Board of Directors
Kelly Adkins, President
Kelly Adkins is a longtime advocate of the arts in DeSoto County. Through her involvement in DeSoto Arts Council, she has had a hand in everything from managing a gift shop to teaching a generation of young artists. Kelly also calls many local artists friends. She has lived in Southaven most of her life, and her family has deep roots in the area, spanning back over 200 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Mississippi, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors. For over a decade, Kelly has been a Child Life volunteer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She is also a familiar volunteer face at many events around DeSoto County, including the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi’s annual Crystal Ball. While Kelly has been fortunate to have been exposed to arts and culture all her life, she recognizes many people have not shared her experience. Her hope for Southaven Arts Council is for it to enable the arts to engage those previously unengaged and to encourage those already active in the arts
William Hill
William Hill was born in Tippah County Mississippi, raised in Faulkner and Ripley. He is a retired printer and has served as a pastor and youth minister. William's artistic outlets are painting, writing poetry, and pet sitting. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Poetry Society of Tennessee and as chaplain and treasurer of the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference. He and his wife of 16 years, Anna, reside in Southaven
Anna Hill
Anna is from Coldwater MS, and moved to Southaven 16 years ago after marrying William Hill. She has been involved in theater with Desoto Family Theater, Kudzu Theater, and Northwest Community College on stage and behind the scenes. Anna is a licensed hairdresser and is involved with several animal rescue societies.
Toni Roberts, Vice President
Toni Roberts is a non-profits manager, educator, and visual artist living and working in DeSoto County Mississippi. She received her MFA in Photography from the University of Memphis in 2015, and her BFA in Imaging Arts from the University of Mississippi in 2010. She currently manages the Society for Photographic Education, a national arts non-profit, and holds adjunct teaching positions with the University of Memphis.
She enjoys spending time with her husband, Jason Roberts and their son Jonas.
Matthew Kelso
Matthew Kelso was born and raised in DeSoto county and graduated from Lake Cormorant High School. He then graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Managerial Finance in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi. Right out of college, he began his financial advisor career at Edward Jones in 2017 and trained at a local Hernando office for a year. In 2018 he took over an office, attended Leadership DeSoto, and in 2019 became the chairman of the Southaven Young Professionals. He was voted DeSoto’s Best Financial Planner in 2019 and in 2020 he moved to a new location and obtained his Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation as well as Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. He aspires to obtain his CFP designation in 2022.
He is the husband of Lauren Kelso since 2015. His wife, Lauren works as a nurse in the ICU Step-down at Baptist DeSoto. He is the youngest of 4 children and a full family of 11 nieces and nephews. His parents reside in Hernando. His extra curricular activities involve leading worship at Trinity church in Southaven, attending as many Grizzlies games as possible, playing piano, enjoying board games, and spending as much time hosting family & friends at his home around the fire pit.