PAWV WELCOMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV) is excited to announce Martha Ballmanand David Sibrary as new additions to the PAWV Board of Directors.  PAWV is the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation in the Mountain State.  PAWV members nominated Martha to the Board during the annual meeting in September 2014, and in January 2015, the Board voted to have David join.

Martha has remained active in local community preservation groups since retiring as the Executive Director of Preservation Alliance of West Virginia in 2011. She is currently working as a member of the Kanawha Valley Historical & Preservation Society on a section 106 mitigation project involving changes to the West Charleston portion of the historic Kanawha Boulevard created under the PWA act in the late 1930’s.

She and her husband Steve are also active in the preservation and presentation of traditional music and dance through FOOTMAD, the Friend OF Old Time Music And Dance. They serve on the board of this area non-profit and also are dance callers for Civil War balls, squares and contra dances. FOOTMAD sponsors a concert series that features traditional music and hosts instrumental and vocal sessions for the community to come together to share heritage music.  Martha said about joining the PAWV Board, “I am pleased to once again be involved with PAWV and look forward to assisting with their efforts especially in regard to heritage tourism.”  Martha has been a friend to PAWV since her retirement, and PAWV is glad to have her involved in the organization again.

David is a longtime promoter of travel and heritage tourism in West Virginia, he brings a wealth of expertise in marketing and public relations to the table. David is publisher of the online guide West Virginia Explorer, now in its fifteenth year of publication, and is the executive director of Sibray Public Relations. He is a member of the West Virginia Press Association and was formerly a publisher for Thomson Newspaper niche publications mid-Atlantic division, through which he founded The West Virginia Retirement Times.

Sibray was born in Wheeling, raised in Beckley, and spent summers at the Sibray farm near Fairmont, so he says he claims to be both northern and southern. “It certainly benefits my understanding of West Virginia’s wonderfully diverse culture.” He said he hopes to benefit the board as a fundraiser and by emphasizing preservation as a key to solid economic development in West Virginia. “I never tire of talking about the value of our historical resources, and I think many West Virginians are willing to listen.” Before embarking on a career in publishing and public relations, Sibray studied Cultural Resource Management and Appalachian Studies at West Virginia University.

​As the statewide historic preservation nonprofit, PAWV administers the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program, the Endangered Properties List, and provides preservation advice to individuals and groups across the state.  For more information about PAWV, visit www.pawv.org or call 304-345-6005.