Foundation Board of Directors

Dr. Tanzy Kilcrease is a dedicated and passionate educator who served as the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the Bibb County School District for six years, transitioned to Chief of Staff and has currently accepted a position as the Program Manager with the Georgia Department of Education. Her love for children inspires her work in education. In fact, she left the field of journalism in order to return to school and realize her true calling in education. Dr. Kilcrease is a native of Macon, Georgia with a musical background amongst her family. She is the proud wife of Antwon Kilcrease, a supervisor for Progressive Insurance Company, and she is a proud mother of three Bibb County School District graduates and two grandchildren.

She was the 2012 recipient of the Deana Burgess Award from Georgia College and State University for mentoring aspiring leaders which is another one of her passions. On February 19, 2021, she was the recipient of the 2021 AASA Women in School Leadership Award. She is a graduate of GSSA, SPDP, and an inaugural graduate of AASA. She is also a graduate of the NESLI Women’s Advanced Leadership Program.

Dr. Kilcrease currently serves on the Board of Directors for GSSA and GACIS. She also serves on the RTM K-12 National Advisory Board. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Principal Center at Georgia State University. She is a current member of AASA, GACIS, GAEL, SSTAGE, and ASCD. She is a firm believer in community service. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club of Macon. For the past two years, she has raised enough funds to be named the “Top Server” for the Appetites for Advocacy event sponsored by the Macon Crisis Line & Safe House. She also serves on the Regional Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.

Dr. Lanning is noted for her rich, distinctive sound. She has performed in recital, opera, and oratorio throughout the U.S. and in France. Symphonic appearances include the Central Florida Symphony, Valdosta Symphony, Georgia Symphony, Albany Symphony and Macon Symphony. She was named Young Artist of the Year by the Gretchen Bunche Endowed Recital Series and received the Irvin Bushman Award at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Auditions. As a member of Robert Shaw’s Chamber Singers and Festival Singers, she has performed several times at Carnegie Hall.

An active choral conductor, Dr. Lanning has presented choral master classes and clinics throughout Georgia. She is a Professor and Coordinator of Music at Middle Georgia State University.

“The Otis Redding Foundation’s stated mission is to empower, enrich, and motivate all young people through programs involving music, writing and instrumentation. As someone who has dedicated her life to a similar mission at the university level, I count it an honor to partner with the Otis Redding Foundation in support of its work.”

Karen E. Lee’s enviable career in media relations management and artist development spans more than 20 years and was acknowledged in 2019 when she was presented with the Media Award at the Living Legends Foundation Gala in Los Angeles.

Karen served Prince as Vice President of Media Relations for both he and his Paisley Park production facility. Karen’s talents have enhanced the careers of numerous artists including: Curtis Mayfield, Tamia, Quincy Jones, Somethin’ For The People, Sandra St. Victor, Chaka Khan, Seal, Eric Benet, Jaheim, Bobby Brown, Lalah Hathaway, New Power Generation, Charlie Wilson, Kirk Whalum, Tupac Shakur, the Estate of Barry White, and Chris Brown’s Symphonic Love Foundation.

W&W Public Relations, founded by the late Patti Webster, has been one of the most respected independent PR firms in the country for almost 30 years. Their diverse client roster of musical artists, professional athletes, corporations and nonprofits has included Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, Dwight Howard, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, Bow Wow, Patti LaBelle, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Micah’s Voice, Rushion McDonald’s Money Making Conversations podcast, the Estate of Otis Redding, RCA Inspiration and the Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards.

Michael is the owner and operator of Premier Audio Services a professional sound and lighting company in the Atlanta Georgia area. Michael has been involved in music and live audio since his high school years, where he played the drums and was responsible for setting up the sound system for the jazz band and school events. He founded Premier Audio Services after moving to Atlanta in 2001. He has become a well sought out engineer and has worked with Grammy award winning musicians and artists. Michael believes in sharing his knowledge to uplifting others. He has mentored young engineers who have now become owners of their own companies and helped add skill set to those with an existing company. He has engineered for Eve, Angie Stone, Kelly Price, Pastor Troy, Kenny Lattimore and many others, and has served as a broadcast engineer for Patty LaBelle, Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child), Tyrese, and more.

“To continue Otis Redding’s legacy, is to continue inspiring our youth in keeping the performing arts alive.”

With a proven track record of more than 20 years of creating and executing successful marketing campaigns for established global brands, Arron Saxe deeply understands the importance of smart connections and sound strategy.

Seeing that there was a need for Black families to have their legacies properly carried forward, Arron started his own firm, Kinfolk Management + Media, in 2017. Among Kinfolk’s current clients and project partners are
the Estate of Otis Redding, the Estate of Donny Hathaway, the Estate of Tupac Shakur, RZA/Wu-Tang Clan, Q-Tip/A Tribe Called Quest, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Kinfolk Management + Media also has a development deal with Endeavor Content, focusing on music-based projects in the film, television, and live sectors.

Arron is a proud board member of the Otis Redding Foundation, carrying through their mission to empower young people through programs focusing on music, writing, instrumentation, and the business at large. In addition, he is also a member of BLD PWR, which engages pop culture, education, and activism to build and train an inclusive entertainment community to advance radical social change. Arron resides in Los Angeles with his two children.

As CFO of ShuBee, Stacey Timothy oversees the Accounting department and all financial aspects of the company including financial planning, budgeting, compliance and daily accounting activities. Stacey has spent the past 14 1/2 years at ShuBee Inc, starting out as Accounting Manager and moving up to Chief Financial Officer.

Stacey moved to Macon from New York after high school and received her Bachelor’s in Accounting from Middle Georgia State University and her Master’s in Accounting from Auburn University. She is married to Jason Timothy and their son, Christopher Timothy, is a 3 time Otis Music Camper and 2021 graduate.

Stacey is currently a board member and the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion committee with the Central Midwest Georgia chapter of The American Red Cross. Her main focus as chair is to educate the African American community on Sickle Cell disease and the importance of being blood donors.

She is also a graduate of Leadership Macon, class of 2019.

“The Otis Music Camp has made a tremendous impact on my son’s life and his love for music and honing his talent. He absolutely loves the camp, the campers, the coaches and the foundation in general. Our experience over the past 4 years has been nothing but rewarding and I would love to be a part of giving that same experience to other families.”

Dr. Kevin B. Williams is the former project coordinator for the Injury Prevention Center at Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where he taught health education to patients, parents and staff. His other responsibilities included managing a grant from the Robert Woodruff Foundation, data collection and evaluation of program and research activities.

Kevin Williams was an entrepreneur from 1993 – 2006 serving as the former president and CEO of Uplift Enterprises Inc., a management, special events, and production company. His current research focus is on African American students living with Learning Disabilities, and the health and education outcomes of those students. Other research interests of Dr. Williams include health services research, health workforce research, and health policy research and leadership.

Kevin believes a person using uplift education values the learner’s contribution in the classroom and challenges the student to be great in critical thinking, writing and oral delivery. An uplift educator also challenges the learner to think about the larger contribution that he or she can make through his or her education and career.

Father of Otis Music Camper D.K. Williams.