Sumner Bender, a Columbia native, joined the Nickelodeon as the Executive Director in June 2022. Bender Is the past president of the Board of Directors for Trustus Theatre, is the Vice President of the SC Theatre Association, and a member of The Contemporaries for the Columbia Museum of Art. She recently joined the Main Street District’s Public Spaces Committee. Prior to joining the staff at The Nick she was the lead theatre teacher, and professional development facilitator, in Richland County School District Five at Spring Hill High School. Bender is dedicated to the arts in the Midlands and is looking forward to helping revitalize Main Street as a thriving arts corridor!