91.9 Inc.

91.9 Inc. is a 501(c)3 group that serves as an advocacy and support organization for WUOT. Its mission is to assist WUOT in reaching its maximum public service potential.

91.9 Inc. was formed in 2003 as a result of listeners’ concern over the long-term stability and viability of WUOT due to threatened state budget cuts. 91.9 Inc. is actively involved in WUOT events, fundraising, and outreach activities.

Laura Twilley is the group’s president. For more information about 91.9 Inc., contact her at:

91.9 Inc.
209 Communications Bldg.
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996

91.9 Inc. Board Members

Hugh Bailey
Hugh is a well-known local potter and artist. During his 40+ year career at the University of Tennesssee publications office, Hugh designed the cover art for WUOT’s monthly program guide. Hugh has been a long-time WUOT listener and volunteer.

Maggie Barta
Maggie has been a longtime underwriter with WUOT through her business, Maggie O’Shea Land Design. She has also volunteered with the station for over a year and has spent many hours here answering pledge phones during our fund drives, making new member phone calls and mailing out dozens of thank-you gifts. Her partner, Alissa Reeves, is also a loyal volunteer who has done a lot to help the station and their daughter, Bailey, has volunteered with us as well. Maggie enjoys all the news programming, A Prairie Home Companion…and the oldies!

Lynsay Caylor, Vice-President
Lynsay is the Social Media Marketing Manager for Pilot Travel Centers and manages social media, email marketing, mobile applications, company websites and in-store digital media. Lynsay is passionate about Public Radio and giving back to the community as she serves on other boards in Knoxville including the United Way, Introduction Knoxville, Knoxville American Marketing Association, Pilot Philanthropy, and Social Media Club Knoxville. Lynsay has been a listener of WUOT since attending the University of Tennessee as an undergraduate.

Deborah Dawkins, Secretary
Deborah has been a member of the WUOT board since 2010, and has been a loyal fan of public broadcasting ever since she started out as a college volunteer for member station KLCC in Oregon 20 years ago. She's been in Knoxville since 1997 and works at Jupiter Entertainment where she is Vice President of Programming. She also serves on the Advisory Council for Hope Center.

Regina Dean
Director/General Manager of WUOT Public Radio, Regina manages all aspects of the National Public Radio charter-member station licensed to the University of Tennessee. She has 30 years’ experience in public radio and currently serves as the President of the University Station Alliance (USA), a grassroots initiative and resource for university-licensed radio stations.

Bhushan Deshpande
Bhushan came from India to the US in 1995. He got a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UT in 2000 and has been working at Techmer PM since then as product development manager. Bhushan has supported WUOT by donating loyally since 2005 and also came to our focus group in June and was open and honest providing feedback. He enjoys the arts including theatre and dance and appreciates the cultural offerings of WUOT. His favorite programs are Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Car Talk and Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

Carolyn Forster
Carolyn is a community volunteer and lives in Maryville. Her regional involvement has included Foothills Fall Festival, United Way, Maryville College, Relay For Life, East Tennessee Regional Leadership Association, and Nine Counties.One Vision. Carolyn presently serves as the facilitator for KUB’s PACE 10 Partners Council and formerly was the Executive Director of Leadership Blount.

Cynthia Hackney
Cynthia has volunteered extensively with WUOT for several years assisting with everything from our open house to the fund drive to volunteer scheduling and has been hoping to become even more involved. She worked as a restaurant manager in Knoxville for many years and was lastly the GM at Riverside Tavern. After leaving that career, she pursued and recently achieved a Ph. D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at UT. She has held two jobs for about the past 6 years: a management consultant at Impact Associates and a consultant at the UT Statistical Consulting Center. Cynthia likes to listen to Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell M!, This American Life and The Splendid Table.

Sharon Hammat
Sharon is a retired Licensed Clinical Social Worker who still keeps her hand in by supervising undergrad UT social work internships for the CADES program. During a period of 20 years she worked as a psychotherapist at Child and Family Services and in private practice at Behavioral Medicine Institute, as well as a group therapist for a Senior Psychiatric Day Hospital. Sharon also supervised medical social workers in home health for several years. She was adjunct faculty at UT School of Social Work for eight years, teaching seminars for undergraduate social work students. Sharon is married with two children and two grandchildren. Her hobbies include piano and knitting and, of course, listening to NPR.

J. Michael Haynes
Mike first discovered WUOT when he was a student at the University and has been a fan since that time. Mike is a native of Knoxville and has practiced law here for the past 37 years. He is a past President of the Knoxville Bar Association, a former Alderman and Vice-Mayor of Farragut and has been a long-time volunteer for the station.

Emily Jernigan
Emily joined the WUOT board in December 2010. She has been an avid Public Radio listener and supporter since 1970, when WPLN in Nashville began broadcasting as one of 73 charter members of NPR. She loves WUOT's mix of classical music and news, and is very happy that we now have WUOT-2 for even more programs. She and her husband, Charlie, live in Oak Ridge where they are active in many community organizations including Rotary, the League of Women Voters, and the UT Arboretum Society. Locally, Emily edits and writes for Branches, the newsletter of the UT Arboretum Society, and The Voter, a monthly newsletter of the Oak Ridge League of Women Voters. She also edits the Holly Society Journal for this international organization. Emily is a Knight of the Cross of Burgundy wine society and loves to cook, garden, and travel, especially to spend time with her four, soon to be five, grandchildren.

J. David Lewis, Vice President
David has been attracted to sophisticated commentary on social issues, cultural issues, science and world events for all his adult life. NPR, through WUOT, has been his source for much of this information. His desire to contribute in a way that feels appropriate for the value he receives has motivated his company, Resource Advisory Services, to be a corporate sponsor of WUOT for several years. He has been a board member since 2009. Serious amateur photography and travel are his hobbies. His interest in keeping East Tennessee looking like East Tennessee led him to accept a board membership for Foothills Land Conservancy in 2011. Concord United Methodist Church is his church, where he has served on the Finance Team for several terms, including now.

Jeff Mellor
Jeff, a UT German professor for about 40 years, has been a longtime supporter of WUOT and is currently a Broadcaster Society member. For the past several fund drives, he and his wife, Doris Gove, have done a new member challenge in which they give money for every new member received during a particular show. He has also been a loyal donor for about the past 20 years and gives monthly via our Evergreen Member Club program. He and Doris attended last year’s open house and even brought their grandson to meet everyone. Jeff loves the Saturday morning shows lineup.

Michael Palenchar, Ph.D.
Michael is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee in the School of Advertising and Public Relations as well as the managing director of the newly formed Risk, Health & Crisis Communication Research Unit. He has more than 20 years of professional and academic experience in public relations and risk communication. Since moving to Knoxville 7 years ago, Michael has loved having Knoxville as his home with it being the perfect location to travel from, including trips to Mexico, Canada, China, Norway, Italy, Germany, Australia (including Tasmania), Czechoslovakia, France and England – and three trips planned in the next year including Barcelona, Denmark, and Scotland. It's his first year on the Board of WUOT but has been a volunteer and member for several years.

Sylvia Peters
Sylvia is the septuagenarian president of Legacy Works Productions a company she started in partnership with a very mature and gifted eighteen year old. The company is currently shooting "Angels of the Mountains" a film about the outstanding work of employees at a local cancer center who go way beyond expectations to aid and comfort patients as they fight the ravages of the disease. Peters is a nationally recognized educator who came to Knoxville to be a founding partner of the Edison Project. She is a member of the American Craft Council Board of Trustees, the Knoxville Museum of Art Board of Trustees, and a 2010 graduate of Leadership Knoxville. Originally from Chicago, Peters is a public radio junkie who's in her final year of a two-term stint as a WUOT board member. She's married to Jan F. Peters. They are art collectors and gardeners.

Ellen Robinson
Ellen is a Vice President at Moxley Carmichael. She joined Moxley Carmichael with three decades of broad global leadership experience in communications and government relations. Ellen is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and of the Public Relations Seminar. She is a graduate of the 2004 class of Leadership Knoxville and serves on their curriculum committee and is the chair of Introduction Knoxville. She is on the board of the Knoxville Symphony Society and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. Robinson is a member of the Executive Women’s Association.

Nancy Stewart

Laura Twilley, President
Laura and her husband Robert moved to Knoxville in 1998 from Atlanta. Laura works as a staff accountant with Accountants and Business Advisors. Since moving to Knoxville, Laura has discovered birding and rekindled her love of hiking and Public Radio. She also serves on the board of TVUUC. Laura has been a member and volunteer with WUOT for nearly ten years.

Don Williams
Don is an attorney and president of Knoxville’s Southeast Service Corporation. He is a native Oak Ridger. He received a B.A. and M.A. in history, and a law degree from UT. He enjoys road biking, hiking and reading ‘dry history books about war!’ Don and his wife, Janis, have two daughters and one granddaughter. Don is passionate about public radio and wants to be more involved with WUOT Public Radio.