Elaine Oakes

Elaine joined the team at WLRH 89.3 FM/HD public radio in December 2020. She is from Virginia and earned her marketing degree from James Madison University, but honed her skills through working in corporate America with Honeywell, in her own business for more than 2 decades with Mary Kay Cosmetics, and in mostly veteran-related non-profits including one she co-founded in 2020 called Honoring Veteran Legacies. (Her grandfather was somewhat of a local celebrity--Sherwin Callander pictured above was a WWII veteran--both a Pearl Harbor and D-Day survivor!) She lives in Madison with her husband Lynn and they have 3 active sons: the oldest graduated from Auburn University and lives/works locally and is in a great band called The Band Silhouette; her middle son graduated with a business degree from UAH in May 2025 and is working on Redstone Arsenal in acquisition; and her youngest is working for the City of Madison with a goal to become a firefighter. You can find Elaine at various community events, especially those featuring live music!