spartanburg office.
Lori Nguyen
Lori joined Colonial in June of 2018 after serving 14 years in retail banking with BB&T and First Citizens Banks as a Financial Center Leader. She is a native of Greenville, and a graduate of North Greenville University and Erskine College where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Lori is primarily responsible for trust administration and client service in our Greenville office.
Ellen M. Taylor
Ellen joined Colonial in 2019 after three years of service at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P. A. where she served as a legal assistant. Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration from the College of Charleston and is primarily responsible for trust administration, client services, and operations in our Columbia office.
Heather N. Tisdale
Heather joined Colonial in 2016 after eight years of service at BNC Bank where she served as Assistant Branch Manager. She holds a Sociology degree from the University of South Carolina and is a Trust Administrator in our Charleston office.
SaraBeth Shalala
SaraBeth joined Colonial Trust in 2024 to assist our Spartanburg office’s Client Service team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bob Jones University and an MBA from Walsh University. Over the years, she has worked for private wealth management firms and previously taught English overseas in Poland. Outside the office, you can find her enjoying the outdoors, rock climbing in the mountains, or creating pottery at the art studio.
Mary Katherine Anderson
Mary Katherine joined Colonial Trust in 2021. She previously worked with BB&T Wealth as a client specialist. She holds a political science degree from Furman University. Mary Katherine works with our advisory team and is responsible for client service in our Spartanburg office.
Gina Grooms
Gina joined Colonial Trust Company in February 2020 after working as a real estate paralegal and as a realtor. Facilitating others in achieving their goals and dreams has been the joy of her career. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, she spent most of her childhood in Germany while her father served in the United States Army. She graduated from Frankfurt American High School and attended the University of Maryland at the Munich Campus. She finished her studies in Behavioral Science at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. Gina is responsible for Trust Administration and client service in our Greenville office.
Belinda B. Gillespie
Belinda brings valuable insight to her role as an Assistant Trust Administrator. She spent 15 years in banking as a Consumer and Commercial lender and financial advisor after graduating from the University of South Carolina. She joined our staff in January 2020 after working as the registrar at Spartanburg High School and secretary at Pine Street School. Belinda enjoys spending time with her husband, Max, and her adult children, Mason, his wife, Erin, and Walker.