Booth Chilcutt
BLYTHEWOOD – Town Council voted unanimously on Monday night to hire Booth Chilcutt as the new Events and Conference Center Director for The Doko Manner, replacing Martha Jones who recently resigned the position.
Chilcutt, who had served as Jones’ assistant, comes to the position with an enviable set of credentials. Prior to retiring to Blythewood in 2013, Chilcutt served for five years as Executive Director for the Sumter County Commission and the Sumter County Cultural Center (which includes the 1,000-seat Patriot Hall Auditorium, the Sumter County Gallery of Art and the Sumter Community Theatre). Before that he was the Cultural Director for the City of Sumter. Chilcutt is credited with organizing, promoting and directing Sumter County’s community based cultural arts program during the late 1990s. Behind the scenes, he also directed the Cultural Commission’s small grant program which supported local artists and art-based programming throughout Sumter County. Chilcutt has been nominated for the S.C. Art Commission’s Verner Award which is the Governor’s Award for the Arts. That award will be announced in April.
Under Jones, Chilcutt had served as the Manor’s Accommodations Manager, taking care of the operational duties – keeping it clean and in order, entering data into computers and making sure customers were accommodated. As Director he will manage the Manor and work toward creating a cultural program for the facility.
“I will initially be breaking down costs and working on our financial framework, but the part I’m really excited about is the events,” Chilcutt said. “I like programs that connect the whole community through the arts. There’s a lot to do, but first we need to get the finances in hand.”
“We think he’s the right person for the job,” Councilman Bob Massa told The Voice. “He has an outstanding resume and reputation in the cultural arts, both managing the Center in Sumter and creating and maintaining a vibrant cultural arts program over there. He is well connected in the cultural arts throughout South Carolina, and we’re looking forward to what he can do for our town. I’m looking forward to working with him.”
