Andrew Witt was named Executive Director of the Cultural Council of Richland & Lexington Counties, the local arts agency serving the metropolitan Columbia area, in April 2004. Prior to coming to Columbia, Witt served for 16 years as the Executive Director of the Arts Council of Northwest Florida, a local arts agency serving as a "chamber of commerce and united arts fund" for cultural groups in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties and other counties in the Central Time Zone.
He is the past President of the Florida Association of Local Arts Agencies, is on the Board of the Florida Cultural Alliance and Past President of the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club. He served on the Florida Arts Council/Division of Cultural Affairs Strategic Planning Force. He has also served as a grant panelist for the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and Division of Historic Resources, the Kentucky Arts Council and served local arts agencies in Florida.
Prior to his work in Florida, Andrew served as Executive Director of the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Colorado, Managing Director of the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Fifth Avenue Theatre and A Comtemporary Theatre in Seattle.
He has served as a consultant to a variety of arts groups including the Advancement Program of the NEA, the Foundation for the Extension and Development of the American Professional Theatre, the Western States Arts Foundation and many arts councils and non-profit cultural organizations.
He was a co-founder of the Washington State Arts Alliance and the Arts Advocates of Washington State. In Colorado, he served as Chairman of the Colorado Citizens for the Arts during the establishment of the Metro-Denver Cultural Facilities Tax District.
He is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut and has a master's degree from the School of Drama at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Caryn Little, Assistant Director, was hired as the Assistant Director of Development in August 2004. She graduated from the Florida State University in May 2004 with a master's degree in Arts Administration. While at Florida State, Caryn was a research associate with the Tallahassee Community Cultural Plan and a graduate assistant in the School of Music's Office of Special Programs. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of South Carolina.
Caryn resides in Lexington with her husband Doug.
Joan Brady recently joined our staff as the Community Relations & Development contact. Joan represents Richland County in the South Carolina House of Representatives. She is a member of the Women's Legislative Network, SC House Repulican Caucus, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, SC Legislative Arts Caucus, SC Federation of Republican Women and a founding member of Sandhills Republican Women. Joan has also served on Richland County Council and as mayor of Arcadia Lakes. Most recently, she served as Interim Executive Director of Palmetto Center for Women.
Joan earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of South Carolina
Kelly Shockley serves as the Marketing Advisor for the Cultural Council. She has over a decade of experience in advertising and marketing with knowledge and skills in almost every aspect of the field, including marketing development and implementation, image development, strategic planning, media research, media buying and public relations planning.
Kelly earned a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in business administration from the University of Georgia. She worked with E.W. Bullock Associates advertising agency in Pensacola, FL for 8 years as an account manager. She also produced and hosted Coastal Cooking, a weekly television programs which airs on WEAR-ABC.
Kelly lives in Columbia with her husband Scott and two children, Perri and Braden.
