Our Board

Laura Webb (Treasurer) – Asheville, N.C.

Laura Webb is President and founder of Webb Investment Services, a locally-owned wealth management and investment consulting practice that has been providing support to successful individuals, particularly women, in Western North Carolina since 1995. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked in the financial services industry for more than 40 years. Prior to creating her practice, she served as the Department Head of Asset Management for FSC Securities, and then as the first female Vice President of Eagle Asset Management. Laura is a third generation native of Asheville. Her great-grandfather, Charles A. Webb, was instrumental in the effort to form Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hon. Gary Wade (Founding Chair Emeritus) – Sevierville, Tenn.

Gary R. Wade is a former Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court and former Mayor of Sevierville. Justice Wade has been a prominent figure in the establishment and continuation of the Friends organization since its founding in 1993, now serving as Founding Board Chair Emeritus. Justice Wade has held many important leadership and support positions in the American, Knoxville, and Sevier County Bar Associations. Following retirement, he served as Dean of Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law and now serves as shareholder at London Amburn in Knoxville. He has been a lifelong supporter and lifetime member of many of East Tennessee’s key cultural institutions, including the University of Tennessee, Leadership Knoxville, Leadership Sevier, East Tennessee Foundation, and the Sevier County High School Foundation. He has also served as Board Chair of the Museum of Appalachia as well as Zoo Knoxville.

Rev. Dr. Dan Matthews (Chair Emeritus) – Asheville, N.C.

Dan has been familiar with the Great Smoky Mountains all of his life. He grew up just a few miles from the edge of the park in Haywood County, N.C., not far from where he and his wife, Deener, created their mountain top hiking resort known as the Swag Country Inn on the edge of the Cataloochee boundary of the park. Vocationally, he has served as a pastor of Episcopal churches in Tennessee and Georgia, with his last seventeen years as rector of the historic Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. He has been the recipient of six honorary doctorates and the Queen of England bestowed on him the Order of the British Empire for his work following 9/11 in lower Manhattan.

Scott Bane – Waynesville, N.C.

Scott is from Nashville, Tenn., and earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. He also holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. After a career spanning more than 20 years in commercial and investment banking, Scott moved to New York City to work with Corcoran as a real estate agent. Growing up, the Bane family had the good fortune of being neighbors of Rev. Dan Matthews and family in Nashville in the 1970s, and became good friends with their children. This family relationship formed Scott’s love of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Banes purchased property along the Cataloochee Divide where they built a mountain home 50 years ago. In recent years, Scott and his husband, Brad, have been able to purchase adjacent parcels to the original property along the Cataloochee Divide in order to help preserve this unique high ridge bordering the national park.

Cindi DeBusk – Knoxville, Tenn.

Cindi G. DeBusk is a Knoxville, Tenn., native, local business owner, and philanthropist. She is the owner of Gresham Construction Solutions (GCS Group, LLC) and Color by Cindi. Her passion for architecture, whether it’s structural, art, or landscaping, has fueled her commitment to serve on several boards and committees.  Cindi is an alumna of Leadership Knoxville class of 2015 and the Covenant Health Leadership Academy class of 2017.  Her personal mission is to serve her community by protecting structural architecture to ensure the opportunity of discovering these architectural treasures for future generations. Cindi and her husband, Pete, enjoy travel, family, and making a difference within their community. 

Heath Shuler – Knoxville, Tenn

Heath Shuler is an American businessman, former NFL quarterback, and former U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district. These career experiences have guided Heath as he follows his passions for solving complex business issues, mentoring leaders, and identifying high-return investment opportunities. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Nikol. They reside in Knoxville, Tenn., and have two children, Navy and Island, who attended Heath’s alma mater at the University of Tennessee.