Communiqué
WOUB Employee Spotlight: Broadcast Engineer Haven Wallace
< < Back toWallace started working at WOUB in 2004
ATHENS, OH – You may think you know what Haven Wallace does at WOUB by looking at his title. But the broadcast engineer says while he is responsible for addressing and fixing issues that impact WOUB’s broadcast signals, there’s so much more to his work, and Wallace has the diverse background and skill set that make him perfect for the job.
“After graduating from Athens High School, I entered the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Ticonderoga CG-47 first Aegis Cruiser out of Norfolk, VA. I was involved in several operations including a six-month deployment in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm,” said Wallace. “While in the Navy, I attended the Navy Electronics Technicians (ET) Class “A” School in Orlando, Florida, then the Advanced Electronics Academy in Great Lakes, Illinois and the Radar School in San Diego, California.”
Once Wallace got out the Navy, he became an electronics instructor at the Jefferson County Career Center and eventually the Cisco Academy Instructor for both the Career Center and Jefferson County Community College in Steubenville, Ohio. While in Steubenville, he attended night classes at Kent State University and obtained his teaching certification in Vocational Education.
“I moved back to Athens around 2003 to accept a job at Ohio University,” said Wallace. “I was involved in programming and installing wireless access points across the campus.”
In 2004, Wallace was offered a position at WOUB.
“In the Navy, ET’s were jokingly called ‘Everything Tech’ and that holds true in my current position as well. We troubleshoot a wide array of different problems as well as different projects and have had several big installations where I’ve had the opportunity to learn about new equipment and technology, such as TV transmitters and microwave systems, as well as the replacement of the Emergency Alert System encoder boxes. Having a background in electronics and IT helps with troubleshooting problems and understanding how new equipment operates.”
Wallace also has work and projects outside of the station that he enjoys. He is a man of many talents, one of which he says would surprise people.
“For several years I raised Scottish Highland cattle and traveled cross country to conventions about the breed,” said Wallace. “They are a very hardy breed that can grow well without grain or even ideal pasture which makes them an ideal candidate for grass fed operations. Some were registered and used for breeding and others sold for beef. I was also licensed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a member of the American Highland Association.”
Wallace enjoys being able to do the things he loves while living in his hometown.
“When I tell people where I work, they always have good things to say about WOUB. I can tell that they truly believe that we are a great organization,” said Wallace. “I really like what I do at WOUB.”