Staff
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Management and Administrative Staff

  General Manager John F. Knight Jr. is an honors graduate from Alabama State University. As part of his responsibilities at WVAS, he is Special Assistant to the President/Executive Director of Marketing and Communications. Mr. Knight is a long-time member of the Alabama House of Representatives, having chaired Government Appropriations for several years. Active in volunteer service, he serves on the board of directors for the Kershaw YMCA, the Montgomery Housing Authority, the Montgomery Improvement Association, the Family Sunshine Center, the Southern Development Council Inc., the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Cleveland Avenue YMCA.
  Station Manager Candy Capel is a graduate from the Newcomb College of Tulane University in New Orleans. Her professional career spans four decades in broadcasting, private enterprise, grants administration, and government. Her extensive government background ranges from gubernatorial appointee, to county development office director, to city federal grants monitor. In the 1990s, Ms. Capel completed WVAS' qualification process for receiving Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. A mother of two, Ms. Capel says reading is her passion and music is her love.
 

Program Manager Mel Marshall has been the early-morning voice of WVAS since the station began broadcasting in 1984. He studied at Stillman, Tuskegee, and Troy universities. Early in his career, Mr. Marshall provided advance promotions for the iconic 1970s R&B band The Commodores. He then worked as a radio announcer, sales executive and assistant program director before coming to WVAS to help plan and launch the station. For more than 20 years, Mr. Marshall supervised all production at WVAS. In the spring of 2007, he was named program director. He is also half-time show announcer for the Alabama State University Marching Hornets.

  Music Director Jay Holcey -- also known as DJ Artifakt -- came to WVAS in 2005 to host the Sunday afternoon show titled "Swing Town." Mr. Holcey replaced the previous Bill "Philly" Boynton, who died unexpectedly. Regarding Boynton as both friend and mentor, Mr. Jolcey changed the name of the Sunday show to "Bill Boynton's Swing Town," as a continuing tribute to the well-regarded former host. Mr. Holcey also works with the ASU Sports Network during football and basketball seasons.
  Coordinator of Community and Public Affairs Jackie Kennedy Amis is responsible for WVAS' outreach activities, including its involvement in community events, the broadcast of public service announcements, and the recruitment of underwriting for programs. Ms. Amis' communications experience spans four decades, including previous positions in broadcast journalism, public relations, marketing and advertising. She has worked extensively in the volunteer-non-profit sector, state and local government, and in private enterprise.
  Program Assistant Latonya Stone is responsible for producing all traffic logs and managing the station's databases. Prior to joining WVAS, her academic background and work experience were in judicial administration. She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Faulkner University in 2003, and has worked for various law firms as a paralegal. Currently, Ms. Stone is pursuing a master's degree in judicial administration.

News Staff

 
 
News Reporter LeQuinta Taylor Bryant earned a bachelor's degree from Alabama State University and a master's from Columbia University in New York City.  Prior to joining WVAS-FM, the Georgia native trained at BET Radio Network as an entertainment news writer and at Georgia Public Broadcasting for Studio GPB.  She says she is determined to change the world, one news story at a time.
  Production Technician/Sports Reporter Rachine Francis earned a bachelor’s degree in 2005 and 2006 from Alabama State University.  Before joining WVAS-FM family, she interned at WVAS, was a co-host of the “Hornet Sports Buzz” and worked in Atlanta as a sports production assistant for CNN. 
  Part-Time Reporter Robert "Robb" Taylor earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Alabama State University. He has worked in radio off and on since 1983, including a 16-year-tenure in progressively responsible, full-time positions at WVAS. In 2000, he left WVAS to became a high school English teacher. But, he couldn't stay away from broadcast journalism. Since 2004 he has continued his teaching duties while working in news at WVAS. In addition to reporting and anchoring, Mr. Taylor hosts a live, call-in talk show on Wednesday afternoons from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

 


Announcers

   Part-Time Announcer Arsenio Caldwell.
   Part-Time Announcer Spike Graham.
   

Part-Time Announcer Angier Johnson, “The Gospel Messenger,” has hosted inspirational programming on Sunday mornings since March 1995.  Her five-hour blend of contemporary, traditional and vintage recordings makes WVAS a favorite among those who prefer gospel music.  When not on the air, Ms. Johnson, a veteran state employee,  stays active in numerous community-outreach programs.  A Faulkner University graduate, Ms. Johnson is also the mother of two.

   Part-Time Announcer Gene Knight.
 
Milton Shirdan II was born in Montgomery, AL. He is a graduate of  Temple University's School of Communication and Theater and a veteran of twenty years in Jazz and Urban radio. He joined the staff of WVAS-FM in early 2008.

   Part-Time Announcer Kevin Murry.
   Part-Time Announcer Eugenia Ricks.
  Part-Time Announcer Kevin Sinclair is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1980 graduate of Alabama State University. Currently pursuing a master's degree, Mr. Sinclair is also a full-time employee of the federal government. While government service is his daytime vocation, jazz music is his day-into-night passion. Initially volunteering at WVAS in 1984, Mr. Sinclair joined the paid part-time staff in 1985. He has served as a nighttime and weekend host since then.
  Part-Time Announcer Charles Twitty.
  Part-Time Announcer Kory Ward.