The Adjutant General
State of West Virginia
By Jennifer Jett Prezkop
Major General Jim Hoyer’s uniform may be his most recognizable attribute, but those who have talked to him one on one know him more for his unwavering love for West Virginia and his self-appointed mission to make the Mountain State the center of the universe. He isn’t bashful about his ambitions for his home state, and the opportunities to bring that goal to
fruition are never in short supply.
“I’ve been given a lot of flexibility to use the Guard to make West Virginia a better place,” he says. “The guy who pointed me down this path—Major General Allen Tackett—had a vision that the Guard in West Virginia was going to be more than just a military organization, and I think we have taken that to the next level.”
Hoyer began down this career path long before he met Tackett, though. His family legacy is one of military service. His grandfathers, father and uncles were all veterans. Growing up in Charleston, he and his six siblings lived down the street from these heroes, continually exposed to their examples of service.
In 1983, Hoyer graduated from University of Charleston (UC) and joined the West Virginia National Guard as a cavalry officer. It was while he was studying for a master’s degree in public administration in 1985 that he accepted his first job. What began as a clerk position for the West Virginia Legislature’s 60-day session led to his becoming the executive assistant to the speaker of the House.
“Some people ask me what the best training is I received to become the adjutant general, and I tell them it was the nine and a half years I worked in the state Legislature for the House speaker because I came to know as much if not more than most people about state government and how it operates,” he says.
After attending the Special Forces Officer Qualification course in 1988, Hoyer went on to spend more than 14 years with the 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. In February 2011, he assumed the duties of West Virginia’s adjutant general. In this role, he provides command guidance and vision to more than 6,500 citizen soldiers and airmen in the West Virginia National Guard. Based in Charleston, he oversees day-to-day operations and management of the agency’s resources. With an eye always on the future, he also focuses on recruiting as well as mentoring others.
“If the organization is going to be exceptional at what it does, you have to be looking out for the next generation of talent,” he says. “I would like to think I am one of the most productive recruiters we have, and I kind of have to be because it would be ridiculous for me to challenge people to recruit others for this organization if I’m not doing it as well.”
Hoyer’s efforts to create a better state extend beyond the military base and into the community. Though he has little spare time, he makes it a priority to give back to the institutions that made him who he is today. A product of Charleston Catholic High School, he returns to his alma mater every year to talk to the junior class about the importance of service. He also dedicates time and energy to UC’s board of trustees, offering guidance for growth opportunities. As the adjutant general, he is the past chair of the National Guard Association of the U.S. and co-chair of the strategic engagement committee for the Adjutants General Association of the U.S. He also invests a great deal of time and energy off the clock in the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy, a National Guard program that mentors at-risk youth and helps them obtain their high school diplomas.
Hoyer has had a remarkable career doing what he loves for the people he loves in the state he loves. The advice he offers to the next generation for finding success is pretty straightforward. “Don’t think you have to accomplish everything all at once, don’t rush to get to where you are going, and make sure you take advantage of the opportunities that come your way,” he says. “Nobody in my high school class—or my mom or grandmother for that matter—thought Jim Hoyer would be a general, but I took advantage of the opportunities that came my way, and that has brought me far.”
1983 Enlisted in the WV Army National Guard
1985 Hired as a clerk for the WV House of Delegates
1988 Graduated the Special Operations Qualification Course as a Green Beret
1989 Promoted to captain
1994 Named commander of Detachment 1, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group
2000 Named commander, 35th Civil Support Team, WMD
2004 Graduated from the U.S. Army War College
2005 Deployed to Iraq with the Joint Interagency Task Force HVI
2007 Promoted to brigadier general
2009 Received the U.S. Department of Defense Identify Management Certificate
2011 Appointed as the adjutant general of the state of WV
2013 Spearheaded Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy’s Pathways Program
2015 Graduated from Leadership WV
2016 Elected chairman of the National Guard Association of the U.S.
2018 Appointed by Governor Justice to oversee Rise WV
4 Comments
I listened to the Governor’s press conference yesterday and I listened to you speak about the unemployment. I am desperate. I have not received any payments or comments of my unemployment. I am a contract worker and on my unemployment dashboard it says I am eligible for $184.00 per week. That is no where near what I make when I work, however it would really help out for my family. I hope that I can go back to work soon, but until I get to I need you to help me get my money. It has been 6 weeks since I have been off work. Please Help Me! You can reach me at 304-395-1782.
Hi, Ronald.
This is the website for West Virginia Executive magazine. We recently ran a story on General Hoyer; however, this is not a direct line to contact him. We are so sorry for what you are going through, and we hope you are able to get in touch with the correct person soon.
Would like you to be the program at the Madison Rotary Club if possible on the 12th of November for a 15 to 20 minute presentation. I appreciate the military and everything you do for our country.I had two years of military science at WVU 1965-1997. I have been a dentist in Boone county for 25 years. Hobet all the way.
Solar Energy Xenagoguing Coal Country in West Virginia
Putting Coal Miners back to work!!
A huge movement into solar powered homes could create a strong development fund to invest into producing coal while only employing West Virginia citizens, thus putting coal country back to work. How? The electric grid in West Virginia will always be needed in order to deliver electricity to each home individually. Regardless of solar panel usage or not, there will always be a need of running electricity, thus making the electric grid irreplaceable. Creating a large enough movement of residential homes going solar could create a great market for AEP to provide a base payment for services provided including solar panels to homes. AEP could partner with all in state solar businesses to provide an added support team for all in-state residential solar panels. This will also help push small businesses for clean energy.
A promise would come from AEP to allocate funds towards coal development putting our coal workers back to work. They would be outsourcing coal projects and sending West Virginia coal unions out of state for coal projects to keep the lights on. West Virginia coal can now be the new shift for profit from AEP instead of depending on our citizens to increase electric bills to cover overhead. How would we start the movement? Awareness and strong legislation from our local governments with the idea of putting our coal miners back to work. From a state’s stand point, we need to make these investments more affordable for people who are willing to invest in our state. Those people are very valuable as of right now, understanding the population has been on a constant decline. A strong way to do this would be making property tax completely exempt for the first seven years of the program- coming to about $3500.00 per home for the duration of the program. Adding that discount to the savings could very well make your payment to AEP and for the solar panels around $80.00 a month over 25 years base pay.
A home of about 1100Sqft, in most regions ( solar power will vary upon region) using around 18 Panels could produce about 6900Kwh. Normally a home having about three to four people could average about 7100Kwh, making majority of the electric used during the day free and actually receiving credits.
Common attributes of Solar Panel companies found in this state
(ALL Estimated figures from a in state company)
NO trees or sun blockage needs to be considered
•Payments possibly as low as $80.00 a month
•Performance warranty protecting the performance of your investment
•25 year warranty on the basics, smallest warranty used is 5 years for repairs
•Most systems are very user friendly; also, it comes with wonderful customer service
•Revamping the fees of a base $40 to have AEP utilizing their grid
•$40.00 goes back to solar panel company paying for panels
•$14 back to AEP to help with over head
•$13 for coal country development fee putting our coal workers back to work
•$13 maintenance fee to cover basic overhead like customer service and field workers
•Total Project of solar panels could cost $22,000
•After a Srec Rebate ( offered by most solar panel companies) $3,000.00
•Plus 22% tax credit of $4,500.00
•Plus tax exemption from state of $3500.00 (up to 7 years)
•Total project cost $11,000.00 net
•Finance options usually available for 25 years, 15 years, and possibly 10 years.
•Possible increase in home equity creating money from investment
•Taking stress from the current power electric grid during the day helping schools, churches, shelters, hospitals all run more smoothly
Most monthly savings come in the form of a “net metering” credit to AEP utilities, which they are required to offer. On sunny days, your meter will spin backwards. At nighttime, you are connected to the grid and buy electricity just as you did before. At the end of the month, the utility will only charge you for the difference or, in the event of using more solar energy than non solar, will carry a credit forward to future month. Even as utility rates rise, your solar payments could be secured by AEP with the use of their Sexcc program. This program will grandfather your payments in to $80.00 a month for 25 years, buying into solar panels, taking your home off the grid. The payment would be $80.00, or more, depending on the need for extra panels. Nationally, utilities go up 3% every year, so why not pay a max possible 3% interest on an investment to your home as opposed to 3% each year of your life? In ten years, you are only paying 3% interest and the same bill, yet on a normal AEP electric situation, you would end up heading to 30% more in a decade.
Here in Appalachia, we can make both work for our economy. Taking majority of this state off the grid could help power the electric grid during the day to help schools, churches, shelters, and hospitals all run more efficiently. It would also make electric plants work less, thus putting less population into our air. This, in turn, would make it easier to pass EPA laws and could increase the grants to expand our clean energy intuitive; thus making more money available from the budget for savings, allocating those savings into our coal development fund putting more coal miners back to work.
Encouraging the new generation coming into homeownership to apply solar panels to their home could be an amazing way of moving our state forward. A new generation who still believes in coal country, trying to help bring back the days of coal mining. Those homeowners would understand how investing into solar energy could move that idea forward. Revitalizing our state’s AEP would create a new need of skilled workers, yet I would convert the AEP field workers into a new team that will fulfill residential calls while also being contracted to start the process of burying electric lines. Completing a line burried of one mile then connecting it mile for mile could keep those field workers in need, while also safe guarding the electric lines from copper robbers or falling trees. Customer service will also now be converted to helping people with residential solar panel issues and dispatch those field workers.
Finally Ben and Jerry’s installed an array of solar panels on their building in Vermont. There have been no reported effects from workers since installation in 2015, understanding that the effects of solar panels are minimal in this age of technology.
(Just an Idea)
Thanks,
Troy