Foster Gaillard
Board Member

Foster is a recently retired lawyer with the Firm of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, where he practiced commercial real estate law for almost 50 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Lee University in 1970 and his law degree from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1973. Following law school, he served briefly as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. Foster served as Chair of the Real Estate Practices Section of the SC Bar and served on the Board of Governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. For over 25 years, he was ranked by Best Lawyers in America and also ranked by Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, in the field of real estate law from 2003 to the present. He served for 12 years on the City Council for the City of Charleston and has been very active in the community, having served on numerous local Boards, including the Lowcountry Land Trust, Charleston County Development Alliance, United Way, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston Symphony, and Historic Charleston Foundation, where he served as Board Chair.

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Foster is a life-long member of St. Philip’s Church. He has served two terms on the Vestry of St. Philip’s, and recently retired as Senior Warden in March, 2025. Foster also served as the Chancellor of St. Philip’s Church from 1992 until 2018. Foster is excited about the future of St. Philip’s Academy and believes that a Classical Christian Education as envisioned at the Academy can harmoniously integrate Christian education and values with a classical education in the trivium and quadrivium models, where students can become life-long learners, principled leaders and citizens, all based on the pillars of Knowledge and Truth. Foster and his wife Susan have three grown children and three grandsons. They live in downtown Charleston but spend many weekends at their home on Edisto Island. In his spare time, Foster enjoys reading, primarily biographies and histories, and also enjoys outdoor activities, including boating, swimming, sporting clays, and an occasional golf outing.