James Bailey

James Bailey, West Virginia’s secretary of commerce, spent a lot of time out­side growing up, playing in the rivers and the woods of West Virginia. That love of the outdoors continues for Bailey today as he enjoys bowhunting and fishing.

“Being in the woods on a fall morning as the sun rises is a priceless experience,” Bailey says.

Bailey’s first professional job was as assistant prosecutor in Kanawha County, where he prosecuted a variety of cases from indictment to trial, including eight felony jury trials that all resulted in guilty verdicts.

Bailey now serves as secretary of commerce for the state of West Virgin­ia where he manages seven state agencies, several boards and commissions, approximately 2,000 full-time employees and a total budget of more than $420 million. When appointed at age 35, Bailey became, and remains, the youngest cabinet secretary in the state.

“I enjoy the opportunity to make pos­itive changes throughout the state in such a diverse array of sectors,” Bailey says. “We have agencies involved in workforce development, labor regulations, energy production, natural resources, hospitality and more. On any given day my schedule will include things like the recruitment of a major hydrogen producer to the state, followed by a planning session on building a new state park, followed by a budget meeting for our agency that regulates the mining industry. That level of variety keeps me excited and engaged.”

However, transitioning from being a prosecutor to working at the state Legislature was Bailey’s biggest challenge in his career thus far.

“I knew nothing about state government, and I started right at the beginning of a legislative session, which is like drinking out of a firehose in the best of scenarios,” Bailey says.

One of the biggest lessons he learned early on was that it is important to ask for help.

“I sometimes say, ‘If I know one thing, it’s that I may not know anything.’ I’d always rather listen to something that I already know than miss out on learning something new that’s critical to success,” he says.

There have been several people Bailey has had the opportunity to work alongside that have shaped his professional career, including Governor Jim Justice.

“I’ve been blessed to work with several great leaders who have shaped me professionally,” Bailey says. “My current boss, Governor Justice, is the epitome of a coach who has led myself and the state to unimaginable successes. I’ve also benefited immensely from working with Mitch Carmichael, Craig Blair and Ed Gaunch. I’m very fortunate for all their mentorship.”

Despite his current season of life as a father of two children under 3, he still finds time to help with events that are near and dear to him. For instance, providing Christmas gifts to children through the Secret Santa organization, mentoring middle school boys at Guys in Ties and taking wounded veterans on hunting experiences have all been rewarding to him.

While his career has been rewarding, too, he attributes his greatest success to marrying his wife and his greatest motivators to be his sons.

“My wife has facilitated every other success I’ve had since we met. I have been blessed with finding the absolute best partner,” he says. “We have two young boys. I’m motivated every day to set a good example for them and raise them to be good men.”