List of Directors
Sharon Flanery
Chair
Sharon earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from West Virginia University in 1978 and was the first female graduate of the program. She began her career as a petroleum engineer before attending law school at Duquesne University.
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Gabrielle St. Léger
Vice Chair
Dr. Gabrielle St. Léger, a three-time graduate of West Virginia University, has dedicated her career to serving students through roles in higher education leadership. Currently, she serves as the Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life at La Salle University.
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Kevin Ellis
Secretary
Kevin Ellis holds a B.A. in Political Science from The Citadel and a J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law. He has served as Antero’s Regional Senior Vice President, Appalachia since October 2022.
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Kamau Brown
Treasurer
Kamau Brown, originally from Washington, DC, is an English, History, and a Masters of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations graduate of WVU. Kamau has also competed the Executive Program at Harvard Business School. Kamau currently works for Google as a Head of Sales for their Agency Division, managing a team of senior managers and a multi-billion dollar Book of Business. With twenty years of experience, Brown is recognized for his expertise in activating corporate vision.
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Zach Mendelson
Past Chair
Zach graduated from WVU in 1982 with a Master's degree in Sports Management. Zach serves as principal in EPIC's Pittsburgh office and has been in the construction and insurance industry since 1989.
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Anthony Webster
At-Large
Anthony Webster is a two-time graduate of West Virginia University and a native of Bridgeport, West Virginia, who has held progressive leadership roles across the water technology, pharmaceutical, and mining industries for over three decades. He retired in 2023 as Chief Human Resources Officer for Evoqua Water Technologies (AQUA) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Michael T. Benson
Member
Michael T. Benson, a veteran higher education administrator, became the 27th president of West Virginia University on July 15, 2025. He brings 3 decades of academic and administrative experience in higher education to his role leading West Virginia’s flagship, land-grant, R1 institution into a new era.
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Steve Britt
Member
Steve Britt is a native of Charleston with WVU degrees in business and law. He is Managing Partner of Britt Law LLC in Charleston, South Carolina where he practices corporate & technology law with a special focus on data privacy & artificial intelligence.
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Jihad Dixon
Member
Jihad Dixon is a two-time graduate of West Virginia University and a native of Charleston, West Virginia. He currently serves as the Senior Associate for Strategy and Operations at My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, an initiative of the Obama Foundation.
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Kristin Emery
Member
Kristin Emery graduated from WVU magna cum laude in 1988 as a University Honors Scholar with a Bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism and Minors in both English and Political Science. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and worked as reporter/anchor for WWVU-U92 radio news.
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Mark Gavin
Member
In 2024, Mark Gavin became vice provost of West Virginia University. Gavin originally joined the Office of the Provost in 2018 as associate provost for budget, facilities and strategic initiatives and was later named senior associate provost.
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Andrew Hartsog
Member
Andrew Hartsog, a native of Beckley, West Virginia, is the Executive Vice President at Constellis, a global leader in security and government services. Before entering the private sector in 2023, he had completed over 30 years of distinguished government service, culminating in a role as a Senior Intelligence Service (SIS) Executive with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
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Undra Johnson
Member
Undra Johnson is a Market Director at UBS and a financial services leader with more than 30 years of experience in wealth management, business development, and team leadership.
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Rozaireo “Ro” Jones
Student Member
Rozaireo “Ro” Jones, a junior journalism major from Fairmont, West Virginia, is the WVU Student Body Vice President for 2025-26. Jones is also a brother of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity and a political contributor for 100 Days in Appalachia, where he focuses on reporting in West Virginia communities, elevating the voices of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations within the state, and bringing their stories to a broader audience.
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Abe Key
Member
Abe Key, a one-time player in the Washington, Pennsylvania Pony and Colt Leagues, assumed the Presidency of PONY Baseball and Softball in January 1995. He joined the staff on a full-time basis after graduating from the Reed School of Media and Communications and the John Chambers College of Business and Economics in 1981.
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Jim Martin
Member
Jim Martin is President and CEO of Citynet, West Virginia’s leading telecommunications and broadband infrastructure company. A lifelong West Virginian, he launched his first business, MARCOM, while earning his computer science degree at West Virginia University.
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Ronald Pellegrino
Member
Ron Pellegrino is a two-time graduate of WVU Health Sciences, completing degrees in Pharmacy (BS 1995) and Medicine (MD 1999). He currently serves as the WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals Chief Clinical Operations Officer and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs in the School of Medicine.
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Heather Richardson
Member
Heather Richardson is a three-time WVU graduate and vice president for WVU Strategic Communications and Marketing, where she leads marketing, communications, brand, storytelling, and public affairs efforts to elevate the University’s reach and reputation in alignment with the vision of President Michael T. Benson.
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Donald T. Robinson
Member
Donald T. Robinson is the President of MVB Financial Corp. Robinson serves the Finance Committee of St. Francis Central Catholic School, the Mon Health Medical Center Board of Directors, and is a Founder of Game Changer, a student-powered substance misuse prevention organization.
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Veronique Vernot
Member
Veronique Vernot (‘17) earned a dual JD/MBA from College of Law and the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. She is an internationally recognized attorney who serves as legal counsel for Apple Inc., focusing on product integrity, product safety and AppleCare. Her previous role with the company involved global supply chain transactions and environmental technologies. For her efforts, she was selected as a 2022 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinder.
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Angela Williams
Member
Angela E. Williams has more than 20 years of experience at a Fortune 500 financial institution, where she has led enterprise-wide initiatives generating millions of dollars in operational savings while driving technology, operational excellence, and organizational transformation.
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Monté Williams
Member
Monté Williams, Esq. is a three-time alumnus of West Virginia University who leads the General Litigation Practice Group at Steptoe & Johnson in Morgantown. For almost ten years, he worked as a trooper and investigator for the West Virginia State Police and has dedicated many years of service to nonprofit and community service governing boards.
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Denise Workman
Member
Denise is an experienced educator who holds a Masters in Special Education for the Gifted from West Virginia University. She is a Teacher of the Gifted for Kanawha County Schools and specializes in student identification, advocacy, enrichment, and talent development. She is a past president and current member of the West Virginia Association for Gifted and Talented.
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