Davyne Dial, President
Professional Designer 1982 – 2012. Davyne began her professional career as a designer in New Orleans, developing and operating a business in the French Quarter adjacent to Jackson Square. She re-located to Asheville in 1989 to further her studies in metalwork at Penland School and John C. Campbell. Current Designs
She has distributed her designs to exclusive retail shops and catalogs nationwide. Her work has appeared in national magazines and graced the display windows of Saks Fifth Ave flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. She has produced instructional lessons on the lost art of couture-level millinery that are available on DVDs.
Upon retiring from the design world, Davyne fulfilled a dream of attending Penland School of Craft to study fine metalwork. She hopes to resume her metalwork once the station is well established in the community.
Press
History of Radio Interview – Radical Radio Blog
Listen and be Heard – Learning and Sweating
Black History, Radio History, Ancient Herstory
Education
University of Maryland European Branch, Columbus College, Columbus, Georgia
Loyola University, New Orleans, La. Penland School of Crafts, John C Campbell Folk School
Interview with Davyne Dial on Twice 5 Miles radio with James Nave’
Dr. Herbert Johnson CAPT USCG (Ret), Treasurer
CAPT USCG (Ret) Physician (GP), Graduate of Dartmouth with an undergraduate in German Literature and Pre-Med. Medical Degree from Northwestern School of Medicine. Upon graduation, Dr. Johnson went into the US Public Health Service (USPHS). After his four years of public service, he was discharged and went into private practice. In 1974 Dr. Johnson re-entered the USPHS and was assigned to the US Coast Guard Academy hospital and also served as ship physician on the Coast Guard training ship Barque Eagle (one of the world’s unique tall ship vessels), sailing out of New London, CT.
After retirement, Dr. Johnson continued his adventures that began on the Barque Eagle, traveling extensively to remote places in Western Africa, including Timbuktu, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, and Mauritania. Dr. Johnson expanded his knowledge of primitive art and collected significant pieces of museum-quality tribal sculpture. Further adventures included visits to Turkey and South America, including a boat trip from the origins of the Amazon River through the Amazon Valley, and photographing dangerous reptiles while on a herpetology expedition.
Dr. Johnson has great respect for the culture and art of Asheville. He has a lifetime of experience in art appreciation due to being raised in the gallery his Father founded in the mid-1940s (R.S. Johnson Fine Art) on Michigan Ave., in Chicago. That gallery experience instilled a deep love of artists. Additionally, in support of Asheville, Dr. Johnson contributed to the local community via generous contributions to scholarships for students at UNCA, where he was the highest individual contributor to the scholarship fund for over a decade. Further local philanthropy includes works by Will Henry Stevens, Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, and Reginald Marsh to the Asheville Art Museum. Dr. Johnson is the major patron for WPVM and is a co-founder of the non-profit that now holds the FCC license for the “New WPVM.” His support and guidance are vital in reviving the radio station from being dormant for years. Dr. Johnson feels honored to be in the position to support the arts and culture of Asheville through the platform of WPVM 103.7.
Education: Undergraduate Pre-Med, Dartmouth / Doctor of Medicine, Northwestern University
MIKE WIMER, ESQ
Michael Wimer, an accomplished North Carolina attorney and founding partner at Asheville Legal, has been practicing law for more than three decades. Although mostly retired now, Mike has focused his legal career on representing individuals and small businesses in litigation and complex commercial transactions. He is a seasoned trial lawyer who has tried dozens of cases in our state and federal courts.
Mike is gaining national recognition in a second career—as a novelist. Writing under the pen name Michael Winstead, Mike is the author of a gripping legal thriller series that includes Ultimate Verdict, Ultimate Deception, and Ultimate Truth. In his books, Mike draws on decades of experience inside courtrooms to craft fast-paced, high-stakes stories that explore the tension between truth, power, and justice. His legal fiction has been praised for its realism, psychological insight, and moral complexity—qualities that reflect his deep understanding of the American legal system. He plans to release additional legal thrillers in the near future.
For interviews, speaking engagements, or media inquiries, please contact: mwimer@ashevillelegal.com
Todd Weatherly
Todd Weatherly is the President of Stucker, Smith & Weatherly, a therapeutic and educational consulting practice. He’s passionate about developing programs, building teams, and facilitating specialized care for those living with mental health challenges.
Todd first became involved with WPVM as a radio show host. His weekly program is Head Inside Mental Health, aired locally on WPVM. He is a North Carolina native, speaker, published photographer, golfer. and mountain biker residing in the Asheville area of beautiful Western North Carolina
James Navé – Vice President
James Navé’s life and work are synonymous. Over the past twenty-five years, he has traveled the world in the service of poetry, art, creativity, and storytelling. He teaches people how to engage their dreams, trust their creative instincts, and design life on their terms. His signature Imaginative Storm Creativity Workshops have launched many successful performances and writing careers.
He hosts Twice 5 Miles Radio: Fertile Ground for Conversations Worth Having on WPVMFM in Asheville, NC. He is the director of the Taos Poetry Festival and the Taos Storytelling Festival. He founded Poetry Alive!, a theater company devoted to performing poems as stories for students and educators around the world. He designed The Artist’s Way Creativity Camp in Taos, NM with creativity author Julia Cameron. He is a founding member of TEDxNewYork Salon which has been hosting a weekly NYC salon since 2009. Navé is the Poetry Slam Master of the LEAF Festival Poetry Slam, one of the most important poetry slams in America. Navé holds an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College and has memorized over 500 poems.
He has worked with such diverse companies as Timex, Pepsi, the National University of Ireland, Galway, North Carolina Outward Bound, Gettliffe Architecture, International Schools around the world, Create Oklahoma, Adidas, LKB Coaching Associates, Paris, Adrian Leeds Real Estate Group, Paris, and The Open Center, NYC.