Andrew Gunnoe

By Jordan Charbonneau

Andrew Gunnoe, the chief development officer, chief legal officer and assistant director at West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW) did not follow the traditional path in law.

“My impact has been less in traditional legal industry terms and more at the intersection of law and public infrastructure, which is, I’d argue, exactly where legal expertise can create the most tangible community benefit,” he says.

Gunnoe completed all his degrees at West Virginia University (WVU). He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Science in industrial and labor relations from the WVU John Chambers College of Business & Economics before completing his degree at the WVU College of Law.

“I’m a Mountaineer through and through,” he says. “Staying in state kept me connected to the community and professional network where I have built my entire career.”

After graduating in 2011, Gunnoe joined Bailey & Wyant in Charleston as an associate, practicing civil litigation with a focus on governmental liability defense. While he learned a lot from the partners, he says the most valuable lesson was learning what type of lawyer he did not want to be.

“After law school, I went into civil litigation and learned very quickly that while I deeply respect litigators, the courtroom wasn’t my arena,” he says. “I’m a generalist and a consensus builder, and I’ve come to embrace that.”

From there, he made the transition to local government, leaning on his roots.

“I grew up in a household where public service was the family business,” he says. “My dad worked his way up from paramedic to firefighter, holding three jobs on the side along the way, to eventually become the fire chief and emergency services director for the City of Charleston. My older brother followed him into the fire service. My grandmother Louise spent more than 50 years in the court system, including over 30 years as the magistrate clerk for Putnam County, and my mom kept everything running as a business manager for Bert Wolf Auto.”

Following the family path, Gunnoe spent nearly a decade at the Kanawha County Commission working as the assistant county manager, assistant county attorney and fiduciary supervisor, where he was proud to do meaningful work that affected people’s everyday lives. At the county commission, he helped respond to emergencies like the 2014 water crisis and 2016 floods, some of the most challenging moments in his career, and developed the county’s $34 million American Rescue Plan grant program.

Gunnoe also loved working on projects like the Shawnee Sports Complex.

“A big and bold vision for a public project translated into something that changed a community for the better,” he says. “I watch my own kids play in tournaments there now, which never gets old.”

No matter what Gunnoe was working on, his law degree helped him accomplish his goals.

“The most important thing a legal education gave me wasn’t a specific area of expertise—it was optionality,” he says. “The ability to read a complex contract, understand regulatory frameworks and think strategically across disciplines has opened doors I never would have reached otherwise.”

While he has moved on from local government, Gunnoe still loves the local community.

“Charleston punches well above its weight culturally and professionally,” he says. “I’ve never felt like I was missing out on something by staying here, and there’s something rare and valuable about being part of a community where you can actually see the work you do make a difference.”

Today, Gunnoe is making a difference at CRW, the state’s busiest commercial service airport. As chief development officer, chief legal officer and assistant director, Gunnoe has a lot on his plate. On the development side, he helps secure funding and oversee a team of architects, engineers and program managers. On the legal side, he handles contracts and leases, regulatory compliance and governance and outside counsel relationships.

Gunnoe says the most challenging part is the scope of work.

“The portfolio is enormous, federal grant compliance is unforgiving, and aviation regulation is among the most complex in the public sector,” he says.

Despite the workload, he loves working at the airport.

“At any point in the day you can step outside and watch aircraft take off or land—and that never stops being cool,” he says.

Over the last several years, Gunnoe and his team have delivered close to $40 million in projects for the airport, and they are about to start on their biggest project yet: a $75 million investment in the airport to modernize the terminals.

“Knowing our community will board flights through a modernized terminal our team helped build—that’s the kind of work that motivates you on the hard days,” he says.

Though he did not realize it when he was younger, Gunnoe says at this stage in his career, he knows fostering community and building strong relationships is essential.

“The ability to build genuine trust with stakeholders—a federal agency, an elected official, a community member—is ultimately what determines whether work actually gets done,” he says. “Technical skill gets you in the room. Relationships get things built.”

Along with his communication skills, Gunnoe credits his success to his attention to detail and commitment to quality work, two traits he watched his father demonstrate in his own life.

“He never cut corners or let circumstances define the ceiling of what he could achieve,” he says. “That example, not a speech, but a lived example, is what I carry with me most.”

While Gunnoe has had an incredible career in public service, he does not believe it’s his greatest accomplishment.

“Being a present, engaged husband and father is the achievement I care most about. Family first, full stop,” he says. “Everything else is a means to that end.”