\u201cThere\u2019s a direct line between what I studied at Wright State and the work I do today at WYSO,\u201d said Davis, who is director of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at the Yellow Springs public radio station.<\/p>\n
Years before he joined WYSO, Davis was a student, staff member and faculty member at Wright State.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen the university from a lot of different angles,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was really great. I had the time of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis started the Student Technology Assistance Center<\/a> (STAC) at Wright State in 2001.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time, that was a really unique place. Students were encouraged to experiment with new media tools, be creative with educational technology,\u201d said Davis. \u201cThis was all new back then, and we were figuring it out. It was a very inventive and experimental place.\u201d<\/p>\n The innovative work in the STAC led to the creation of The Pod in 2006, the first designated podcasting place on a college campus.<\/p>\n \u201cPodcasting was very new back then,\u201d said Davis. \u201cWe were trying to figure that out. How that might look in a university and how students might use podcasting in their courses or to help with their storytelling. I\u2019m very proud of The Pod and the STAC.\u201d<\/p>\n Davis received the President\u2019s Award for Excellence for his work on the STAC. He was also instrumental in launching \u201cVeterans\u2019 Voices<\/a>,\u201d a collaboration between Wright State and WYSO that continues to this day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea was to create a radio series where veterans would tell their own stories in their own voices. We worked with students from the Veteran and Military Center,\u201d said Davis. \u201cThat has expanded and become one of WYSO\u2019s most popular offerings. Now we\u2019re in our 12th year.\u201d<\/p>\n Wright State alum Will Davis serves as the director of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO, a collaborative space for audio training, production and storytelling. (Video by Kris Sproles and photos by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n In 2017, Davis left Wright State and moved to Tennessee, where he began teaching at the University of Tennessee\u2013Chattanooga. He also worked in public radio there.<\/p>\n During his time in Tennessee, Davis maintained a relationship with WYSO and continued to work with the station on projects like \u201cVeterans\u2019 Voices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a full-time opportunity opened here, they called me. I missed the area. I missed Yellow Springs. I missed my creative community. I missed WYSO. And so, I decided to come back,\u201d Davis said. \u201cNo regrets. I love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n As director of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices, Davis oversees WYSO\u2019s storytelling, produces series and trains community members on how to make radio programs and podcasts.<\/p>\n In March 2026, WYSO moved into its new headquarters in the restored Union Schoolhouse on Dayton Street in Yellow Springs. The $15 million, 19,000-square-foot facility was developed and funded by comedian Dave Chappelle\u2019s real estate firm, Iron Table Holdings. WYSO invested an additional $3 million for equipment and operational infrastructure. It includes six state-of-the-art production studios, a community and event space, a newsroom, and offices and workspaces that perfectly merge the character and beauty of the historic schoolhouse with the convenience and functionality of the modern upgrades.<\/p>\n \u201cThis new space opens up a whole world of opportunities for WYSO that we didn\u2019t have just a couple of months ago,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n While most public radio stations are struggling due to cuts in federal funding, WYSO continues to thrive. One in six listeners are WYSO members.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a huge number for public radio,\u201d said Davis. \u201cWe have a goal to move that to one in five listeners becoming a member. We\u2019re so fortunate at WYSO to even have that goal. A lot of stations are suffering. But we are beloved. People have been behind us for over 60 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Will Davis’ work with Wright State’s STAC led to “The Pod” in 2006, the first designated podcasting place on a college campus.<\/p><\/div>\n Davis and the rest of the WYSO team remain committed to serving the community that has steadfastly supported them.<\/p>\n \u201cWYSO is not just a radio station,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a community service, and it\u2019s a hub for the community to come together to celebrate ourselves, to learn more about ourselves, to better understand ourselves and to tell our stories.\u201d<\/p>\n From Wright State to WYSO, Davis has been able to build a career doing work that fulfills him.<\/p>\n \u201cWright State gave me space to try new things, because there wasn\u2019t a blueprint for these things at that time. That\u2019s where I learned to really lean in to not only telling stories but making stories,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I brought that here to WYSO, and I get to do that every day. I love my job.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving forward, Davis continues to be open to new collaborations \u2014 with Wright State and other institutions in the region \u2014 that bring people together.<\/p>\n \u201cStorytelling is important, because it\u2019s how we make sense of our lives. And it\u2019s how we connect with one another,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gives us an opportunity to walk in somebody else\u2019s shoes for a couple of minutes. And that kind of understanding leads to empathy. And I think that\u2019s where we should be going.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From being a part of creating the first designated podcasting space on a college campus to a career at WYSO Public Radio, Will Davis \u201910, \u201914 has always taught people how to share their stories. Continue reading ![\"A](\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2026\/07\/260603_6456ep_Will-Davis-WYSO-Alumni-508x339.png\")
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