Day 1- Community

LAS36 -1- CommunityDay

Presenter Bios

Kevan Frazier

Dr. Kevan Frazier is an Asheville native and the Executive Director for Western Carolina University’s Asheville programs located at Biltmore Park. Prior to WCU, Kevan was a member of the History faculty and an administrator at UNC Asheville. He is also the founder of Asheville by Foot, a local walking tour company, as well as Well Played Board Game Café on Coxe Ave. Kevan gives dozens of talks on Asheville history each year, and published a book in 2014 on Asheville history called Legendary Locals of Asheville.

Kevan’s book, Legendary Locals of Asheville is a collection of 150 biographical shorts on the women and men who founded, built and rebuilt Asheville. Check out the website for more information about the book including ordering.

Commissioner Al Whitesides

Al Whitesides serves as District 1 commissioner for Buncombe County. He is a former banker and long-time community leader and activist and is the first African-American to serve as a commissioner for the County. Growing up in segregated Asheville in the 1950’s, Al was frequently reminded by his parents that the best way to fight segregation was with an education, and he remains passionate about equal educational opportunities for all. He has served on the Asheville City Board of Education, the Board of NC Central University (his alma Mater), and as Chair of the UNCA Board of Trustees. In 2016, Al received an honorary degree from UNCA and Whitesides Hall on the UNCA campus was dedicated in his name. Of all of his accomplishments, and there have been many, Al is most proud of his role as husband, father, and grandfather.

James Bradley

James Bradley is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and resides in the Wolfetown Community. He graduated from Cherokee High School in 1981, completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at UNC-Greensboro in 1986 and received his Masters in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University in 2010.

In June 2017 James was appointed Secretary of Education for the Eastern Band by Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed. He serves on the Western Carolina University Cherokee Center Advisory Board, The Board of Trustees for the Western NC Historical Association and is a graduate of the Native Leadership Institute at the American Indian Center at the University of NC in Chapel Hill.

Adriana Chavela

For more than a decade, Adriana Chavela has served as diversity consultant to business leaders. Her consulting assignments focus on entrepreneurship, Latinos in America, career advancement, and marketing diversity management. She has appeared on television and radio as a commentator and expert on Latino community and culture.

Sharon Fahrer

Linda Orowitz