Current Preserve WV AmeriCorps Members
Learn more about our new class of Members (listed in alphabetical order by first name) below and visit Preserve WV Stories to read about the service they are providing to revitalize our Mountain State.
candice helms
Hinton Historic Landmarks Commission
Hinton, Summers County
2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 Terms
Hinton, Summers County
2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 Terms
Candice Helms, may not be native to West Virginia, but upon moving here from Texas in 2015, she quickly found herself deeply in love with the mountains and a huge desire to do better by her community, Hinton. Her main mission was to be as close to the change and growth as she could, for her son’s future.
In May of 2019, she enthusiastically signed on as the Hinton Historic Landmarks AmeriCorps member. The City Manager felt she had been doing most of the work that would be required from her over the past 2 years, and knew she was the one for the job.
In May of 2019, she enthusiastically signed on as the Hinton Historic Landmarks AmeriCorps member. The City Manager felt she had been doing most of the work that would be required from her over the past 2 years, and knew she was the one for the job.
Her focus during this term and beyond, is to empower the locals, preserve Hinton’s history, and be an example of what little we can do to make a huge impact. All the while, taking in, and absorbing as much history as she can.
Dennis Strom
Craik-Patton House (Kanawha County)
2020-2021 & 2021-2022 Service Terms
2020-2021 & 2021-2022 Service Terms
Dennis Strom enjoys historical research, music and theatre. He and his wife own "The LimeLight Theatre Company" where they produce plays, and for six years ran a summer theatre camp for kids. Dennis co-founded the non-profit Charleston Music and Arts Collective. He also collects, restores, and plays guitars.
Dennis Strom enjoys historical research, music and theatre. He and his wife own "The LimeLight Theatre Company" where they produce plays, and for six years ran a summer theatre camp for kids. Dennis co-founded the non-profit Charleston Music and Arts Collective. He also collects, restores, and plays guitars.
Josh wanstreet
Elkins - Randolph County Public Library
Randolph County
2021-2022 Service Term
Randolph County
2021-2022 Service Term
Josh Wanstreet is a Preservation Alliance of West Virginia AmeriCorps member serving from 2021 - 2022 at the Elkins - Randolph County Public Library. His primary project is digitizing resources and making them available to the public on the library's website.
Josh is a 2007 graduate of Fairmont State University where he majored in Sociology. His previous work experience has included serving in the US Air Force from 1997 - 2003, teaching online high school, working as an interpretive park guide for the National Park Service, substitute teaching, serving as an AmeriCorps Vista at YouthBuild North Central West Virginia and serving as an AmeriCorps member with Appalachia Health Corps.
Josh’s interests include playing guitar and fiddle, kayaking, reading, and making homemade cheese.
Josh is a 2007 graduate of Fairmont State University where he majored in Sociology. His previous work experience has included serving in the US Air Force from 1997 - 2003, teaching online high school, working as an interpretive park guide for the National Park Service, substitute teaching, serving as an AmeriCorps Vista at YouthBuild North Central West Virginia and serving as an AmeriCorps member with Appalachia Health Corps.
Josh’s interests include playing guitar and fiddle, kayaking, reading, and making homemade cheese.
Kathleen (Katie) Thompson
The Clio Foundation
2020-21 & 2021-2022 Service Terms
2020-21 & 2021-2022 Service Terms
Kathleen (Katie) Thompson is serving as a Preserve West Virginia AmeriCorps service member working with the Clio Foundation. She earned her PhD in Nineteenth Century/Civil War America from West Virginia University, and also holds a M.A. from WVU and a B.A. from Siena College.
She currently teaches history at several colleges and universities, led tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, was a seasonal interpreter at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park for several years, and is the co-editor of Civil Discourse, a blog on the long Civil War.
Her research is on mental trauma and coping among Union soldiers and she is currently working on her first book, tentatively titled War on the Mind. In addition to history, Katie loves knitting and crafting and is happy to be using those skills in her AmeriCorps civic service project.
She currently teaches history at several colleges and universities, led tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, was a seasonal interpreter at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park for several years, and is the co-editor of Civil Discourse, a blog on the long Civil War.
Her research is on mental trauma and coping among Union soldiers and she is currently working on her first book, tentatively titled War on the Mind. In addition to history, Katie loves knitting and crafting and is happy to be using those skills in her AmeriCorps civic service project.
Melissa Nichols
Preservation Alliance of West Virginia
2021-2022 Service Term
2021-2022 Service Term
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Melissa Nichols is a native of Fairmont, WV who recently returned to college at Fairmont State University, receiving a BA in English with a minor in Folklore Studies. Both are fields she is very passionate about and is thrilled to continue utilizing in her project through Preserve WV AmeriCorps and working with the archives of Dr. Ruth Ann Musick. |
Vernessa Pontius
Monroe County Historical Society
2019-2020, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 Service Terms
Vernessa spent her early years in the Washington, DC area, however her family ties go back to the early settlement of Monroe County. She has lived in many part of the country, graduating with an MBA from the University of Oklahoma. She is our volunteer at the Monroe County Historical Society. She is excited to be back at the Historical Society for a second year to continue working with the public and learning about historic preservation.
2019-2020, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 Service Terms
Vernessa spent her early years in the Washington, DC area, however her family ties go back to the early settlement of Monroe County. She has lived in many part of the country, graduating with an MBA from the University of Oklahoma. She is our volunteer at the Monroe County Historical Society. She is excited to be back at the Historical Society for a second year to continue working with the public and learning about historic preservation.
