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WVLIVING.com is the premier online resource for all aspects of living and traveling in West Virginia. Whether you are looking for a pediatric dentist in Morgantown, a sushi restaurant in Charleston, or a place to get away from it all, you’ll find the information you are looking for on our comprehensive site. Updated daily with new content, it is your one-stop shop for all things West Virginia. As an extension of the nationally renowned WV LIVING Magazine, we’ll take you to terrific towns, noteworthy shops, and incredible restaurants. You will discover hidden gems and learn exciting things that you never knew about our great Mountain State. WV LIVING, quite simply, takes you home.
WHO WE ARE
Nikki Bowman
Founder, Publisher, and Editor
Nikki Bowman, of New South Media, Inc., is the publisher and editor of WV LIVING and WV WEDDINGS Magazines and co-owner of WV LIVING Marketplace. She graduated from West Virginia University magna cum laude in 1992 and received her master’s degree in writing with honors from DePaul University in Chicago in 1998. Nikki grew up in Clay and Kanawha counties, and currently resides in Morgantown with her husband, Greg, a law professor at West Virginia University College of Law, and their two children.
Nikki has nearly 15 years of experience editing magazines in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Mississippi, and has won several industry awards. Since moving back to West Virginia in 2008 to launch WV LIVING and WV WEDDINGS magazines, she has logged thousands of miles in her car driving from one corner of the state to the other. She frequently speaks about the need for West Virginians to become invested in their communities and to take pride in their heritage, and she has seen firsthand the important role that tourism has in keeping our state’s small towns and businesses viable. Through her magazines, she is a passionate advocate for encouraging West Virginians to discover the hidden gems in their own backyard.
She is a member of several organizations including the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, West Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association, Main Street Morgantown, Morgantown Chamber of Commerce, Pocahontas County Chamber of Commerce, and Generation West Virginia. She was recently selected as one of Generation Next’s 40 Under 40 and was honored as the 2011 Pocahontas County Woman Business Leader.
Brittany Wilmoth
Office Manager and Circulation Manager
Carla Witt Ford
Graphic Designer
A native West Virginian, Carla has been adding her touch to photography, print, and other areas of design for more than half of her life. Before joining WV LIVING she was a photographer for the government and an adjunct photography professor at Fairmont State University (BS Graphic Design alumna). As a BFA graduate from the West Virginia University School of Design, she seeks to share the beauty of her beloved state through her work. Whether it is with wit or wisdom, as an artist, she is always looking for new ways to make her audience sit up and take notice.
She currently lives on her family farm in Marion County with her daughter, Olivia, her high school sweetheart, and four cats.
Kelley Galbreath
Graphic Designer
There was a time when Kelley Galbreath swore she’d be a writer. She also thought she’d live in London with a massive sheepdog and drive a very tiny three-wheeled car, but none of those things came true. Instead, Kelley became a graphic designer. To some this would be a waste of a good English degree, but not so. For Kelley, design is as much a language as the written word, and her process is quite similar to that of a writer, in that she’s constantly exploring new ways to tell stories, express thoughts, and provoke new ideas.
Before moving to West Virginia, Kelley was a senior designer for the internationally-renowned studio Design Army, in Washington, D.C., where her clients included Washingtonian Bride & Groom magazine, Chronicle Books, The Ritz-Carlton, UVA, and NPR. In addition to a BA in English from the College of William & Mary, Kelley holds an MFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and thanks to her seven years tenure as a designer for Viking Children’s Books, she has more than 100 books to her name (sort of). Her work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Designers, AIGA, HOW International, Print Magazine, and Communication Arts, among others. She currently resides in Morgantown.
Laura Wilcox
Managing Editor
Laura is a Clarksburg native with a half-Morgantown, half-Huntington heart who has been telling stories since before she could write. As a little girl, she played “college” and told everyone she was going to “journalism” class, though she hardly knew what that meant. She made books with crayons and yarn and sold them to unsuspecting relatives.
As an adult, Laura has loved traveling across the Mountain State and the region, glimpsing into others’ lives. Some of her favorite stories have taken her to the fall-tastically awesome Pumpkin House in Kenova, the bright and exuberant Fiesta tent sale in Newell, the Obama presidential campaign in Charleston, and to alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Laura graduated from West Virginia University in 2006 with a BS in news-editorial journalism and a minor in English. She has written for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram, and the Times West Virginian, in addition to working in communications and project management in West Virginia, Illinois, and Puerto Rico. She has received multiple awards from the West Virginia Press Association and has covered everything from health to politics to arts and entertainment. She currently lives in Morgantown.
Rachel Henderson
Assistant Editor
Rachel has bounced around quite a bit—she was born in Dallas, grew up in northwestern Montana, earned her bachelor of arts degree in English writing at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York, and lived in Oklahoma City before finally landing in Morgantown. From her first day in the Mountain State, Rachel has thoroughly enjoyed immersing herself in the culture and the magnificent landscape. She is currently working to complete her master’s degree in professional writing and editing at West Virginia University and is passionate about sharing all that this wild and wonderful state has to offer. With years of experience in public relations, at an NPR affiliate station in New York, working for a nonprofit, and her experiences in higher education, Rachel’s true love is writing—something she has had the great fortune of pursuing with WV LIVING and WV WEDDINGS magazines and the new WVLIVING.com.
Laura Treacy Bentley
Book Editor
Laura is a poet, fiction writer, and writer-in-residence for the Marshall University Writing Project. She has been WV LIVING’s book editor since the inception of the magazine. Her first book of poetry, Lake Effect, was published in 2006. Laura’s poetry has been featured on the websites of A Prairie Home Companion and Poetry Daily, and in 2003, she read her poetry with Ray Bradbury. Recently, her poem, “Keepsake,” was chosen by O Magazine and featured on Oprah’s website. She resides in Huntington.
Natalie Aliff
Marketing and Advertising Specialist
North Central, Northern Panhandle, and Ohio River Valley
Natalie is a proud West Virginian. Having grown up in Bridgeport, her family roots run deep throughout the state, as does her love for the pride and compassion of her fellow West Virginians. After moving to Miami, Florida, after college, Natalie discovered an even greater appreciation for her home state and couldn’t wait for country roads to bring her home. With a deep passion for sharing West Virginia’s story, both across the state and across the nation, becoming a part of the team at WV LIVING Magazine was a perfect opportunity. Natalie graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in sports management. With experience in business, public relations, and marketing, Natalie has found a unique niche at WV LIVING that allows her to incorporate her skills and experiences with working to promote the beauty of the Mountain State she so dearly loves.
Sandy Burky
Marketing and Advertising Specialist
Central, Southern, Potomac Highlands, and Eastern Panhandle
Sandy brings more than 25 years of sales, marketing, and community and business development experience to WV LIVING. She started her career in Washington, D.C., and made her way around the country working in the national capital markets industry. Sandy has traveled and lived around the world, meeting fascinating people and experiencing far away places like Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Israel, and Lebanon. But no other place stayed constant in her heart like her home state of West Virginia.
In 2001, Sandy decided to bring her experiences back to the Mountain State, and she settled down in Helvetia and Pickens where her Swiss ancestors purchased land and settled in 1869. Sandy volunteers in her community to preserve the land, heritage, and culture of the area, particularly the Burky Farm on Turkey Bone Road. Her hope is that her efforts will help others enjoy the diversity of this wonderful state and, more specifically, West Virginia’s Swiss American heritage.
Carrie Stanley
Marketing and Advertising Specialist
Metro Valley and Tri-State area
Carrie’s favorite quote, by Samuel Johnson, is: “Our aspirations are our possibilities.” She is enthusiastic about helping her clients grow their businesses and serves as their biggest champion. She has had a long career in the media business—in television, publications, and magazines—and has won several recognitions and achievement awards. She volunteers in her community and helped put together a book on Huntington’s history and photos called “The City of Huntington: A Pictorial History.” Carrie resides in Hurricane.
