Attorney, Preston & Salango, PLLC
Photo by Will Price.
By Maggie Matsko
For Tera Salango, attorney at Preston and Salango, PLLC, it took a family tragedy for her to realize where her true passion lies. “Three days after my 16th birthday, my oldest brother, Todd, was murdered in a restaurant in Nitro,” she says. “It was a random attack that devastated our lives. I attended the trial of the man who murdered him and knew from that time on that I had to pursue a career in law.”
After high school, Salango attended West Virginia State University and majored in criminal justice. Once she graduated, she enrolled at Stetson University College of Law for her first year of law school, transferring to West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law to finish her degree in 2003. She graduated in the top 20 percent of her class at WVU with Order of the Barristers honors. She also received the best brief award for the annual George C. Baker Cup Competition and was a finalist in Allegheny County’s Annual Academy Mock Trial Competition.
Salango’s first job out of law school was as an associate at Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC, where she learned about work ethic and the significance of being involved in her community. In 2005, she left to pursue her dream job: assistant Kanawha County prosecutor. For 11 years, she handled felony cases, trying numerous cases to verdict.
Salango had the opportunity to serve as co-chief of staff of the Office of the Kanawha County Prosecutor from 2013-2015. In that role, she helped with a program designed to reduce truancy in schools. “Our office wanted to focus on helping children stay in school,” she says. “We saw many cases in which kids would skip or miss classes due to poor home lives. We made it a priority to help these kids get their education.”
Salango currently practices in civil litigation, and she loves trial prep and trying cases. While she truly enjoys her work, one of the biggest challenges of her professional life has been balancing motherhood with her career.
“Being a wife and mom are the most important and fulfilling roles I will ever have, but there have been times when I’ve said to myself, ‘A woman can’t do it all,’” she says. “I think all working moms feel that way because you try to be the best mom possible and be the best at your career. I have dealt with this by not putting too much pressure on myself. I know I try my hardest to be the best I can be, and it has worked out pretty well so far.”
When Salango is not in the courtroom or spending time with her husband and two children, she is out in her community making an impact on West Virginia’s youth. “Community service is an important part of my life,” she says. “I believe all kids can be successful if given an opportunity, and I really enjoy working with programs that focus on helping at-risk children by giving them a second chance.”
For this reason, Salango has served as a board member with a variety of organizations, including PRO-Kids, Inc., the Shawnee Youth Development Center and the Susan G. Komen West Virginia Race for the Cure. She organized the local chapter of The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, Inc., assisted in creating the Charleston Montessori School and plans events and fundraisers for Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women & Families, YWCA Girls Night Out, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Sensitive Santa Program, the annual celebrity grand slam charity baseball game and the annual angel tree lighting ceremony honoring murder victims in Kanawha County.
“I think giving back to the community is one of the most important things we can do,” she says. “I know what it is like to have very little in life, so I never forget where I came from.”
Salango is proud to be from the Mountain State because this is where she learned the importance of being diligent in every aspect of her life. “Growing up in Nitro, WV, in a low-income home, I was taught at a young age that nothing would be handed to me,” she says. “My work ethic makes me proud of my West Virginia roots.”
