College of Charleston Associate Professor Karen Chandler received the 2012 Governor’s Award in the Humanities primarily for her accomplishments with the Charleston Jazz Initiative.

 The award will be presented to her at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia on October 30, 2012.

“It is gratifying to be honored for not only the research, but the programmatic efforts to expose this research to scholarly and community audiences,” Chandler said.

Chandler teaches in the Arts Management Program at the College.

She is a co-founder of the Charleston Jazz Initiative, which is housed in the College’s Avery Center, and has planned numerous jazz performances in Charleston.

Through her research, Chandler has contributed to the knowledge of South Carolina music history, including the Jenkins Orphanage and James Jamerson.

The MOJA Arts Festival and the South Carolina African American Heritage Commissions have honored Chandler for her work in music history.

She serves on multiple boards including the Charleston Concert Association and African American Jazz Caucus.

Chandler received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Hampton University, a master’s in music education from Columbia University-Teachers College, and a doctorate in studies in arts and humanities from New York University. Currently, she teaches arts management courses in both the undergraduate program and master’s program in public administration.

Governor’s Awards in the Humanities were also given to Anthony DiGiorgio, the retiring president of Winthrop University, and the University of South Carolina Press on the Columbia campus.