Economic Development

• Prominent private-sector leader in the development, ongoing implementation, and funding of the state’s economic development strategy plan, A Vision Shared, in cooperation with the West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development, West Virginia Development Corporation, and West Virginia Development Office.

• Assists the WV Development Office in funding European and Japanese Trade Offices to promote foreign investment in West Virginia.

• Advocated the need for implementing comprehensive workers’ compensation reform enacted in SB 1220. Worked with Business, Labor and Legislative leaders and lead the advocacy for the linchpin of SB 1220: the establishment of a professional, independent Board of Managers to provide policy and oversight management.

• Founder and lead sponsor of the annual WV Leadership Conference, beginning in 2003, featuring author and Harvard professor Ronald Heifetz, as an initial ongoing process of building leadership; in 2004 featuring James Kouzes, chairman emeritus of the Tom Peters Company and a co-author of the award-winning book, The Leadership Challenge; and in 2005, featuring Ram Charan, co-author of the bestseller called Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, and of Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right. The 2006 Conference, on May 3 and 4, featured keynote speaker Dr. Richard Boyatzis, author of Resonant Leadership.

• Founding member and Co-Chairman of the West Virginia Business/Labor Leaders Coalition, helping to foster improved working relations between business and labor leaders. Worked with the Coalition to support passage of an increase of the state’s tobacco tax to close a $200 million Medicaid gap, to support passage of legislation and a constitutional amendment to achieve Tax Increment Financing in WV, and in studying revisions to the Workers’ Compensation statutes in West Virginia.

• Co-sponsor of Public Policy Forum in January 2005. The theme of the conference focused on the report of the Commission on Governing in the 21st Century, and the importance of regional cooperation among governmental units, exploring issues such as shared services and consolidation of certain units.

• Successfully advocated legislative and business support for legislation (Senate Bill 245) that permits consolidation of counties and municipalities, following the guidance of the Commission on Governing in the 21st Century. Legislation passed in 2006 regular session.

• Advocating the study in 2006 of comprehensive tax reform in the state, considering all aspects of taxation and strategically linking tax policy to long-term goals of the state.

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Education

• Advocated the need for significant higher education reforms enacted in HB 3009, HB 3019 and SB 653 based on the results of a comprehensive workforce training needs survey of the business community.

• Ongoing lead advocate for refocusing the missions of the state’s community colleges to support workforce development, including aiding the establishment of the Advantage Valley Community College Network and serving on its Policy Board.

• Participating with the West Virginia Education Alliance in its State Scholars Initiative program, mentoring high school students to take more challenging classes, whether they go on to college or not. This is part of a national program based on research that students taking tougher classes are more successful in life whether they go to college or vocational schools.

• Member of the West Virginia Partnerships to Assure Student Success Advisory Council (WVPASS) in collaboration with America’s Promise and Communities In Schools. WVPASS’s goals are:
  (1) To work with local communities to develop collaborations to ensure that West Virginia children receive the Five promises identified by America’s Promise;
  (2) To promote the missions of America’s Promise and Communities in Schools; and,
  (3) To educate teachers, school administrators and community leaders on understanding the framework of poverty and barriers to student success.

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Healthcare

• Joined with the West Virginia Hospital Association, the West Virginia Business and Labor Leaders Coalition and other business and community leaders to work with state leaders in dealing with short-term cuts and long-term restructuring of the state’s Medicaid program.

• Joined the West Virginia Care Coalition and advocated the need for professional medical malpractice reform legislation, enacted in HB 2122 in 2003.

• Works with the West Virginia Hospital Association to educate and inform the business community and the public about concerns and consequences of the growing transfer of healthcare costs from the public to the private sector.

• Member of the West Virginia Health Advisory Council, formed to provide guidance, review results and options and make recommendations about plans and strategies to implement a U.S. Health Services and Resources grant to develop realistic options for expanding healthcare coverage for the state’s uninsured.

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Civil Justice Reform

• Comments on the decisions and actions of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and reacts to those decisions that adversely impact the state’s economic well-being.

• Conducts public dialogue about the relationship between the state’s courts and the state’s economy and about the options for selecting judges of the state’s courts.

• Joined in an Amicus Brief supporting the constitutionality of the state’s lottery system declaring, in part, that loss of the current $443 million video lottery contribution to the state’s budget will detrimentally impact the state’s economic future.

• Joined in an Amicus Brief in WV Supreme Court appeal, supporting the exclusion of “deliberate intent” status for medical monitoring and fear of injury claims. Plaintiffs for these type of claims have obtained lower court rulings against employers that such claims are not covered under workers’ compensation statutes.

• Successfully encouraged the West Virginia Legislature to undertake a comprehensive study of the State Wage Payment and Collection Act in 2006 to eliminate the Act’s antiquated terms, confusing procedures and lack of consistent duties and responsibilities for employers and employees.