Sarah Deborah Benoit
(she/her)
JB Media Institute
Lead Instructor
Sarah Benoit has worked in the web design, SEO, and social media fields since 2003 and has been teaching classes on related subjects since 2006. As President of Creative Original, she has built a wide variety of small business websites over the years. As Co-founder and Lead Instructor for the JB Media Institute, Sarah Benoit leverages her years of experience as a digital marketing strategist to create timely, relevant, and engaging training content. Sarah speaks, trains, and presents on digital marketing topics at conferences and events throughout the year in the Southeast and beyond.
Sarah received the 2017 Woman Executive of the Year award from WomanUp at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. She was inducted into Asheville’s 40 Under Forty in 2013 and is a graduate of Leadership Asheville. She is also a 2017 graduate of the Hive Global Leaders program.
Sarah Cheatle
(she/her)
Hello guys, gals, and nonbinary pals. My name is Sarah Cheatle, and this is my villain origin story.
Hailing from the deepest, darkest recesses of North Central PA for 40 odd years, I earned degrees from the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the mid-2000s, then taught English to grades 7-12 for 14 years. During that time, I coached football, soccer, track, and quiz bowl; completed PhD courses (minus the pesky dissertation); presented at national conferences, had a piece published in an education-related collection, while also coming out as transgender. In 2017. In a heavily red area. That was fun! Ultimately, I left the profession (temporarily) in 2021 and moved to Asheville with my now-wife, Sarah.
Since then, I’ve done market research and analysis, taught (again!), tried my hand at writing romance novels, and worked at a board game cafe before landing in my current position of local manufacturing trainer for a global medical supply company. The kernel of inspiration for this group came from my year-plus struggle in finding proper employment, always at once under and overqualified. I’ve been lucky to have such wonderful people around me, propping everything up.
In my spare time, I am an aspiring board game designer, a lapsed photographer and an active trivia junkie (Two Jeopardy auditions, thank you!). I have a love / hate relationship with Magic: the Gathering, too many board games I’ll never have time to play, and a lifelong affection for the sport of professional wrestling. Last but certainly not least, my wife and I have four wonderful fur babies: Maeby, Marcie, Mouse, and… Rosie. I thank Maeb for staying off my keyboard long enough for me to type all this.
Anna Diemer
(they/them)
Diemer Voice Studio
Voice Teacher & Operapreneur
Anna Diemer (they/them) is a voice teacher, Singing Voice Specialist, PAVA-Recognized Vocologist, and professional soprano based in Asheville, NC. They specialize in helping singers navigate times of vocal transformation throughout the lifetime, from the natural ones that come with age to the joyful explorations of gender transition. Anna is currently taking new clients for singing, gender-affirming speaking voice, and You Need a Budget coaching (hey, a guy’s gotta diversify!) Anna earned their undergraduate degree from Furman University and their masters from the University of Houston Moores School of Music. When they’re not in the voice studio, Anna enjoys cooking, reading fantasy novels, and gaming on their Switch.
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Emily Herschl
(she/they)
Emily Herschl Art & Photography
Owner
Emily Herschl is a multi-disciplinary artist and photographer who has been operating her own content creation business since 2016. With a strong background in social media management and branding, Emily offers photography services, branding consultations, and copywriting to help small businesses succeed in their endeavors with beautiful imagery and compelling messaging.
In their spare time, Emily operates Darknest, an online store where she sells her oil paintings, sculptures, and LGBTQ-themed clothing and accessories, all unified by a striking dark aesthetic. Emily founded WNC Queer Professionals to connect LGBTQIA+ professionals in an authentic and accessible way, addressing a need for networking within the community. Through all her ventures, Emily aims to inspire and help others to achieve their goals.
Walt Hill
(he/they)
Biscuit Head
Wholesale Accounts Manager & Sales Rep
Having grown up on my family’s farms in Eastern NC, my journey in the food industry and beyond has been nothing short of transformative. Over the past decade, I’ve cultivated a wealth of experience across various roles in the restaurant realm, developing a keen understanding of customer service, team coordination, and operational dynamics.
Since 2016, I’ve been fortunate to work under the guidance of the NCDA and FDA, where I’ve immersed myself in federal regulations, diligently building and maintaining operational and administrative systems to ensure compliance. This tenure has also afforded me the opportunity to develop and implement comprehensive training programs to disseminate this vital knowledge. Notably, since 2018, I’ve played a pivotal role in expanding Biscuit Head’s cannery operations, successfully placing our products on the shelves of over 70+ retail locations throughout the Southeast United States. Additionally, I’ve fostered strong partnerships with three distribution partners while continuing to deliver culinary delights to Biscuit Head restaurants, upholding the standards that have propelled this local chain to success since 2013.
If you’d like to discover more about our wholesale offerings or engage in a conversation about how my skill set aligns with your organization’s goals, I welcome the opportunity to connect. Together, we can navigate the intricacies of our respective industries, forge meaningful connections, and make a lasting impact on the communities we serve.
Thomas LaBadia
(he/him)
Electrum Branding
Vice President/Creative Director
I am Thomas LaBadia, the vice president and creative director of Electrum Branding. With over 30 years of experience as a graphic and web designer, I have spent the majority of my career at Electrum.
For the past two decades, Electrum Branding has been the outsourced marketing department for businesses across various industries. Our clients benefit from a comprehensive marketing team for the cost of a marketing generalist, gaining access to a copywriter, graphic designer, website designer/developer, social media strategist, digital marketing expert, and more. Regardless of their location, we ensure our clients feel as though we are just down the hall by being accessible, responsive, and dedicated to making them feel like our only client.
Beyond my professional work, I am a passionate mixed media artist, dedicating my spare time to drawing and painting, pursuits I have enjoyed throughout my life. I recently relocated to the Asheville area with my husband Mike, our dog Oliver and our sweet cat Namaste. I am very grateful to be a part of our amazing community and look forward to seeing you at one of our events.
