Cindi Boiter, Executive Director
Bekah Rice, Operating Director
Wade Sellers, President
Keith Tolen, Vice President
Meeghan Kane, Treasurer
Emily Moffitt, Secretary
Rhodes Bailey
Pam Bowers
Kwasi Brown
Libby Campbell-Turner
Lauren Casassa
Kristin Cobb
Stan Conine
Dick Moons
Liz Stalker
Jon Tuttle
Cindi Boiter, Executive DirectorCindi Boiter is a six-time winner of the SC Fiction Project, winner of the Piccolo Fiction Project, the Porter Fleming Award for fiction, the 2014 recipient of the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts, and the 2018 recipient of the Lucy Hampton Bostick Award. She is the founder and editor of Jasper Magazine, The Limelight volumes I and II, A Sense of the Midlands, Art from the Ashes, and Marked by the Water, Setting the Supper Table and editor and founder of the literary magazine Fall Lines – a literary convergence, author of Buttered Biscuits, and literary author of Red Social. Cindi is the executive director of The Jasper Project and is married to Dr. Bob Jolley, with whom she founded Muddy Ford Press in 2011.
Bekah Rice, Operating DirectorBekah is originally from Charleston and now lives in Columbia, SC with her husband, Adam Corbett, and their two dogs. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Studio Art from the University of South Carolina and performs with Adam in the local band, Husband. She is a senior UX designer/developer and accessibility expert at user experience strategy firm truematter, and frequently speaks, writes, and teaches about web accessibility, UX and interface design, user research, and user experience strategy.
Wade Sellers, PresidentWade Sellers in an independent filmmaker and producer based in Columbia, SC. He is a four time Emmy nominee whose production company, Coal Powered Filmworks, focuses on producing documentary and independent film projects. His work has been seen on cable and PBS stations nationwide and independent theaters and festivals throughout the United States and Europe. He began work in independent film as a cinematographer and in the late 1990’s he followed this work to New York City, where he began establishing a strong resume of work with independent film and corporate clients. After returning to the south he turned his focus to producing and directing and founded Coal Powered Filmworks; producing work for local, regional and national clients. His work been recognized with Addys, Tellys and numerous other awards and he is the 2025 recipient of the SC Governor's Award for the Arts.
Keith Tolen, Vice PresidentKeith Tolen is a lifelong native of South Carolina who grew up in Batesburg. He attended SC State University and received a Bachelors in art education. He then earned a masters in education from Francis Marion University. He taught art at Camden Middle School for 30 years, retiring in 2017. Tolen has worked creating designs in photography, drawing, and painting for the past forty years and continues to do so.
Meeghan Kane, TreasurerCurrently, Meeghan Kane leads community engagement efforts at the South Carolina State Museum, developing public programs and supporting and fostering community relationships and partnerships with fellow cultural institutions and organizations. Prior to joining the museum team, Meeghan taught history at Benedict College for over a decade, where she specialized in African American history, 20th century cultural history, and the history of the American South. She moved to Columbia, South Carolina, from Tampa, Florida, in 2006 to join USC’s graduate program in history after completing her B.A. and M.A. at the University of South Florida. These days, if she’s not at the museum, you’ll likely find her and her family enjoying nice meals in local restaurants, day tripping to the mountains, camping in SC’s state parks, road-tripping back home to Florida, and, most importantly, enjoying the arts and culture of the Midlands. Meeghan is excited to be a part of the Jasper board. She hopes to help artists and arts supporters build new ways to connect and reach new audiences.
Emily Moffitt, Secretary Emily is from Irmo, SC, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Carolina in May 2022 with her Bachelor's in Studio Art and English. While in school, she was a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional music fraternity for women and worked as a server and bartender at several restaurants in the Vista. She started as an intern with the Jasper Project the January prior, writing articles for our music column. She currently works at the Koger Center for the Arts as a marketing and administrative assistant who also helps run and curate their gallery spaces. The gallery spaces include the brand-new Hallway Gallery that was created as a partnership between Koger and Jasper. Her personal artistic endeavors include freelance illustration and cosplaying her favorite characters from anime and pop culture.
Rhodes Bailey Rhodes Bailey is an attorney and the owner of Rhodes Bailey Law, LLC, and a long-term member of the Midlands-based band Whiskey Tango Revue with whom he plays guitar and pedal steel. A graduate of the College of Charleston and the University of SC School of Law (2007), where he received the Trail Clinic’s Professionalism Award, Rhodes is married and has two children. Rhodes says he is “looking forward to collaborating with like-minded artists and fostering talent in our state.” He somewhat jokingly continues, “I hope to help solve problems as needed and keep my fellow artists out of Jail!”
Pam Bowers Pam Bowers is a Chicago native, but for the past 20 years she has divided her time between Columbia, South Carolina, the Umbrian hill town she calls her second home, and her world travels. Pam has exhibited her work internationally at venues that include the Guilin Academy of Chinese Painting in China, the University of Fine Arts in Budapest, numerous venues in Italy, University of Newcastle in Australia, and the Ecole Nationale in Rabat, Morocco. Nationally she has exhibited at the Bowery Gallery, New York, Blue Mountain Gallery New York, ARC and WMG galleries in Chicago, and many other university or museum venues including the State Museum of South Carolina, City Gallery at Waterfront Park In Charleston, the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and St. Mary's College of Notre Dame, among others. Pam has lectured on her work and conducted numerous workshops both here and abroad.
Kwasi BrownKwasi Brown, born in Philadelphia and raised in Columbia, SC, is the owner of Black Nerd Mafia. Armed with a bachelor's degree in computer science, Kwasi envisioned BNM as a haven for those who celebrate intellect and creativity. What began as a humble Facebook group seeking like-minded individuals has blossomed into a company dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black and other underrepresented artists. Black Nerd Mafia provides a platform for these talents to shine in the heart of downtown Columbia, where opportunities can be scarce. Through their YouTube show "Chess Table Talks," artists engage in candid interviews, while BNM offers invaluable services in social media management and content creation. Guided by the mantra "if it's dope, we do it," Black Nerd Mafia continues to champion creativity and diversity in the arts.
Libby Campbell-TurnerLibby Campbell-Turner has worked in theatre (regional, professional, community) for a number of years. She is currently a litigation paralegal with a law firm here in Columbia. (She was forced to seek out "normal" employment once she aged out of ingenue and district attorney roles.) She has also worked in television and film. In fact, she just received a royalty check for her work in Robbie Benson's "Modern Love". That 3 cents will go a long way toward paying off her credit card debt. (Libby also loves shoes.) Libby works with the Jasper Project as its Theatre Editor. Columbia has an extraordinary wealth of artistic talent, and Libby is excited to make Soda City citizens aware of the gifts this city possesses.
Lauren Casassa Lauren Casassa is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She received her BFA in Painting at the University of South Carolina and has been awarded the Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key Award for excellence in Visual Arts, the Yaghjian Studio arts scholarship at USC, and the 2018 Artfields Solo Award Exhibition at Jones-Carter Gallery. She has been featured in Garnet and Black, Daily Gamecocks, The State, Free Times, and Susie Magazine. She has lectured for classes at USC, SC State University, and spent a summer residency in Monte Castello, Italy. Exhibitions include group shows in Italy, New York, South Carolina and solo shows in Iowa and South Carolina.
Kristin CobbKristin Cobb is the executive director for Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College. Kristin came from the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County in Camden where she served as the executive director for 10 years cultivating a vibrant community arts organization. She is a graduate of the UofSC and has also worked in television and radio before her arts management career, having worked at WOLO, now ABC-COLUMBIA. She brings her love of the arts to the Jasper Project board of directors and is excited about what the future holds for Columbia and beyond. Kristin lives in Camden and was recently named for the second year in a row, to the Free Times Top 50 Power List in the Midlands.
Stan Conine Stan Conine is the retired President and Broker-in-Charge of The Conine Group, Inc. and the former Campus Director of Birchwood Campus, SC Department of Youth Services (currently SCDJJ) and a Life member in the Circle of Excellence of Central Carolina Realtors Association. He has a B.S. in Sociology from Georgia College, an M.Ed. in Counselor Education from University of South Carolina, and a M.C.J. in Criminal Justice also from USC. Stan says, “I have long respected The Jasper Project for promoting and supporting local artists of all genres, and for creating and promoting events which make it acceptable, normal even, for folks from all neighborhoods, all backgrounds, and all educational levels to access, enjoy, and appreciate the creativity in the works of these artists.” He continues, “I hope that I will be able to help Jasper expand and extend its support to more people with artistic dreams, including the very young and the very old, and I hope that I will be able to help spur an effort to bridge the gap and encourage more cooperation and coordination among different arts organizations with common goals in the Midlands area.”
Dick MoonsDick Moons says he is a “retired corporate flunky,” certified sound practitioner, professional drum circle facilitator, dad, and grandfather. Dick says he joined the Jasper Project board of directors because he believes “in what Jasper is about, its mission, and the way Jasper has gone about implementing and fulfilling its vision.” He continues to explain that “being a part of a talented bunch of folks who donate their time and energy for nothing more than their love of the arts – and thereby making Columbia a far cooler place” is reason enough to join the Jasper team.”
Liz StalkerLiz Stalker is a 2024 graduate of USC with honors and a bachelors degree in English. The winner of the 2023 Havilah Babcock scholarship for poetry, Liz enjoys poetry and filmmaking when she isn’t serving up caffeine at Curiosity Coffee Bar. A former intern with the Jasper Project, Liz says, “I joined the Jasper board because Jasper opened a world of local artists to me, and I would love to help do that for others.”
Jon Tuttle Jon Tuttle is Professor of English, Director of University Honors, and Writer-in-Residence at Francis Marion University. He is the author of THE TRUSTUS COLLECTION (Muddy Ford Press, 2019) a gathering of six of his plays that premiered at Trustus Theatre, where he was Playwright-in-Residence for over twenty years. He has received the South Carolina Theatre Association’s Founders Award, a Porter Fleming Award, and fellowships from the South Carolina Academy of Authors and Florence Regional Arts Alliance, on whose boards he has also served. In 2020, he received a South Carolina Governor’s Award in the Humanities. Jon lives in Florence with his wife Cheryl and is the proud father of two award-winning South Carolina educators, Staci and Jill, and one doctoral candidate in Music, Josh.
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