Tom Kester holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University. He spent 28 years as an audit partner with KPMG in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Dublin, Ireland; and Greenville, South Carolina. Prior to his retirement in 2002, he was the managing partner of KPMG’s Greenville office. Tom is on the board and Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Compensation Committee of InspireMD (NASDAQ: NSPR), a publicly traded global medical device company. Tom is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Kester Search Group, LLC, an executive recruiting firm that specializes in the permanent placement of senior-level management positions as well as field-based sales reps into medical device, diagnostic, and dental companies throughout the United States. He also served as an officer on active duty in the US Navy from 1969 to 1972.

Tom serves as the treasurer and a Board member of Upstate Forever, and previously served as chairman or treasurer and a Board member of the Conestee Foundation. In addition to his strong interest in conservation and environmental issues, Tom also enjoys skiing, woodworking, and traveling. Tom and his wife Sandy have two adult sons, Ross and Lee, and the family has called the Upstate home for over 30 years.