With a PhD and more than 30 years of experience in recreational therapy and recreational therapy instruction, Jim Newman is deeply immersed in and has a profound understanding of therapeutic interventions and evidence-based practice. A disabled veteran himself with 20 years of service, Newman, a professor emeritus of Radford University, is a recreation therapist at the St Cloud VA Healthcare System. He is a volunteer “ambassador” for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, where he provides instruction and adaptive equipment to help veterans achieve their goals and has assisted in training Virginia Region volunteers in recreation therapy principles and practices. Newman has received several awards and accolades for dedication to excellence and innovation, most recently the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden for outstanding volunteerism in the community. He has fished for salmon, halibut, trout, panfish, and more from Alaska to Arkansas to Florida and just about everywhere in between. Dr. Jim Newman joins the Virginia Fly & Wine as a new instructor in 2026, participating in a special class, “Guiding Those with Special Disabilities or Needs,” with Bill Campbell on Thursday morning.