Danny Nicholson, a Hartsville, S.C., native who has spent his career as a development officer at colleges in South Carolina and other southeastern states, has been elected president of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home.

Connie Maxwell trustees formally approved a search committee’s nomination of Nicholson Thursday morning during a board meeting at the ministry’s main campus in Greenwood. He currently serves as special assistant to the president at Winthrop University and will assume his duties at Connie Maxwell Sept. 1.

Trustee B.M. Cave, chairman of the search committee, said in a letter to trustees: “References confirmed the committee’s opinion of the gifts and talents Dr. Nicholson would bring to Connie Maxwell. The references also affirmed his strong relational skills, commitment to God in all things, and professional qualifications and experience for being president.”

Nicholson, a graduate of Charleston Southern University and a Ph.D. graduate of the University of South Carolina, has been involved in higher education work since 1984. In a letter to the presidential search committee, he wrote: “I have dedicated my career to serving the needs of young people in higher education. Working for 10 presidents, my journey has led me to experience various leadership styles, cultures, and to become more sensitive to a president’s ability to listen, act with integrity, and bring a community together toward one common goal — the needs of students.”

Born to a young couple out of wedlock, Nicholson was left at the hospital for several months until Billy and Mary Nicholson adopted him. “This was the beginning of my adoption journey and the testimony of God’s faithfulness to me,” Nicholson wrote.

He served as a Connie Maxwell trustee from 1995-2000. He served as vice chairman and later as chairman. “It was during these years that a seed was planted in my heart and my love for this tender ministry grew and flourished,” he wrote.

Nicholson has served as a development officer at Winthrop University, Carson-Newman University, Glenville State College (West. Va.), Coastal Carolina University, the Medical University of South Carolina, Coker College and Charleston Southern University.

He has been married for 33 years to his wife, Debra, a first-grade teacher, and they have two sons: Bryson, 23, and Taylor, 27. He has been active in music ministry and has produced four original albums, which he sold to support mission projects. He is a member at First Baptist Church in Rock Hill. He is a runner, having completed 12 marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice.

Nicholson will succeed interim president James Wright Jr., who said, “I believe God has uniquely prepared Dr. Nicholson, from his adoption to education and work experience, to serve as president of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home.” Wright served as an ex-officio member of the search committee.

Connie Maxwell Children’s Home was established in 1892 as a ministry affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. More than 17,000 children have been served in its 125-year history. Connie Maxwell offers residential care, crisis care, family care and foster care at five campuses across the state. For more information, visit www.conniemaxwell.com or call 864-942-1400.

Revised Nov. 22, 2017.