HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY COMMISSION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Institutional Financial Aid
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- Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences
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- Fiscal and Administrative Services Manager
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- Program Director of Student Services
Autumn Perry serves as College Access and Success Program Director in the Division of Student Affairs for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System. In this role she works closely with student affairs professionals and student leaders from higher education institutions statewide, and oversees various committees, and programs impacting these groups. She also oversees college access and success initiatives and outreach in West Virginia's eastern panhandle region where she is based.
Autumn has over 13 years of experience in higher education, including past roles in academic advising and career services. Prior to entering the field of higher education, she worked as a program coordinator for a crisis center serving victims of domestic violence and their children. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from West Virginia University and a master's degree in College Student Development and Administration from Shepherd University.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Coordinator of Technology and Digital Outreach
Brandon Hughes serves as the Coordinator of Technology and Digital Outreach at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Brandon has more than twenty years of experience working in digital technology. This experience has allowed him to provide leadership, direction, and planning for a broad range of instructional technology, learning spaces, and digital resources to support statewide access initiatives and ultimately to advance West Virginia's system of higher education outreach efforts. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from West Virginia State University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director for Financial Aid
- Senior Director of Financial Aid for the West Virginia
Brian Weingart is the Senior Director of Financial Aid for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Mr. Weingart joined the Commission staff in October 2011. In this position, Mr. Weingart provides overall leadership and coordination of state-level student financial aid programs. He serves as a resource for institutional and external grants, scholarships, loans, and student work-study programs for West Virginia's public higher education system and develops strategies to support recruitment and retention of nearly 100,000 students annually through financial aid programs. Previously, Mr. Weingart served in various roles at Alderson-Broaddus College including Interim Vice President of Business and Finance, Director of Financial Aid, and Admissions Counselor. Mr. Weingart received a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education from Alderson-Broaddus College and a Master of Arts in educational leadership studies from West Virginia University.
Job Titles:
- College Access Specialist
- Specialist for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission 's Division of Student Affairs
Cameron Asbury serves as a College Access Specialist for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission's Division of Student Affairs. In this role, he primarily focuses on entering activity data for the GEAR UP Grant, but he has assisted with a number of projects during his time working for the Commission. Some other projects Cameron has worked on include graphic design and community outreach, mailings for College Application and Exploration Week, and attending college fairs around the state.
An alum of the first West Virginia GEAR UP Grant, Mr. Asbury is grateful to give back to his home state and help future generations of students discover that postsecondary education in West Virginia is attainable. He believes that if he had not been part of GEAR UP in high school, he might not have attended Marshall University and become the first member of his family to graduate from college.
Job Titles:
- Director of Behavioral Health Programs
Job Titles:
- Compliance Officer, Proprietary School Programs and Authorization
Job Titles:
- College Access and Success Program Director
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- Senior IT Systems Administrator
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- Program Coordinator, Accounts Payable
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- Director of Administrative Services
Cindy Anderson serves as the Director of Administrative Services. Ms. Anderson oversees the internal management operations and the administrative affairs of the agency. She previously served as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Administration from 2000 to 2011. Prior to that, she continuously held the position of Executive Assistant to the Senior Administrator beginning in 1989. She has also served in a number of other capacities with the West Virginia higher education system since 1983. Ms. Anderson holds a Certificate of Applied Science from Fairmont State College (now Fairmont State University) and an Associate Degree in Office Administration from West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University).
Job Titles:
- Director of International Programs
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- Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
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- Director of Information Systems
Job Titles:
- Business and Grants Coordinator
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- Associate Director, Science, Technology and Research
Job Titles:
- Director of Research and Analysis
Job Titles:
- Director of the Division of Science and Research
Dr. Juliana Serafin, Director of the Division of Science and Research
304-558-4128 ext. 26349
Juliana.Serafin@wvhepc.edu
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Research
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Student Services
Elizabeth A. Manuel serves as the Senior Director of Student Services overseeing the Division of Student Affairs for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, which focuses on increasing college access and higher education attainment rates among all West Virginians. She specializes in grassroots community collaboration, making higher education accessible for low-income students, primarily for those first-generation students with multifaceted socio-economic circumstances.
Ms. Manuel has been fortunate to work with innovative teams dedicated to the advancement of higher education opportunities in West Virginia for nearly two decades and is currently responsible for the development and integration of statewide college access and student success initiatives. During her time at the Commission and Council, she secured funding for several grant programs, including a $24.5 million federal GEAR UP grant. Early in her career her efforts were dedicated to economic and workforce development among West Virginia's most rural communities. She has served as an adjunct faculty member and serves on various local, state, and national committees. She earned both her bachelor's degree and master's degree from Marshall University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Communications and Outreach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Attorney General
Job Titles:
- Network Program Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Coordinator of Curriculum, Professional Development, and Education Initiatives
Born and raised in Charleston, WV; Heather McChesney has made many areas of the Mountain state her home. After graduating with her bachelor's in English and her master's in Secondary Education, Ms. McChesney taught in Harrison, Monongalia, and Morgan counties before making her way home to continue her teaching career in Kanawha County. For a little over a decade, she has served as the Coordinator of Curriculum, Professional Development, and Education Initiatives for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and West Virginia Community and Technical College System. In this position, she and the Student Affairs team oversee, implement, and manage multiple statewide college access and student success initiatives, including the West Virginia GEARUP program, that help students throughout the educational pipeline work to make their postsecondary and career dreams a reality.
McChesney is also the dog mama to Mr. Murphy and RocketMan, proud aunt to Josie and John, and a vivacious reader of the written word.
Job Titles:
- College Access and Success Program Director
- Coordinator of WV GEAR UP College Transition and First Year Programs at the West Virginia
Janine Coutu serves as the Coordinator of WV GEAR UP College Transition and First Year Programs at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, Janine worked at The Pennsylvania State University for the Adult Learner Programs and Services Office. Additionally, Janine worked as a program coordinator for the Upward Bound Math and Science TRIO Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Janine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Higher Education Administration from The Pennsylvania State University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of West Virginia GEAR UP
- Assistant Director of WV GEAR UP
Jason (J.R.) Luyster joined the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission's Division of Student Affairs in September 2009 and now serves as the Assistant Director of West Virginia GEAR UP. Prior to joining the HEPC, Mr. Luyster worked as the Assistant Director of Admissions at Alderson Broaddus University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a minor in Business Management from Alderson Broaddus University and an MA in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Corporate and Organizational Communications from West Virginia University.
Job Titles:
- Institutional Research Analyst, Senior
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- Information Systems Technician
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Communications
Job Titles:
- Coordinator of Fiscal and Administrative Services
- West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission As the Coordinator
Joanne Rutherford serves the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission as the Coordinator of Fiscal and Administrative Services. Prior to joining WVHEPC, Ms. Rutherford was employed at Glenville State College as the Senior Administrative Secretary for the GSC Foundation before moving into her role as the Senior Assistant to the Dean in the Education Department. While in the Education Department, she also served as the Professional Development Schools Coordinator and a faculty member for incoming freshman. During her tenure at Glenville, she obtained her bachelor's and was recognized for her work with a Presidential Leadership Award.
In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, spending time with her family, and being on her farm.
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy and Program Officer
Job Titles:
- Administrator, WV Center for Nursing
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- Financial Reporting Manager
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- Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist
Kaci Foster serves as the Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission's Division of Student Affairs. Ms. Foster possesses nearly two decades of professional experience in communications and marketing. Over the years, she has worked as a writer, editor, business manager, and sales manager for various newspapers across West Virginia. In addition, she served as the marketing director for the largest optical business in the state. She earned bachelor's degrees in both Public Service Administration and History and Government, as well as completed minors in Political Science and Economics at West Virginia University Institute of Technology. She then proceeded to West Virginia University, where she studied West Virginia and Appalachian History.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant Senior
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Coordinator of Upward Bound Math and Science Programs
Job Titles:
- Assistant Attorney General ( Glenville - Based )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation
- West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission 's Division of Student Affairs in 2023 As the Assistant Director of Research
Lesli Taylor joined the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission's Division of Student Affairs in 2023 as the Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation. Prior to joining the commission Lesli worked in public health research for an area hospital system and the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health. Lesli is a first generation college graduate obtaining her bachelor's in psychology from West Virginia University Institute of Technology and her master's in experimental psychology from Radford University.
When not working Lesli enjoys spending time with her family and competing in dog sports.
Job Titles:
- Director of Online Learning ( WVROCKS )
Job Titles:
- College Access and Success Program Director
Mallory Carpenter is the College Access and Success Program Director for the West Virginia GEAR UP Program based in the Southwestern Region overseeing college access and success initiatives. A first-generation college graduate, she earned her BA in English from the University of Charleston and then went on to earn her MA in English from Ohio University. Mallory has worked in higher education for over eleven years and has over six years of experience in program management. She is interested in contemporary literature and loves helping students from underrepresented backgrounds succeed. In her free time, Mallory spends time with her husband, son, and pets. She enjoys reading, video games, and streaming service binges.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration
Matt Turner joined the Higher Education Policy Commission in 2014. He has 20 years of experience in communications and public affairs roles, including serving as director of communications for Gov. Joe Manchin and chief of staff and senior vice president for communications at Marshall University. Matt also worked in public relations roles for the West Virginia Department of Commerce and Special Metals Corp. Turner received bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism and public relations from Marshall University.
Job Titles:
- Research and Policy Analyst
Job Titles:
- WV Educational Loan Program Administrator
Job Titles:
- Health Sciences Program Administrator
Job Titles:
- Vice Chancellor for Finance and Facilities
Job Titles:
- Board and Operations Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Coordinator of Upward Bound Math and Science Program
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- Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
Job Titles:
- Sponsored Programs Administrator
Job Titles:
- Director of Veterans' Education and Training Program
Job Titles:
- Assistant Attorney General ( Morgantown - Based )
Job Titles:
- College Access Outreach Counselor
Job Titles:
- West Virginia Invests Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Promise Scholarship Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Statewide Longitudinal Education Data Project Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of State Financial Aid Programs
Job Titles:
- Director of Classification and Compensation
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Senior
Job Titles:
- Director of TRIO Programs
- Interim Director of TRIO Programs for the WV Higher Education Policy Commission 's Division of Student Affairs
Tira Runyon currently serves as the Interim Director of TRIO Programs for the WV Higher Education Policy Commission's Division of Student Affairs. She brings with her nearly two decades of experience working with TRIO Programs. Tira has served in many roles within the TRIO community, in addition to serving on the WV TRIO Board as Treasure and currently as the Committee Chair for the Annual Student Leadership Conference. As a low-income/first-generation student, Tira is fully aware of many students' struggles. An avid hockey fan, Tira spends time with her daughter attending as many games as possible while her husband of 35 years, stays home taking care of the many rescued pets.
Job Titles:
- Director of Facilities and Sustainability
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Representative Senior
Job Titles:
- College Access Outreach Counselor