Ben is the General Manager of WQSV. His relationship with the station began in February of 2018, as the host of the Astral Traveling show on Tuesday nights. Born and raised in Staunton, he cut his teeth in radio at WXJM in Harrisonburg before receiving his BA in Film Scoring from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Ben’s musical insights expanded from his years as an electric bass player in latin music ensembles, jazz combos, various rock and metal bands, and stints in the orchestra pit of the Heritage Repertory Theatre in Charlottesville. He has been working in the live events industry for the past fifteen years and his experiences with artists, venues, and festivals have underscored his belief in radio’s importance to connect people, businesses, and events. In his spare moments Ben can be found fueling his obsession with synthesizers and electronics. He lives in the Parkview neighborhood of Staunton with his wife, Heather, and their son.

Tony was born, raised, and currently lives in Staunton, Virginia. He spent ten years away from Staunton while he attended college at Virginia Tech and a brief stint living just outside the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. before returning to the Valley. You can find him out and about enjoying the sights and sounds of the City with his wife, Amy Davenport and their three children. Tony is a lover of all things hip-hop, ’90s RnB/New Jack Swing, and D.C.’s Go-Go scene. He is the Roots’ #1 fan and he can be heard most nights arguing the group’s importance and influence to hip-hop music as a guest presenter on Ben Leonard’s WQSV radio show Astral Traveling. He is as passionate about serving his community as he is about music.

Theresa serves as the Treasurer for WQSV. It’s the perfect marriage of two major life influences: finances & radio. She works as a banker (First Bank) in Staunton by day, and spent her college years active with the student-run radio station of Marshall University, WMUL-FM. Theresa has an impeccable, yet eclectic taste in music, which has served her well in her radio career. (She’s certain that Johnny Cash is her spirit animal.) Theresa came home to the Shenandoah Valley in 2010 and lives in Staunton with her partner-in-crime, Diggy, with whom she takes on adventures across the region.

Jeff spent 23 years as a Navy officer, a career that not only took him and his family all around the world, but also allowed him to host an Armed Forces Network radio show.  He thought his radio career was over when he retired from the military, but all that changed when he moved to Staunton in 2020.  WQSV has allowed Jeff to revive his AFN show, Up In The Attic, in all its cheesy, self-indulgent glory every Friday morning.  Jeff and his wife are the proud parents of four self-acknowledged “theater kids” who share his love for music and performing (a couple of them have shows of their own on their college radio stations).  You might even find Jeff on a local community theater stage from time to time. 

Melissa arrived in Staunton around the same time that WQSV hit the airwaves back in early 2016. She moved from Atlanta, Georgia, where she was a radio producer with 90.1 WABE, the city’s beloved NPR affiliate. Joining the board during the 2020 pandemic, she’s eager for live music and travel to return — two things she loves and doesn’t feel are mutually exclusive. She’s seen Black Sabbath in Riga, Latvia; the Melvins in Buenos Aires; and Animal Collective in Santiago, Chile, just to name a few.

Deena spent her youth making mix tapes, painting band t-shirts, and designing logos. She saw every mid-’90s alternative band in concert (yep, even Bloodhound Gang). Now, she owns a graphic design agency and manages the WQSV website. She enjoys solving puzzles and hiking, especially both at once. Deena moved to Staunton in 2005 with her husband, author and jiu-jitsu instructor Matthew Warner. Her kids Owen and Thomas will rule the world one day.

Johan started working in the business of art in New York and worked for Clara Sujo, the Pace Gallery, and Stux Modern before starting his own gallery in Great Barrington, MA. in 1994. Thirty years on, art — its movement and ability to transform people and communities — remains the core activity of his life. It is said, the best way to make a small fortune in the arts is to start with a large fortune, and Johan has been actively aspiring to that platitude for the better part of a lifetime; he lives with his partner Machteld in a gem of vernacular architecture cobbled together by Staunton legend Sam Gardner with bricks from the old Star Furniture Company.

Joe arrived in Staunton in 2020 from Chicago (with a layover in Pennsylvania). He has been obsessed with music since he was a kid. He’s seen a lot of great live music, has performed in bands, DJ’d in bars and bought a lot of records. He now has a home for some of that collection in shows on WQSV. When not being entertained by the little DJ in his head, he evaluates medical research, creates art from discarded car parts and builds custom cars.