The Arts Council of Wilmington has taken the important organizational step of beginning to constitute its board of directors.

Monday, the council announced its first four charter directors: Eric McKeithan, who will chair the board; Clyde Edgerton, vice chair; Kim Adams, secretary; and Chris Wilson, member at large. The governing body will eventually expand to 12.

McKeithan, who recently retired as president of Cape Fear Community College, successfully spearheaded a $169-million bond campaign for the school. As chair of the Arts Council of Wilmington, McKeithan is committed to creating an endowment for the organization.

Edgerton is a professor of creative writing in the MFA program at University of North Carolina Wilmington and the author of critically acclaimed novels. He has agreed to lead fundraising efforts.

A member of the arts council’s steering committee, Kim Adams will make the transition from committee to board. She is the downtown specialist for the City of Wilmington and formerly served as director of community relations for the Portsmouth Cultural Trust in Pennsylvania.

After teaching art at Barton College in Wilson, N.C., accomplished painter Chris Wilson retired to Wilmington. He is working on a 100-painting series, From Murphy to Manteo – an Artist’s Scenic Journey, of which several works are on view at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

In announcing the board members, executive director Rhonda Bellamy said, “We are building a strong leadership team which is responsive to the arts community and respected in business and philanthropic circles.”

Bellamy also announced that another member of the council's steering committee, visual artist Owen Wexler, will chair the organization’s Advisory Circle to foster communication between the council, artists, and arts organizations.

For more information, call 431-9934.