Executive Director, Parkersburg-Wood CountyArea Development Corporation By Olivia Miller Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography Lindsey Kerr Piersol stepped into the role of executive director of the Parkersburg-Wood County Area Development Corporation just two days after her 26th birthday and immediately faced the biggest challenge of her career: starting an executive leadership role as a…
Assistant Professor, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine By Kenzie Dye Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography Christopher Pankey, Ph.D., assistant professor at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), learned early in life the secret to getting anything he wanted—work for it. A northwest Colorado native, Pankey is no stranger to the rural way…
Michele Blatt never considered a career outside of education. A teacher, she says, is just who she is. “Teaching is the only profession I considered,” Blatt says. “I enjoy teaching children at church every Sunday. I am the happiest when I am around children.” It’s her own children, Jonathan and Emma, who have always been the reasons she does what she does each day.
Director of Sales & Catering, The Resort at Glade Springs By Lori Kersey Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography Heather Ouimette was just a child when she discovered her drive to compete and win. As the only girl among the group of kids in her neighborhood outside Mullens, WV, she played just as hard and…
Associate Professor of Neurology & Movement Disorders Division Chief, West Virginia University Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute By Samantha Cart Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” These words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg inspire Ann Murray, associate…
President and Associate Professor of Music, West Virginia Wesleyan College By Dawn Nolan Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography Music always played a significant role in the life of James Moore, president and associate professor of music at West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC). “My folks both have great taste, and there was always good music…