Jun. 23—West Virginia provided a fertile learning laboratory — in addition to some good old-fashioned fun — for Leadership West Virginia participants last week.

"We just celebrated our 30th anniversary last year," Pam Farris, executive director of Leadership West Virginia, said Friday as the LWV Class of 2022 wrapped up a three-day event hosted by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and the New River Gorge CVB in southern West Virginia. More than 1,500 people have been through the program in the three-decade span, she said.

LWV focuses on "topic-based programs, topics that are important to the State of West Virginia," she said. The program also includes "training for the people that come through the program, professional development training, so it's two-fold."

"Probably one of the other important things is that we travel around the state and learn about our communities in West Virginia," Farris stressed.

The Class of 2022 recently initiated its year with a session in Huntington, according to Farris. "And we're now here, focused on tourism, a huge economic driver not just for this area but for the State of West Virginia," she said Friday at Adventures on the Gorge in Lansing.

Among the Friday activities was a session with representatives from the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. "We heard from the National Park Service this morning about what this (national park designation) has meant to West Virginia," said Farris. They also heard from, among others, Steven Keith, who supplied statistics on "how important it is to market our state."

A huge tool for continued marketing outreach obviously lies within the Mountain State borders, said Farris, whose colleague, Kate Reed, LWV's communication and development manager, also helped supervise activities. "It's our Appalachian heritage, it's the people, it's the mountains, the water, our families and what West Virginia has to offer. It's a great place to live, it's a great place to work, and it's a great place to visit."

Last week's sessions also included a time for the 52 class members and their leaders to enjoy themselves in one of the region's many recreational offerings. "(On Thursday) Everybody got to experience one of the highlights of this area," Farris said. "Some people did the treetop tours, we had bridge walkers, we had jetboaters, we had mountain climbers, so we all got to pick a fun activity for the afternoon, and that was all on behalf of the community. The community gave that to us to experience, and we were very fortunate.

"Today we kind of got into the nitty-gritty of tourism."

Also on Thursday, the group visited The Summit Bechtel Reserve. "We went to the Bechtel Summit yesterday and saw the growth going on there and the opportunities now for families to be a part of that experience."

Friday's afternoon activity included a class project discussion, followed by "Falling in Love with West Virginia," which featured breakout groups led by industry professionals.

Becky Sullivan, the current executive director of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and the New River Gorge CVB, has a personal history with LWV. "I was a member of the Class of 2020 and 2021, thanks to Covid," she said.

"Leadership West Virginia is a branch of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, so it's extremely important for the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce to be a part, along with the New River Gorge CVB, because of the tourism session for the class," Sullivan said. The program features a variety of leaders from across the state, she explained. "Different businesses around the state are represented, and they have monthly sessions around the state that focus on different topics."

Last year's session "opened up my eyes to all different parts of West Virginia," Sullivan noted. "I'm deeply immersed in tourism and the local businesses in Fayette County, but this opened up my eyes to different industries in other parts of West Virginia that are extremely important to our state."

The LWV experience has been critical to her personal growth, Sullivan said. "As a new leader in Fayette County, it helped me a lot. It opened up my eyes to the possibilities of things that we do across the state, and it introduced me to a lot of networking opportunities, a lot of business leaders who I still have a connection with." The connections and networking has been "very beneficial," she said.

Event sponsors included Adventures on the Gorge, Bridge Brew Works, Bridge Walk, Escape-A-Torium, New River Jet Boats, The Summit Bechtel Reserve and Water Stone Outdoors.

----Fifty-two leaders from across the state accepted invitations earlier this year to participate in the 2022 class of Leadership West Virginia.

Participants were selected from a list of well-qualified applicants and were chosen because they demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and experiences in their professional careers and civic and community activities, Farris said at the time of their selection.

"LWV provides graduates with the skills and knowledge to support them in making sound, informed business decisions," Farris said in January. "It is our hope that they will apply what they'll learn in their communities and in support of LWV's mission to grow, engage and mobilize others to ignite a lifelong passion to move West Virginia forward."

The 2022 LWV class members are as follows:

Zachary Allman, WV Supreme Court of Appeals (Glen Dale); Vivian Basdekis, Jackson Kelly PLLC (Charleston); Benjamin Berry, Mountain Craft Productions (Fairmont); Susan Bissett, West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute Inc. (Charleston); Ken Bissett, KeyLogic Systems, LLC (Morgantown); Greg Bolles, Sonesta ES Suites (Charleston); Anne Bolyard, West Virginia University Foundation, Inc. (Fairmont); Sarah Bolyard, YMCA of Kanawha Valley (Charleston); Matt Bond, United Bank (Charleston); Jennifer Bostian, Upshur County Development Authority (Buckhannon); Katherine Capito, Frost Brown Todd (Charleston); Shelly Carenbauer, WesBanco Bank, Inc. (Wheeling); Hugo Casarin Pereira, Alcon (Huntington); Matthew Cowden, The Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia (Charleston); Heidi Edwards, Charleston Area Medical Center (Charleston); Amy Everson, American Public University System (Inwood); Patrick Flora, Pickering Associates (Parkersburg); Antoinette Geyer, The Health Plan (Wheeling); Adam Gissy, SLS Land and Energy Development (Weston); Craig Glover, FamilyCare Health Centers (Charleston);

Crystal Good, Black By God (Charleston); Heidi Handley, The Thrasher Group, Inc. (Bridgeport); Megan Hannah, West Virginia American Water (Charleston); Shannon Huber, Dow (South Charleston); Alicha Hunt, Belle Chemical Company (Charleston); David Hutchison, Glenville State College (Glenville); James Jones, West Virginia National Guard (Forest Hill); Nick Keller, Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority (Charleston); Ben Lewis, Army Interagency Training & Education Center (Charleston); Natalie Luppold, Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC (Charleston); Timothy McKenzie, Bluefield State College (Bluefield); Matthew McVay, Armstrong World Industries(Millwood); Kameron Miller, Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Charleston); Rick Mogielski, Charles Ryan Associates (Charleston); James Myers, III, MonPower/FirstEnergy (Morgantown); Erin Newmeyer, West Virginia University (Morgantown); James Owens, City National Bank (Scott Depot); Hampton Rose, Steptoe and Johnson PLLC (Charleston);

Adrienne Samples, Elevation Vacation Rentals, LLC (Charleston); Joseph Sams, Biztec LLC (Washington); Zach Sensabaugh, Huntington Bank (Morgantown); Arie Spitz, Dinsmore and Shohl (Charleston); Kevin Stalnaker, Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital (Weston); Ashley Stephens, Cabell County Schools (Huntington); Ryan Stoner, Coalfield Development Corp (Wayne); Richard Sutphin, West Virginia Rural Health Association (Huntington); Ryan Thorn, office of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin III (Charleston); Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power Company (South Charleston); Melissa Wandling, Clearon Corp (South Charleston); Chris Weikle, Southwestern Energy (Charleston); Jessica Westfall, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (Charleston); and Lisa Wood, Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce (Elkins).

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