THE TEAM
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Zelma Redding
President & Founder
“Otis was providing young people with scholarships in 1963 with the emergence of his success,” says Otis Redding’s widow, Zelma Redding. “And through the Otis Redding Foundation, we continue his dream to empower all young people with an education.” As head of the estate of Otis Redding, Mrs. Redding works each day to promote the image, likeness and catalog of music her husband left. And she also works each day to continue his philanthropic efforts as president of the Otis Redding Foundation.
Karla Redding-Andrews
Vice-President & Executive Director
Karla Redding-Andrews, a native of Jones County, Georgia, has a passion for education paired with music and the arts. She graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1985 with a BS in Public Relations and remains an active alum, serving on the Public Relations Advisory Board. In addition to her role with the Foundation, Redding-Andrews, oversees the day to day operations of the Foundation whose motto is ‘Progress through Education-Enlightenment through music. In addition, and with her mother Zelma, they oversee the massive catalog of works for Otis Redding along with requests for use of his name, image and likeness.
Karla currently serves as the vice-chair of the Georgia Music Foundation and is a member of the Leadership Macon Class of 2015 and a member of the Macon Rotary Club. She serves on the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings Board of Visitors at Mercer University and the boards of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Central Georgia Technical College, the Georgia Intellectual Property Association and the International Cherry Blossom Festival. She most recently was appointed to Macon, Georgia’s Bicentennial Commission by Mayor Lester Miller.
Karla received the Macon Arts Alliance Cultural Award in 2016. In 2018, she received The Women’s International Music Network’s “She Rocks Award.”
Her alma mater, Georgia Southern University, awarded her with the inaugural “Shine, Black Girl, Shine” Black Women Empowerment Award from the Office of Multicultural Affairs as the Coordinator of Diversity Education and Program Outreach in 2019.
Redding-Andrews and husband Timothy have two sons, Justin and Jarred.
CORE TEAM
Justin Andrews
Director of Global Initiatives
Justin Andrews, grandson of the legendary Otis Redding, is Director of Global Initiatives at the Otis Redding Foundation. Within the Foundation, he specializes in event planning, leads student activities and camps, and is the creative force behind Otis Redding branded merchandise, where proceeds support the organization’s educational programs and outreach efforts. He is active and involved in the Middle Georgia community, where he serves as the President of the Macon Film Festival’s Board of Directors and is a board member of the Macon Arts Alliance, the Boys and Girls Club, and Visit Macon. He is a graduate of Macon’s Mt. de Sales Academy and participated in the 2017 class of Leadership Macon.
Kimberly Kelsey Epps
Center Director
Kimberly Kelsey Epps has been singing and performing for over three decades. She has starred in numerous musical theater productions and landed the lead role in Freedom Theatre’s production of Sparkle. Epps is a Grammy Urban Music Award Recipient and was awarded A Key to the City in both Macon, Georgia and her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. She has been featured in Teen People Magazine, Creative Loafing, Jezebel and countless others. Having written and recorded with the likes of Randy Jackson, Tim and Bob, Daryll Simmons, High Rock Entertainment group, Kevin DeClue and Danish producer, Troels Neilson, she continues to hone her craft as she helps to bring arts education to the children of this community.
Reese Kitchens
Chief Audio Visual Engineer
Reese received his formal musical training at Marshall University in West Virginia under the classification Music performance and jazz studies. Since then he has worked and shared the stage with many chart topping artists such as The Isley Brothers, Van Hunt, Desiigner, Alex Isley, and Kevin Ross, just to name a few. He was also a performer in the 2016 BET hip hop awards. Reese is a recording artist that goes by the alias Reese Soul.
Lauren Warlick
Administrative Coordinator
In her 20s, she went on the road on her own and as a hired pianist, vocalist, bassist, percussionist, and producer for several southern based bands. After moving to Macon, GA, she became a part of the team at the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, where she now teaches and works in administration. In 2026, she founded her experimental "macabre" pop project dëadlëi, with which she is currently dedicated most of her creative energy to.
Lauren Elisabeth Strawn Warlick is a Macon, GA singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist specializing in pop, indie, gospel, country, rock, alternative, and other genres of music.
She started playing piano and singing at age 3, songwriting at age 12, and by 13, was a lead singer, multi-instrumentalist and choir director for her local church in both the adult and kid sector. At 16, her father purchased her a used Toshiba laptop off of Ebay with Acoustica Mixcraft 5 (DAW), on which she began to experiment with recording and producing her own original songs in her room.
By 18, she competed in a singing competition for 104.7 the Fish (Atlanta) and won, allowing her to open for Switchfoot and the Newsboys at Jim R. Miller Park for a crowd of 50,000.
This event jump started her music career as she began collaborating with David & The Giant's David Huff at his home studio near Athens, GA, where he allowed her to work alongside him in production, engineering, tracking, and recording. During this time, she wrote several original songs for various artists and church groups and featured as a background vocalist and pianist on multiple projects.
lauren@orcamacon.org
India Harris
Executive Coordinator
India Harris, known in the music industry as Indigo, is a Georgia-born creative, entrepreneur, and advocate for independent artists. A 2023 graduate of Middle Georgia State University with a B.A. in Contemporary Musicianship and a minor in Information Technology, she also earned a Music Essentials certificate from NYU’s Clive Davis Institute in 2021. In 2022, she was selected from over 10,000 nominations to perform at Carnegie Hall as one of 30 vocalists worldwide—and the only representative from Georgia.
India is the founder/CEO of R1 Records and host of Unheard Sessions, a podcast spotlighting independent artists and industry professionals. At the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, she supports daily operations and teaches music theory through the Music Makers program, continuing her commitment to mentorship and creative education.
support@orcamacon.org
Naseem Muhammad
Director of Research & Partnerships
Naseem Muhammad, known as Naz, is a singer, rapper, and songwriter whose sound is rooted in hip-hop and R&B. A biology major at Middle Georgia State University, he blends academic focus with a deep passion for music and storytelling.
Naz is one-half of the duo Tribe, signed to R1 Records, with a debut EP Loverboi that explores vulnerability and growth. He’s a certified Expanded Functions Dental Assistant through the Georgia Dental Society and holds a certificate from Howard University’s Impressions Day program.
In addition to his music, Naz works as support staff at the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, helping nurture young talent and support daily operations. His experience teaching songwriting and percussion through the Music Makers program reflects his dedication to mentorship and creative education.
support@orcamacon.org