Cast Your Vote – June 2025 Elections For WV Collective Board Of Directors

Jul 10, 2025 | Board Of Directors

Cast Your Vote – June 2025 Elections For WV Collective Board Of Directors

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Help Us Decide Who’s On Stage (Behind the Scenes)

As part of our bylaws, WV Collective holds staggered three-year terms for our Board of Directors. This year, the terms for Aryn Fonda and Brian Bell have come to an end — and their seats are now open.

Both Aryn and Brian are running to retain their seats, and we’re also excited to welcome two new nominees: Will Davis and Olivia Merritt.

That means… it’s election time! 🎭

We have two seats available and four nominees, so we’re asking our community to vote and choose up to two people to serve on the board.

Incumbent Nominees

Brian Bell

Brian is a long-time staple of music scene in southern West Virginia. As the guitar player of Long Point String Band and Alabaster Boxer, he’s frequently seen on tour at home and abroad.

Brian has served as a Board Member of the West Virginia Collective since 2022, where he’s been responsible for volunteer coordination and festival planning. He was also one of the drivers of 2024’s LOST TUNES project, a preservation and celebration of old time Appalachian music.

In addition to his service at WV Collective, Brian also works at the Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department.

Aryn Fonda

Aryn Fonda has been an active member of the WV Collective since 2018 including joining the Board at its inception in 2022. In 2024, Aryn took the roll as Vice President of the organization and continued to help grow and expand the WV Collective’s reach in the community through events and theater productions.

Aryn and her husband Sam Fonda, own and operate Weathered Ground Brewery in Cool Ridge, West Virginia, which has also been a contributor to the WV Collective over the years and served as the location for WVPubfest, which is one of the organizations biggest events of the year.

New Nominees

Will Davis

Will Davis is a recent graduate of the Beckley Leadership class and currently public information officer for Beaver fire department. He has acted in several plays and musicals produced by the West Virginia collective. Will Davis has been featured on network West Virginia shows such as Cartoon-A-Palooza and On the Road. The PBS production of Abracadabra which have all been filmed right here in West Virginia. He is a small business owner and one of the ministers at Grandview Christian Church. Father of three amazing kids. His wife, Michele Davis is a CPA and lifetime resident Raleigh County.

Olivia Merritt

Olivia Merritt is a long-standing supporter and participant of the arts in Southern WV. With more than a decade of this time spent performing in the area, she has been involved with the WV Collective for two years, performing in various productions. Recently, she made her directorial debut with the Collective’s production of Steel Magnolias in the spring. Her passion lies in making theatre accessible to all and fostering creative opportunities for performers of all backgrounds. Merritt holds deep belief that theatre builds community and brings people together for the shared goal of telling a good story. As a candidate for the board, she is committed to creating welcoming opportunities for newcomers – be it on stage, behind the scenes, or in the audience. She hopes to help continue to grow the Collective’s impact, ensuring it remains a welcoming and inclusive space where new voices are heard, talent and creativity is nurtured, and community thrives.

To be eligible to vote, our bylaws say you must meet at least one of the following:

  1. You’ve materially contributed to a production or event within the past two years (e.g., you volunteered, performed, directed, played music or had your name in a playbill)
  2. You’ve donated $500 or more to WV Collective in the past two years

Voting closes at 4:00 PM on July 19, 2025.

To cast your vote, just fill out the form below — and remember, you can vote for up to two nominees.

Thanks so much for being part of our creative community!

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