Speaker Spotlight - Dr. Kevan Frazier
Exec. Director, WCU Programs in Asheville | Co-Owner, Well Played Board Game Café | Founder, Asheville by Foot Walking Tours
Month: December | Theme: Silence
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your practice.
I’ve been working in higher education as a teacher and administrator for more than 20 years. I find great joy in helping folks find their paths in life through education. I became an entrepreneur six years ago with my first small business, Asheville by Foot Walking Tours and again in 2017, with the opening of Well Played Board Game Café on Wall Street. Well Played has been a kind of graduate internship in entrepreneurship. I’m really proud of what the WP team is accomplishing in creating a space where folks can be themselves, without fear, and can put their phones down to have real face-to-face connections with other human beings.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I had absolutely no clue. That said, I loved playing teacher as a kid. Nothing like giving your friends a quiz a playtime.
Can you remember when you first learned about your field of work? How did you discover what it was, and how did you know it was what you wanted to do?
I realized in my junior year of college that I wanted to go into higher education administration. I also thought I wanted to be a professor but it wasn’t until I stood in front of a class for the time that I understood that teaching was my real path and that being an administrator and a business owner are all tied to being a teacher for me.
What is the best part and hardest part of your job?
The best part is the students. The hardest part is keeping the importance of education top-of-mind with policy makers and funders.
What about your community inspires you?
We still seem to be a community that can have a dialog and find compromise.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Pennies make dollars.
Can you name a moment of failure in your business experience that you learned from or that helped you improve your business or the way you work?
My greatest failure came when as a young higher education administrator I got ready to make a decision that was based on my career advancement and not my students. A restless night’s sleep and good dose of self-awareness the next morning led me to change my decision.
If you were magically given three more hours per day, what would you do with them?
Spend more time with my fiends.
Who are your favorite creators and makers, local and beyond?
Karie and Rob with Shelter Collective are amazing design warriors and the work that Justin and Brandy of the Horse and Hero/Big Crafty do to support the creative community is exceptional.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Listen to be heard.
