The South Carolina Arts Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Melanie Colclough as executive director. “The South Carolina Arts Alliance is thrilled to have an innovative and dynamic new executive in Melanie. We are very excited to showcase the importance of the arts in all aspects of daily life, education, economic development and quality of life for all South Carolinians,” said SCAA Board President Molly Fortune.

As the third individual to fill this role in the organization’s over 40-year history, Colclough will lead the statewide advocacy for the arts, while managing the operations, programs, and planning.

“The creative community engenders everything necessary to attract people to a place, keep them there, and make them love where they live. From education and economic prosperity to mental health and enhancing brain function, the arts positively impact every aspect of life. I am honored to serve in partnership with this ingenious group of creatives to move the organization to its next phase,” said Colclough.

Colclough has over two decades of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors. Prior to her role at SCAA, she served as the executive director of the Sumter County Cultural Center and Patriot Hall where she was awarded several honors for her work there, including the Tribute to Women in Industry Award from the YWCA of the Upper Lowlands, Women of Excellence Award from the Social Justice Consortium, and the SCPRSA Silver Wing Award of Excellence in partnership with the Crawford Austin Agency. Colclough orchestrated Creative Canvas, an art collaboration among the county, city, and businesses, which earned an Inspiration Award for Outstanding Partnerships from the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

In the past, she also held leadership roles at the South Carolina Association of School Administrators and Municipal Association of South Carolina. She is a graduate of Duke University’s Nonprofit Management Certificate Program, the Fred R. Sheheen Non-Profit Leadership Institute, and Leadership South Carolina. Colclough also earned a seat in the inaugural cohort of South Arts’ Emerging Leaders of Color and was appointed as a National Endowment of the Arts grants panelist. Colclough is a current member of the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI).

A native of Clarendon County, Colclough earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia and a Master of Public Administration degree from the City University of New York through the National Urban Fellows, a public and nonprofit leadership development fellowship.

Source: South Carolina Arts Alliance