Fifty-five leaders from across the state have accepted invitations to participate in the 2016 Class of Leadership West Virginia (LWV). Candidates were selected from a list of nominations that was submitted in late 2015. This year’s class includes the following from throughout the state:
- Craig Behr, Citynet (Morgantown)
- Joe Canterbury, Logan Bank & Trust Company (Logan)
- Brittany Carns, Columbia Pipeline Group (Charleston)
- Tessa Carr, Arnett Carbis Toothman (Charleston)
- Mike Chirico, Office of Congressman Evan H. Jenkins (Huntington)
- Kevin Clark, Mineral County Development Authority (Keyser)
- Jerry Cook, Ace Adventure Resort (Oak Hill)
- Chad Earl, Orders Construction Company (St. Albans)
- Andrew Ellis, Wooton, Davis, Hussell & Ellis, PLLC (Charleston)
- Kaarmin Ford, Alzheimer’s Association-WV Chapter (Charleston)
- Sean Forney, CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc. (Berkeley Springs)
- Nathan Gibson, WVMI & Quality Insights (Charleston)
- Jason Golden, Highmark West Virginia (Parkersburg)
- Sean Graves, West Virginia American Water (Charleston)
- Andrew Gunnoe, Kanawha County Commission (Charleston)
- Brett Hamilton, Black Horse Financial Advisors (Charleston)
- Tadd Haynes, UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc. (Charleston)
- Suzanne Higgins, West Virginia Public Broadcasting (Beaver)
- Cam Huffman, The Blennerhassett Hotel (Parkersburg)
- Kelly Hughes, West Virginia Wesleyan College (Buckhannon)
- Guy Johnston, City National Bank (Charleston)
- Christopher Klingler, Walker Machinery Company (Belle)
- Caleb Knight, Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLC (Charleston)
- Carrie Lilly, Bowles Rice LLP (Morgantown)
- Nick Linn, Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Morgantown)
- Raymond Logue, MVB Mortgage (Fairmont)
- Jacob Manning, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP (Wheeling)
- Marianne McClure, The Dow Chemical Company (South Charleston)
- April Min, Jackson Kelly PLLC (Morgantown)
- Christine Mitchell, Dominion Resources Services Inc. (Pine Grove)
- Patricia Noland, Jefferson County Commission (Charles Town)
- Charlotte Norris, Farrell, White & Legg PLLC (Huntington)
- Melissa O’Brien, Roane County Schools (Spencer)
- Jennifer Onks, Clayman & Associates, PLLC (Charleston)
- Jan Pattishall, WesBanco Bank, Inc. (Wheeling)
- Alex Patton, Operation Services (Mon Power)
- Gregory Reed, West Virginia Potato Chip Company Mister Bee (Parkersburg)
- Tammy Reger, Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce (Buckhannon)
- Maria Rendinell, Thomas Health System (Charleston)
- Chris Richards, Lewis County CVB (Weston)
- Robert Rosano, Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences (Charleston)
- John Scalzo, Appalachian Power Company (Charleston)
- Bart Scott, Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC (Parkersburg)
- Robert Sellards, Nelson Mullins (Huntington)
- Carrie Staton, Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center (Morgantown)
- Leigh Anne Strickland, Mountain State Insurance Agency Inc. (Charleston)
- Todd Swanson, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (Charleston)
- Jeremy Tingler, Momentum Energy (Mount Clare)
- Roger Topping, Princeton Health Care Center (Princeton)
- Jared Tully, Frost Brown Todd (Charleston)
- Leah Vance-Bazzilla, Leah Vance Photography (Logan)
- Kristina Wilmoth, Randolph County Development Authority (Elkins)
- Denise Workman, Kanawha County Schools (Charleston)
- Mandy Wriston, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce (Oak Hill)
- Brian Young, BB&T (Charleston)
Leadership West Virginia (www.leadershipwv.org) is now in its 25th year as the statewide education and leadership development program in West Virginia. The eight-month program identifies emerging leaders from a variety of employers throughout West Virginia and enhances their knowledge not only of the challenges facing the state, but also the state’s unique attributes and diversity. Recognizing that the cultivation of new leadership is of utmost importance to West Virginia’s future prosperity and progress, Leadership West Virginia works to develop and motivate a cross-section of leaders who will use their talents and abilities to inspire others and to foster a new spirit of energy, enthusiasm and vitality throughout the state. LWV is affiliated with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
“Each year, the class participants are selected from a list of top-quality applicants from around the state. Individuals are selected into the program because they demonstrate leadership skills and experiences in civic activities and in their professional careers,” said Pam Farris, Executive Director of Leadership West Virginia. “We continue to see an increase in the number of applicants each year and we are very pleased with the diversity of candidates in the 2016 class.” Farris noted that interest in being a class member continues to be a very competitive process as the program now has over 1,250 alumni from across the state.
Throughout this year members of the class will travel to 8 different communities in West Virginia to receive broad-based education on critical topics and, at the same time, have opportunities to hone their leadership skills. The locations and topics for the training program for the Class of 2016 include:
March 24 – 25, Charleston -Welcome to Leadership;
April 21 – 22, Eastern Panhandle – Economic Development/Education Session;
May 12 – 13, Logan – Coal Session;
June 16 – 17, New River Gorge – Tourism Session;
July 14 – 15, Morgantown – The Justice System Session;
September 15 – 16, Wheeling – Critical Issues/The Marcellus Shale Session;
October 27 – 28, White Sulphur Springs – Health Care Session;
November 17 – 18, Charleston – Government & Commencement Session.
“Leadership West Virginia provides graduates with the skills and the knowledge in making sound, informed decisions,” added Farris. Many of the participants serve as private citizen volunteers, and many seek and serve in public office. Among the many benefits that come with being a graduate of the program is the network of alumni throughout the state. “Leadership West Virginia congratulates the individuals who were selected to this year’s class.”
