ALUMNI ASSOCIATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founder of the Rocky Mountain Alumni Chapter
Bill attended WVU and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1991. After graduating from WVU, Bill completed a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado in 2004.
Throughout his career, Bill has operated businesses and sales teams in six different countries. He specializes in teambuilding and has held senior leadership positions in both private and public companies. Currently, he is the Global Business Development Director for Industrial Markets for Amphenol Corporation's Information, Communications, and Commercial (ICC) Division.
Bill is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Alumni Chapter in Denver, CO, and has served as president since its founding in 1997.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Brogan Dozier is a lifelong West Virginia resident from Charles Town, and a junior journalism major double minoring in criminology and political science. Her campus involvement includes, Student Government Association vice president, president of Mirage Magazine, vice president of The National Association of Black Journalists-WVU Chapter, and being a Reed College of Media Ambassador. Brogan is a proud Mountaineer and in her free time, enjoys gardening, cooking, and shopping. Brogan is serving a one year term as the student representative of the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Darin Rogers, a native of Keyser, WV, attended Potomac State College from 1983-1985 before graduating from Davis and Elkins College in 1988. Darin received a Master's Degree in Management from Troy University.
After graduation, he began an impressive military career as the Division Officer for the Patient Administration Department. Darin was the Medical Administrative Officer on the USS Saratoga (CV-60) during its final cruise to the Mediterranean. He later operated across the globe in naval healthcare support offices and clinics until 2012, when he retired from the US Navy after 24 years of dedicated service.
Following his career in the Navy, Darin was named the Director of Operations for the Physician Enterprise at St. Vincent's Healthcare in Jacksonville, FL, before coming home to West Virginia in November of 2013, to serve as the Vice President and Chief Ambulatory Operations Officer at WVU Medicine. During this time, he assumed a health system role as Vice President of Provider Network Services, WVUHS, and continues to hold fellow status within the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Job Titles:
- Immediate past Chair
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Managing Director of the Ducats Group
A 1993 graduate from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, Feeley is the Managing Director of The Ducats Group, a business and technology consulting firm.
Darren has more than 25 years of experience as a business leader in the telecom, media and technology industries. Mr. Feeley has started a number of business ventures throughout his career in addition to serving in executive roles at several Fortune 100 companies. Mr. Feeley has helped dozen of companies across the corporate transaction lifecycle, including due diligence, M&A, IPO readiness, and divestitures.
He is the former chair of the Innovation Technology Committee for the Northern Virginia Technology Council and past president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association.
Feeley resides in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife Stephanie. They have three children, Emerson, Elle and Finnegan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President of West Virginia University
Currently serving for a second time as president of West Virginia University, Dr. E. Gordon Gee has been a leader in higher education for more than three decades. In 2009 Time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the United States. Recently, the website Great Value Colleges named him the nation's top university president. In addition to his service at West Virginia University, Gee served as president of The Ohio State University (twice), Vanderbilt University, Brown University, and the University of Colorado.
Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in history and earned his J.D. and Ed.D. degrees from Columbia University. Before starting his career in higher education, he clerked under Chief Justice David T. Lewis of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and was a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he worked for Chief Justice Warren Burger.
He is the co-author of over a dozen books, including his forthcoming book What's Public about Higher Education, and two recent ones, Leading Colleges and Universities and Land-Grant Universities for the Future. He has also authored many papers and articles on law and education. His service on education-governance organizations and commissions is extensive. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National 4-H Council and the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America He served as chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors Executive Committee for the 2017-18 year and is a Big 12 representative on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. He is a Member of the Center for Economic Development (CED) Task Force on Building a More Civil and Just Society and an inaugural member of the Education Advisory Board (EAB) Presidents Advisory Council.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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.
Dr. Gabrielle St. Léger, a three-time graduate of West Virginia University, completed her Bachelors degree in English and her Masters degree in Secondary Education and Language Arts in 2001, before earning her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership Studies and Higher Education Administration in 2012. During her time as an undergraduate student, St. Léger competed on the WVU Women's Varsity Track and Field team.
St. Léger is the Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life at La Salle University. She formerly served as the Dean of Students and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Hofstra University. She has dedicated her career in higher education leadership to serving students; her efforts forge multidisciplinary partnerships, both on and off-campus, that create leadership opportunities and support student success and social mobility. St. Léger has served the New York Institute of Technology as the Dean of Students, as well as other universities in student affairs leadership roles including Ohio State and WVU.
In 2018, St. Léger was recognized nationally by the Association of College Personnel Administrators as a Diamond Honoree.
Job Titles:
- Director of Volunteer Engagement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
A 1978 accounting graduate from the Chambers College of Business and Economics and 1982 graduate of the College of Law, Gianola is president and managing director of Gianola Barnum Bechtel & Jecklin LC, where he specializes in commercial estate planning and business transactions.
Gianola has been admitted by the West Virginia Supreme Court, United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia and the United States Tax Court.
He is the board chair of Gerrick Electric Company and Director of Rockhorn, Inc. and Mountaineer Capital Holdings.
A Mountaineer football letterman, he is past chair of the WVU Letterman's Association and a member of Mountain Honorary.
Gianola resides in Morgantown with his wife Victoria. They have two daughters, Mallory and Sara.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Communications
Job Titles:
- Special Events Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Kamau Brown, an English, history, and industrial and labor relations graduate of WVU, currently works for Microsoft managing Global Sales Accounts for LinkedIn. With twenty years of experience, Brown is recognized for his expertise in activating corporate vision.
Kamau Brown earned a bachelor's degree in English and history as well as a master's degree in industrial and labor relations from West Virginia University. Brown completed both degrees while playing football for the university, and later attended Harvard Business School's Executive Program.
Brown currently works for Microsoft and manages Global Sales Accounts for LinkedIn. Throughout Brown‘s career, he has been accountable for cultivating executive relationships to increase revenue. With twenty years of experience, Brown is recognized for his expertise in activating corporate vision and transforming tactics into sustainable results. Brown has previously led marketing, sales, and M&A teams for Bain Capital portfolio companies, The Coca-Cola Company, Hess Corporation, Ingersoll-Rand Company, PepsiCo, Inc. and DuPont Chemicals, where he first began his career in their Executive Leadership Program.
Brown lives in California with his wife and son.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Alumni Relations and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice Chair
- Member of the Board for Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Marilyn finished a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences as well as a Juris Doctorate from the WVU College of Law. She is Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, a Fortune 66 insurance and financial services company headquartered in Columbus, OH.
Marilyn has held a variety of high-level leadership roles throughout her career at two Fortune 100 companies and private law practices. She is recognized for her efforts to promote inclusion and advance diversity in the legal profession. Marilyn believes in paying it forward and has served on a number of not-for-profit boards.
Marilyn is a member of the Board for Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under law and the National Tiffany Circle Council for the American Red Cross. She is also the past President of the Ohio Women's Bar Association and currently sits on the WVU College of Law Visiting Committee.
Marilyn is an alumna of the Beta Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She was also the first female Summit of Mountain Honorary, West Virginia University's ranking honorary for outstanding service, leadership and performance at WVU.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Alumni Engagement
Meshea L. Poore, Esq. serves as vice president and chief diversity officer for the West Virginia University Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- CEO and Founder of Primark Capital
- Sarah Biller
Michael Bell has more than 20 years of broad experience in the investment management and wealth management industries and nearly a decade of experience in corporate finance.
Michael is currently the CEO and Founder of Primark Capital, an investment management firm providing retail investors with access to private equity investment opportunities, and the President of Forum Investment Group, a multi-family focused real estate firm that provides
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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.
Monté Williams, Esq. is a three-time alumnus of West Virginia University; he completed his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences before graduating from the College of Law. Williams was a member of Mountain Honorary, the Lugar Trial Association and the football team.
Williams currently leads the General Litigation Practice Group at Steptoe & Johnson in Morgantown where he represents government agencies and individual clients in matters related to premises liability, personal injury, contract dispute, and professional liability. Williams leads the firm's Oil and Gas Emergency Response Team, chairs the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and serves on the firm's cybersecurity taskforce. Prior to joining Steptoe & Johnson, Williams spent nearly a decade as a trooper and investigator for the West Virginia State Police.
Williams has recently served as the commissioner for the West Virginia Ethics Commission and secretary for the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia. He has dedicated years of service as a board member to several organizations including Leadership West Virginia, Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and the West Virginia Bar Foundation.
Williams lives in Morgantown.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Owner
- President
Nesha Sanghavi, a graduate of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, is the owner and president of two women's clothing brands. In 2016, she was named West Virginia's 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2018, delivered the WVU December Commencement keynote address.
Nesha Sanghavi is a graduate of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics and West Virginia's 2016 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2018, she established a scholarship and enrichment fund at the College to inspire and support others. A year later, Sanghavi was inducted into the John Chambers College Roll of Distinguished Alumni as the youngest inductee in history and in the same year, delivered the WVU December Commencement keynote address.
Sanghavi is the owner and president of women's clothing brands UG Apparel and chicka-d, which hold collegiate licensing contracts for more than 250 universities and can be found in more than 500 retailers across the United States. Sanghavi founded UG Apparel shortly after graduation; she was inspired to create her company during her travels as a WVU cheerleader, where she noticed a lack of feminine appeal in WVU-branded clothing. Sanghavi has worked as a financial analyst and attended design school at Parsons School of Design | The New School, receiving an AAS degree in Fashion Marketing.
Sanghavi and her husband reside in Austin, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for WVU Health Sciences
Paula Congelio, vice president and chief financial officer for WVU Health Sciences, will expand her duties and serve as vice president and chief financial officer for the University, overseeing all financial and budget matters, as well as continuing to oversee financial and related matters for the Health Sciences Center. Congelio will report to Alsop and continue her current reporting relationship to Clay Marsh, vice president for the WVU Health Sciences Center and executive dean for the School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founding Member of the Law Firm Pill & Pill
Rick is an avid lover of all things West Virginia University and has not missed a home football since 1963.
Rick Pill is a founding member of the law firm Pill & Pill, PLLC, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where his practice concentration includes commercial and residential real estate transactions, as well as foreclosures. Mr. Pill received a B.S. in Business Administration from WVU in 1973 and is a 1977 graduate of the WVU College of Law.
Rick has many professional affiliations and accomplishments, including serving as President of the West Virginia Bar Association, being a founding member of the West Virginia Real Estate Lawyers Association, and being a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Rodney Williams (‘06, ‘08) is a graduate of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics with degrees in business administration and finance and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in economics. He also holds a master's degree in integrated marketing and communications from the Reed College of Media.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal
Prior to joining State Street, Ms. Biller has been a Principal in the launch of several successful venture-backed start-ups in the FinTech and Life Sciences sectors. Most recently she was the Co-Founder and President of Capital Market Exchange (CMX), a venture-backed predictive analytics platform utilizing investor sentiment to help bond investors anticipate near-term changes in spreads.
Ms. Biller is very active in the FinTech community. She is an Entrepreneur, Advisor, Investor and teaches a graduate level course on the evolution of Financial Technology at Brandeis University. Ms. Biller studied Finance at West Virginia University and George Washington University.
She is the co-Founder of the FinTech Sandbox and currently sits on its Advisory Board. She also sits on the Advisory Board of multiple start-ups and national organizations, including;
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer
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, while continuing to work full-time.
Throughout her career, Sharon has held many leadership positions in engineering and energy companies. She has received a variety of prestigious awards, including an honorary doctorate from the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Most recently, Sharon has taken on the role of Vice President of Exploration at Columbia Natural Resources in Charleston, WV, and currently works at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC as a member of the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Department. She also sits on the Visiting Committees for the Petroleum Engineering Department and the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice President for University Relations and Enrollment Management at West Virginia University
Sharon Martin is vice president for University Relations and Enrollment Management at West Virginia University. She oversees marketing and communications, brand experience, as well as recruitment and admissions.
Prior to her arrival at WVU in October 2013, Martin served as assistant vice president of marketing at Purdue University. Her professional career also includes owning a boutique communication agency, and co-founding a local women's magazine. Martin also worked for the Purdue Alumni Association, ultimately serving as director of communications and editor of the bi-monthly magazine. Martin is a member of or has served on the boards of several professional associations including National Mortar Board and the local chapters of the United Way, Association of Women in Communications, American Marketing Association and the American Cancer Society.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Todd A. Mount grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, and attended WVU for both undergraduate studies and law school. He is a member of the law firm Shaffer & Shaffer, PLLC, where he primarily engages in insurance and business litigation throughout the state.
Todd also currently serves as Secretary of the Board of the West Virginia Defense Trial Counsel, President of the Boone County Bar Association, and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, the largest community foundation in West Virginia. Todd is a proud member of the Boone County Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association. His wife, Denise Workman, is the current chapter President.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
Schoendael earned both a bachelor's degree in 1987, and a master's degree in 1989, from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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.
She previously served as a litigator for Mercedes-Benz USA and handled class action and product liability matters. She also has represented the IRS Office of Chief Counsel in U.S. Tax Court.
As a law student, she was awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship for her scholastic and community service achievements. Additionally, she served her law school as a member of the Moot Court Team, as a student ambassador with the Office of Admissions, and as a student representative with the College of Law visiting committee. Vernot completed her BBA in marketing at Mercer University in 2014. She currently resides in the Bay Area of California.
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal
- Secretary
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.
He has held multiple leadership positions for the last three decades at Acordia and Wells Fargo Insurance Services (WFIS). For the last 20 years, Zach has been a member of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP).
Zach's experience is in both private and public entities, including national and international bodies. He is associated with various professional organizations, including the Pittsburgh Surety Association, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Master Builders Association (MBA), Ohio Valley Oil and Gas Association, Marcellus Shale Coalition and Pittsburgh Home Builders.