Hilton Head People

The Lowcountry is immersed with fascinating personalities. Allow Monthly to introduce you to a few of the area’s most intriguing people.

BILL MILES IS HILTON HEAD ISLAND-BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE’S TIRELESS LEADER

There are some people so ideally suited for their job, it’s almost impossible to picture them doing anything else. Bill Miles is definitely one of those people.

As president and CEO of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, it almost seems like he was molded from Indiana clay to be transplanted onto the island and head up a successful chamber of commerce.

MATTHEW SHERBURNE NAMED EAGLE SCOUT OF THE YEAR

Matthew Sherburne loves being outdoors. The Bluffton High School senior enjoys mountain climbing, biking, and being on the water with the Hilton Head Island Crew team.  

He also enjoys helping others. Always has. Sherburne joined the Cub Scouts in third grade with his twin brother, Andrew, thinking he’d do some camping, learn survival skills and have fun. But he quickly learned he could help make a difference in the community. 

MARTIN LESCH FOSTERS THE COMMUNITY THROUGH MUSIC

If you speak with him long enough, let’s say you even interview him for your local magazine, you’ll eventually realize you still don’t know Martin Lesch. That’s because he rarely talks about himself.

If you’re close with him, you may have enjoyed his Szechuan cooking without knowing he’s a practicing Buddhist. You may think he never hits the beach unless you catch him on a moonlit stroll.

A LOCAL WOMAN’S JOURNEY FROM NAVAL OFFICER TO SPIRIT COMMUNICATOR

Former U.S. Navy Commander Suzanne Giesemann once gave orders daily. Now, the Moss Creek resident receives them from another dimension. 

In her book, “Messages of Hope: The Metaphysical Memoir of a Most Unexpected Medium,” and in the “Messages of Hope” documentary available on Amazon Prime, she details her journey from skeptic to believer.  

FOUNDER STEVE CARB LEADS GROWTH OF AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANTS

The largest employer on Hilton Head Island emerged from humble beginnings. It started many years ago with a single location in an island hot spot.

“The first SERG restaurant was Giuseppi’s in Shelter Cove,” said Steve Carb, the founder and president. “We just celebrated our 35th anniversary.”

HEATHER RATH IS PASSIONATE ABOUT UNITING HILTON HEAD

If you live on Hilton Head Island long enough, and if you travel in the circles through which policies are set, courses are charted and decisions are made, there is one question you will inevitably be asked: “Do you know Heather Rath?”

If you travel in these circles, and if you’ve been here long enough, you’ve probably both asked and answered this question. And while you may answer yes, do you really know Heather Rath? You might think you do, but the fact is, the more you learn about her the more you come to realize how much richer our community is for her presence.

DR. ROBERT CLODFELTER KEEPS HIS SENSE OF HUMOR AFTER DECADES LEADING HILTON HEAD HOSPITAL’S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

After more than 20 years running the emergency department at Hilton Head Hospital, preceded by a decade working in a busy trauma center in Florida, Dr. Robert Clodfelter has his share of stories.

Not all of them are family friendly.

ARTIST D. PIERCE GILTNER REBORN AS BUDDING TABBY MASTER

D. Pierce Giltner is not much a fan of playing it safe. His path to acclaimed artist status has come by way of a winding creative road rooted in unconventional carpentry and a forte for chronicling the lives of laborers working the Lowcountry land.

“I knew I had born talent, it was just about teaching myself art and putting it out into the world,” said the Bluffton resident who began using house paint and canvases of reclaimed wood and roofing tin in his native Chester in the mid-1990s.