Member Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
Website: www.steptoe-johnson.com/tammie.alexander
LinkedIn: Tammie Clark Alexander
Instagram: @tcalexander0568
Twitter: @TammieAlexande1
Photo by Chuck Warner Photography.
By Alicia Elkin
Tammie Clark Alexander remembers thinking at an early age that being a lawyer might be a good fit for her, but it also seemed far-fetched given that there were no lawyers in her hometown of Cameron, WV. The legal path was long, but she persevered, and today she is a member at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, where she leads the firm’s Banking, Real Estate and Financial Services Practice Group.
“I got to where I am today because I didn’t let adversity get me down,” she says.
Alexander grew up on a 400-acre dairy farm where her first job was picking berries and selling them to local customers. The day after she graduated high school, she moved to California to be with her sister, and she went to work for a company that supplied hardware and test cell accessories to the transportation industry. She went on to find her first job in the legal profession as a paralegal for a sole practitioner in Morgantown, WV, which eventually led her to Steptoe & Johnson.
“I learned a lot from those early jobs, but the greatest lesson was that it is important to take pride in whatever it is I am doing,” she says. “From counting widgets to drafting contracts, someone is counting on me to do a good job.”
Alexander takes pride in more than just her work. She enjoys giving back to West Virginia, and for her, it’s personal. Alexander was once a child who needed a helping hand, and she says if it weren’t for organizations that provided housing assistance and emergency services, as well as after-school care for her daughter, she would not be where she is today.
“Getting involved in my community changed my life,” she says. “I didn’t have a lot of confidence, and I certainly didn’t think anyone was interested in what I had to say, but I did have an interest in giving back because I appreciated how certain organizations helped me out when I needed assistance.”
One of her first experiences in community service was with Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, known as CASA. As an advocate, she visited children who were victims of abuse and neglect and reported on their circumstances to help guide the court in deciding what was best for them. From there, her love for service blossomed, and she went on to serve on several boards and committees, working with the United Way, Caritas House, Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, Friends of WVU Hospitals, WVU Medicine Children’s annual gala and Habitat for Humanity.
According to Alexander, Habitat for Humanity holds a special place in her heart because she grew up in substandard housing, giving her a true appreciation for how the program works.
“When you feel connected to something, you receive so much more in return,” she says. “I feel a connection to helping children get whatever support they might need to succeed, which includes giving them a safe place in which to live.”
In addition to her support of the local nonprofit community, she also serves as a mentor to young lawyers and paralegals in her firm, as well as other young professionals in the Morgantown business community, to help foster their professional growth.
“Serving my community truly gave me that sense of belonging I needed,” she says. “It helped shape me into the person I am today. It built my confidence and helped me forge lasting relationships that inspire me every single day.”
Although Alexander has lived in other states, she’s always been called back to the mountains. “I am a West Virginia girl at heart,” she says. “I love this state and the people who make it special. West Virginians are the most kind, giving people of anywhere I’ve traveled. For me, it is home, and it’s where I was given the opportunity to make my dreams come true.”
1990 Hired as a real estate paralegal for Keith J. Pappas
1997 Hired as a real estate paralegal at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
2002 Graduated from WVU College of Law
2003 Passed the bar exam
2003 Hired as an associate at Steptoe & Johnson
2005 Joined Centra Bank, Inc. as vice president and general counsel and president of Title Services, Inc.
2009 Returned to Steptoe & Johnson as of counsel
2012 Elected a member at Steptoe & Johnson
2013 Opened The Vow Boutique with her daughter
2015 Appointed practice group leader of the Banking, Real Estate & Financial Services Practice Group
2016 Appointed to Steptoe & Johnson’s Strategic Planning Committee
