Staff and Boards

Leadership

Meliah Bowers Jefferson

Executive Director

Meliah Bowers Jefferson joined the Jolley Foundation as Executive Director in June 2022. She guides grantmaking, investments, and community engagement to advance the foundation’s vision of a just, compassionate, and vibrant community for all. Meliah brings 20 years of professional experience in law, business, and community leadership to the Foundation.

Meliah graduated from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business and earned a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. During her legal career, she clerked for Chief Justice Jean H. Toal (ret) at the South Carolina Supreme Court and United States Circuit Court Judge J. Michelle Childs. She also practices law in civil litigation, intellectual property, and alternative dispute resolution as a member of Wyche, P.A., where she previously served as a member of the executive leadership team.

A community servant at heart, Meliah has nearly 18 years of nonprofit board experience and currently serves on the boards of directors for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and Greater Good Greenville. She is a Liberty Fellow, a Fellow of the Furman University Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative, and a graduate of Leadership Greenville. Under her leadership, the foundation stays true to its core mission of creating a thriving Greenville community. Meliah lives in Greenville with her daughter.

Lauren Stephens

Community Investment Officer

Lauren Stephens, a native of Greenville and a Clemson graduate, became the Community Investment Officer at the Jolley Foundation in August 2024. With over a decade of nonprofit leadership experience, she has guided her community through challenging times. Lauren is a devoted mother to two daughters, including one with special needs, and has personally overcome a progressive Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. Her journey has equipped her with profound insights into resilience and strength, which she brings to her role at the foundation.

Recognized as one of Greenville Business Magazine‘s Best and Brightest Under 35 and featured in Talk Magazine‘s 25 Most Beautiful People, Lauren is also a graduate of Leadership Greenville. At the Jolley Foundation, she manages the administration, evaluation, and assessment of community investments, ensuring alignment with the foundation’s mission and vision. In her free time, Lauren enjoys golfing with her husband, supporting the Clemson Tigers, and embracing the joys of motherhood.

Jolley Foundation Governance

Our governing leadership comprises a Board of Trustees, with the guidance and input from a Community Advisory Council. Though the foundation has grown and changed over the years, one thing has remained true since its inception in 1947: We remain steadfastly dedicated to helping others and cling tightly to the values instilled in us by our founders.

With most of the board of trustees residing outside of Greenville, we rely heavily on our community partners to be ears to the ground of needs in Greenville. In this way, Bob Jolley’s deep love and dedication to the people of the Upstate continues today.

Board of Trustees

Trustee

James McDuffie Bruce IV

Mac lives in Brooklyn, New York where he works as Lead Project Manager for CALSTART–a non-profit focused on encouraging the adoption of zero emission transportation technologies. Mac holds an MS in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas and a BA in English literature from Rhodes College. Mac grew up in Greenville and is a proud Greenville Senior High School graduate. He has been a member of the Jolley Foundation Board since 2015.

Trustee

James McDuffie Bruce III

Duff Bruce is a Greenville native who attended Augusta Circle Elementary School, Christ Church Episcopal School, The Baylor School, and Davidson College. Upon graduation, he worked at Davidson College in a variety of staff positions. Returning to Greenville, he began working at the Open Book, a local bookstore, where he met his wife, Margaret, and served as bookseller, buyer, and eventually owner until 2011. He joined the Jolley Foundation board of trustees after the death of his uncle, Bob Jolley, in 2002.

Trustee

Jolley Bruce Christman

Jolley Bruce Christman, a Greenville native, lives in Philadelphia. There she has worked as a high school teacher, teacher educator, and school district administrator. In 1992, with her good friend Eva Gold, Jolley founded Research for Action, a non-profit organization that, through its research, seeks to improve the life chances of underserved youth by strengthening public schools and enriching the civic dialogue about public education. In her retirement, she has served on the boards of higher education institutions and community arts organizations and campaigned for fair funding for Philadelphia public schools. Jolley holds a B.A. from Randolph College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Trustee

Andrew Christman

Andrew Christman lives with his wife and two sons in Philadelphia, PA. Andrew is an educator and visual artist. Andrew’s pedagogical approach and art-making practice each emphasize critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, community building. Andrew currently works as a teaching artist for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is a co-founder of Way of Words Projects, which brings interactive literacy and art experiences to diverse audiences throughout Philadelphia. He was a founding teacher at el Centro de Estudiantes, an alternative, accelerated high school for overaged, under-credited students seeking a high school diploma. He has been an educator at the Brooklyn Museum, the New York City Museum School and the Rotunda Gallery. Andrew received his BFA at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn and his MA in Eastern Art History at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Manchester University, UK.

Community Advisory Council

This diverse group of community leaders was first invited in 2019 to join the trustees in ongoing discussion and learning about keeping justice and equity front and center in the foundation’s community efforts. As formal and informal leaders throughout Greenville County, have shared their hopes, experiences, and wisdom with us in an effort to bring the trustees closer to the issues facing Greenville and help us understand the changing needs in our community.

Together, we have explored the Foundation’s vision of “a just, compassionate, and vibrant community” and examined what barriers remain to achieving that vision. The Community Advisory Council continues to enrich our understanding of our shared community. They remind us that human dignity must ground every decision and encourage us to keep getting into “good trouble.”
Sean Dogan
Pastor of Long Branch Baptist Church
JoKeitha Seabrook
Nonprofit Consultant and Director of College Unbound - Greenville
Stacey Mills
Pastor of Mountain View Baptist Church and President of Parish House CDC
Deborah McKetty
President of South Carolina Community Loan Fund
David Taylor
Founder of Momentum Bike Clubs
Inez Morris
Community Advocate
Tony McDade
Former Executive Director of United Ministries
Adela Mendoza
Executive Director of Hispanic Alliance
Dan Weidenbenner
Executive Director of Mill Village Ministries
Shaniece Criss
Professor at Furman University and Council Member for the City of Travelers Rest
United for Justice
Rooted in Compassion
for a Vibrant Greenville

Mailing Address

PO Box 8182
Greenville SC 29604
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