Managing Partner, Bowles Rice LLP
Twitter: @taheywood
LinkedIn: Tom Heywood
By Maggie Matsko
For Tom Heywood, managing partner of Bowles Rice LLP, the saying rings true that no matter how far you go, you always end up where you belong. That place for Heywood is West Virginia.
“I consider myself twice blessed,” he says. “I am a West Virginian by birth and a West Virginian by choice.” Heywood grew up in Charleston but moved to California after his senior year of high school, when his father was transferred for work. After Heywood earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his law degree from Harvard Law School, he returned to Charleston to join Bowles Rice. Named a partner in 1987, he left in 1989 to serve as general counsel and then chief of staff to former West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton, returning to the firm in 1993. He was named managing partner in 2008, and today he also oversees the firm’s government relations practice.
For Heywood, the satisfaction that comes from helping others solve problems is why he chose to be a lawyer, and he was fortunate enough to realize this early on in his career. “After my first year in law school, I clerked at a law firm in San Francisco for the summer,” he says. “It was then that I became excited about practicing law and knew that was what I wanted to do. The chance to help people and work on real-world problems was compelling and energizing and remains so for me to this very day. I have the good fortune to truly love what I do, the people I get to work with and the place I live.”
Heywood has had many mentors throughout his career who have attributed to his growth and success. “All of these mentors were incredibly generous in creating opportunity for me and many others,” he says. This is why Heywood believes it is important to give his time to provide counsel to others. “Over the years, I have certainly tried to serve as a mentor to others in ways both formal and informal,” he says. “Being a mentor keeps me on my toes and helps with my continued professional and personal growth.”
He believes community service is a responsibility for all professionals, and he invests countless hours trying to improve the quality of life in the city, state and region. He also believes being raised in West Virginia fuels his desire to help others. “To me, one of the benefits of growing up in Charleston is seeing the example of literally hundreds of community volunteers who have always given generously of their time, talent and treasure to the community.”
Heywood is active in more than 20 civic and charitable organizations and plays a leadership role on a number of boards, including trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, immediate past president of the Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation and chairman of the West Virginia Roundtable, Imagine West Virginia, Kanawha Valley Council on Philanthropy, West Virginia Financial Education Foundation and the Library Foundation of Kanawha County, Inc. He also sits on the executive committees of Vison Shared, Inc.; Thomas Health System and WVU Medicine and serves as secretary of Reconnecting McDowell.
His efforts to make a difference have not gone unnoticed. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the James R. Thomas Outstanding Volunteer Award, the Alliance for Children Award, the Sam Walton Community Leader Award, the West Virginia Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award and the National Association of Social Workers’ Public Citizen of the Year Award.
With his career and volunteer efforts, Heywood is a busy professional, and what keeps him motivated is his sense of possibility. “We are blessed to live in a truly remarkable time, in the greatest country in the world,” he says. “I want to do my part to help West Virginia realize the incredibly bright future that lies ahead. I love it here, and I enjoy the chance to be actively involved in shaping West Virginia’s future.”
1978 – Graduated with distinction from Stanford University
1978-1979 – Worked for the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company in Hartford, CT
1982 – Graduated from Harvard Law School
1982-1983 – Clerked for the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Charleston, WV
1983 – Joined Bowles Rice LLP
1989-1990 – Served as general counsel to Governor Gaston Caperton
1990-1993 – Served as chief of staff to Governor Gaston Caperton
1993 – Returned to Bowles Rice
1999 – Named a Young Gun by West Virginia Executive magazine and received the Public Citizen of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers
2000 – Received the Margaret Baldwin Friend of Education Award from the WV Education Association
2008 – Elected managing partner of Bowles Rice
2010 – Received the James R. Thomas Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Charleston Area Alliance
2015 – Awarded an honorary doctor of law degree by the University of Charleston
