Leadership West Virginia: Class members wrap up statewide tour in Charleston

(Editor's Note: This is the final article in a seven-part series about Leadership West Virginia, as well as the successes and challenges of W.Va. and different regions of the state.)

CHARLESTON -- What began seven months ago with 56 leaders from across the Mountain State gathering in Huntington for the first time, wrapped up this week in Charleston as members of the 2023 class of Leadership West Virginia were honored for completing the program.

This year's Leadership West Virginia tour of the state took class members back to college at Marshall University, experiencing the state's outdoor tourism industry firsthand in Fayetteville, a close-up look at West Virginia's growing manufacturing and renewable energy sectors in the Eastern Panhandle, a discussion of education challenges at West Virginia University, how to help those leaving the corrections system rejoin society in Wheeling and improving the state's poor health outcomes at the Greenbrier Resort.

During all of these sessions, class members were introduced to leaders from each region, visited downtowns large and small, drove through parts of the state they've never been to before, and created strong bonds with their fellow classmates that will last lifetimes. Class members also received important training in leadership techniques, mindfulness, and effective communication.

The Leadership West Virginia class of 2023 was the largest class nominated for the program and considered one of the most diverse across different races, genders, demographics and professions. The diversity helped spur new friendships, difficult conversations and a class project focused on continuing the efforts that began in 2023 to recruit future class members from minority and marginalized groups who otherwise might not be nominated or apply.

Our project includes an endowment fund to help provide scholarships for more minorities to participate in future Leadership West Virginia classes. While employers sometimes pay all parts of a class member's tuition, Leadership West Virginia involves a substantial personal investment of time, travel expenses, and other costs. The endowment fund will provide more opportunities for people from marginalized communities in the state to participate in Leadership West Virginia.

Past classes often have superlatives, such as "best class ever" or "best giving class ever." The LWV Class of 2023 is known as "the most memorable class ever." And for this writer, the memories I've made will forever be cherished.

MAKING A BETTER WEST VIRGINIA

The Charleston session's focus was on government: with a visit to the; a visit from Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, and Senate Clerk Lee Cassis; and a tour of the West Virginia Supreme Court led by Justices Tim Armstead and Haley Bunn.

Delegate Clay Riley, R-Harrison, also attended Thursday's tour of the Senate chamber. Riley is a Leadership West Virginia board member and a member of the class of 2017. Both Blair and Riley encouraged 2023 class members to consider running for legislative seats. Blair and Riley said the part-time citizen Legislature needs more people from diverse jobs and backgrounds.

"One of the biggest problems we have in West Virginia is the people inside West Virginia don't think as good of themselves now as what the people outside the state actually think," Blair said. "I would encourage any of you that know how to make payroll to consider running for a public office...These are life experiences that you take and you bring to this chamber, to the people of West Virginia."

"I'm convinced by looking at this class...that there are people in this class who have a fire burning in them that will go on for years and you all will go on and do great things," Riley said. "I hope to serve with some of you."

Class members also heard from Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and president of Leadership West Virginia, which was founded 32 years ago by the chamber.

"It's our belief that West Virginia has few problems that won't be solved by a higher level of employment and more economic activity," Roberts said. "We are very quick to say we think that going hand-in-hand with more jobs and more economic activity is an opportunity for all."

A part of discussions Thursday focused on the several challenges class members have learned about in our journeys, from health issues to workforce participation, from educational attainment to diversity. A goal of Leadership West Virginia is to train participants to go back out into the state and work to reverse these negative statistics.

"One of the things that I have dealt with over the now-several decades of holding the job that I hold is that we really had to convince people that West Virginia could be something better than it has been in the past," Roberts said.

"It seemed to me as though if we keep doing the same things, we're not going to get a different result," Roberts continued. "So, we had to talk about how to not keep doing the same things. And we also had to show that if you will show some leadership and try to take us in a direction that we can get things done...that maybe we could address some key policy initiatives that would just make us more like other states, or particularly more like other states who have a succeeding economy."

A PERSONAL NOTE

I was very honored to be selected this year for Leadership West Virginia. My wife is a 2015 class member, and so many of the people I know and respect across a wide range of professions and experiences are former class members.

I had applied at least two times before after being nominated by someone. LWV received far more nominations and applicants than the program traditionally has space for. The selection process is rigorous and is often based upon the amount of community service one does. After twice being rejected, I gave up and moved on.

When I was nominated yet again last year, I was reluctant to apply. My wife encouraged me to give it one more shot. I'm very glad I did.

While I learned a lot from my time traveling the state, embedding myself in these regions, engrossing myself in each session, taking part in the option tours that show office historical sites or companies doing innovative things, I learned far more from my fellow classmates.

It would be impossible to list every classmate, nor would it be fair to mention some by name and leave others out. Our class includes business leaders of all stripes, from executives to human resource managers. We have entrepreneurs, engineers, psychologists, government officials, non-profit team members, professors, communications and marketing professionals, lawyers, bankers, healthcare providers, accountants, military officers, and a union organizer.

And yes, even a news reporter, which I'm sure had to make some in LWV and my fellow classmates nervous at first. When are things on-the-record or off-the-record? As I said, some of my class mates are government officials and some I have quoted in prior stories over the last five years in their official capacities.

I wanted to chronicle the mission of Leadership West Virginia without compromising the trust of fellow classmates. Some of the discussions had within sessions are sensitive and there has to be a level of trust and openness. I certainly hope I was able to tell LWV's story without compromising the trust of classmates.

I received a gift from all of my classmates. No, not a physical gift, but the gift of them sharing with me their personal lives, successes, heartbreaks, challenges, and other personal moments. In turn, I hope I shared with them as well. Newspaper reporters can seem to be scary if all you've ever done is read them on the pages of your morning newspaper.

In my case, being a state government reporter can bring with it an additional dread for those who see my email in their inbox of my name pop up on a caller I.D. I hope I showed my fellow classmates that reporters are just normal humans too with a job to do. And with proper communication, not every interaction with a reporter should be dreaded.

Friday night, I graduated from the Leadership West Virginia not with 56 leaders, but with 56 colleagues and friends; people that I can turn to if I have a question that they may have expertise with, or people who can reach out to me if they need advice on how to make a pitch to the media.

And we join a phalanx of leaders who have completed their LWV service and have gone on to do even bigger and better things. And together, we have a greater appreciation of the state we call home, and a drive to see West Virginia continue to improve for everyone.

Nominations for the 2024 class of Leadership West Virginia are now closed. But if you have someone in mind to nominate for next year, visit LeadershipWV.org. Those wishing to donate towards the Leadership West Virginia Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Endowment Fund, visit app.autobooks.co/pay/leadership-west-virginia and type "LWV Class of 2023" in the additional information section.