Our Leadership

Transforming, Rebranding and Relaunching

As we move from preserving Arthenia’s legacy with the Arthenia Jackson Bates Foundation to the new focus and brand of the Millican Arts Foundation, we are recruiting board members who are aligned with the global reach of our new vision.

We acknowledge and honor the tireless and invisible work of the AJBM Foundation board members who brought the Foundation to this critical stage.

Executive Leadership

Rick Jones

Executive Director

Visionary founder with 17+ years building arts and cultural programming in Sumter, SC
Strategic leader in organizational development, storytelling, and community transformation

Lamont Dupree

Board Chairman

30+ years working with youth and young adults across health, education, and community development
Executive Director with deep Sumter roots and a family connection to Dr. Millican’s legacy

Elisa Morelli

Board Secretary

Music educator and curriculum developer with 21+ years in arts-based learning
Organizational systems builder connecting educational structure with creative programming

Anitra T. Potts

Board Treasurer

Finance and accounting professional with 30+ years in the banking and financial services industry
Family connection to Sumter’s roots and a mother’s perspective on the next generation of creative talent

Board Members

Herbert Johnson, H.C.

Board Member

Nationally recognized music educator with deep roots in Sumter’s schools and arts community
Cross-cultural performing artist who studies and performs with internationally respected conductors

Nancy O’Brien

Board Member

Founder of Experience Happiness, Creator of The Happiness Practice™, and Experience Designer
Builder of partnerships that connect storytelling, youth leadership, wellbeing, and measurable community impact

Annie Rivers, M.A.

Board Member

Executive Director of the Sumter Museum with 13+ years preserving and interpreting local history
Community historian and storyteller whose work ensures overlooked stories are preserved and shared

Executive Leadership

Rick Jones

Executive Director

Visionary founder with 17+ years building arts and cultural programming in Sumter, SC
Strategic leader in organizational development, storytelling, and community transformation

Lamont Dupree

Board Chairman

30+ years working with youth and young adults across health, education, and community development
Executive Director with deep Sumter roots and a family connection to Dr. Millican’s legacy

Elisa Morelli

Board Secretary

Music educator and curriculum developer with 21+ years in arts-based learning
Organizational systems builder connecting educational structure with creative programming

Anitra T. Potts

Board Treasurer

Finance and accounting professional with 30+ years in the banking and financial services industry
Family connection to Sumter’s roots and a mother’s perspective on the next generation of creative talent

Board Members

Herbert Johnson, H.C.

Board Member

Nationally recognized music educator with deep roots in Sumter’s schools and arts community
Cross-cultural performing artist who studies and performs with internationally respected conductors

Nancy O’Brien

Board Member

Founder of Experience Happiness, Creator of The Happiness Practice™, and Experience Designer
Builder of partnerships that connect storytelling, youth leadership, wellbeing, and measurable community impact

Annie Rivers, M.A.

Board Member

Executive Director of the Sumter Museum with 13+ years preserving and interpreting local history
Community historian and storyteller whose work ensures overlooked stories are preserved and shared

Rick Jones Executive Director, Millican Arts Foundation Brings to the Foundation

Visionary founder with 17+ years building arts and cultural programming in Sumter, SC
Strategic leader in organizational development, storytelling, and community transformation

Rick Jones didn’t set out to build a foundation. He set out to make sure the world didn’t forget his aunt.

Dr. Arthenia Bates Millican was a poet, educator, and humanitarian whose insights about resilience, identity, and belonging drew from the deep well of Black life in the rural South. When Rick recognized that her extraordinary story risked being lost, he founded what is now Millican Arts Foundation — not merely to preserve her legacy, but to transform it into something larger: a cross-cultural arts movement rooted in the belief that every person’s story has value.

Over 17 years, Rick has invested more than $130,000 in arts programming in Sumter, developed the Who’s Story Is It? theatre arts curriculum, and built partnerships that reach educators, youth, and communities far beyond South Carolina. His background spans leadership development, organizational strategy, technology, and community engagement. He leads Millican Arts with the conviction that storytelling is not an art form reserved for the accomplished — it is a tool for healing, education, and human connection that belongs to everyone.

“Every person carries experiences, struggles, dreams, and wisdom that deserve to be seen and heard. When we honor one another’s stories, we strengthen our shared humanity and create space for understanding, healing, and hope.”
— Rick Jones, Founder & Executive Director