Our Board of Directors & Other Members

Charles E. Gearing graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and then went on to earn master's and doctorate degrees from Purdue University. Gearing pursued a career in higher education, serving in various academic and administrative roles at Auburn University, Purdue University, University of North Carolina, Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey), Dartmouth University, State University of New York, Binghamton, before returning to Georgia Tech, where he served as Dean of the College of Management and Associate Vice-president for Development. In his latter role, Gearing supervised a 45-member fund-raising staff during a highly successful $200 million capital campaign. He retired from Georgia Tech as Professor Emeritus in 1991.

After his retirement from Georgia Tech, Gearing served four years as director of stewardship development with The Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. Since 1991, he has served as a stewardship consultant with the Episcopal Church Center, and as a field representative of the Episcopal Church Foundation. In 1999 he was appointed as Director of Diocesan Programs for the Episcopal Church Foundation, and in that capacity, he assists dioceses across the country in developing their planned giving programs. He is a co-author of the Foundation's manual, Funding Future Ministry: A comprehensive guide for church leaders to encourage planned gifts in support of Christian ministries, and has recently completed a companion manual, A Diocesan Gift Planning Program: Guidelines for Success. Outside the Episcopal Church, Gearing has served in leadership and development roles in several non-profit organizations, such as Nicholas House, Jerusalem House, Memorial Society of Georgia, and the Alzheimer’s Association (where he currently serves as Chairman of the Endowment Fund).