Gary A . Jack
Senior Corporate Counsel II , FirstEnergy
Photo by Stephanie Mezzapelle .
LORI KERSEY
GROWING UP , Gary Jack ’ s dream was to become an attorney just like his father , a sole practitioner in their hometown of Columbus , Ohio . Now in his adopted home of Fairmont , WV , Jack is living out that career goal as senior corporate counsel II for FirstEnergy , where he has worked for the past 29 years .
“ I practice regulatory , corporate , real estate , litigation , claims and governmental affairs at FirstEnergy ,” says Jack . “ I love the breadth of responsibility . The challenge is you need to know your industry well to be a good lawyer to your employer . You want them to consider you a partner in their decisions rather than just someone who provides legal advice .”
A graduate of Miami University of Ohio and Duke University School of Law , Jack started his legal career at the Franklin County Prosecutor ’ s Office in Columbus . He also worked for seven years as the assistant general counsel for the Duquesne Light Company in Pittsburgh , PA .
“ In a smaller company like Duquesne , the breadth of responsibility is much larger ,” he says . “ I had five functional divisions and learned to address issues quickly and move on .”
Outside of his career at FirstEnergy , Jack is active in his community . He has served in various capacities for Kiwanis International , Leadership Marion , the Disability Action Center , Prickett ’ s Fort State Park , Mon Valley Health , Court Appointed Special Advocates , Fleming Memorial Presbyterian Church , United Way of Marion & Taylor Counties , Marion County Chamber of Commerce ,
Leadership West Virginia , the Hope Inc . Domestic Violence Shelter and the Rotary Club of Fairmont . He has also been serving his alma mater , Duke University , by interviewing West Virginia students who have applied to attend the school for more than 20 years .
As the main legal representative for FirstEnergy ’ s Mon Power and Potomac Edison utilities in West Virginia , Jack has also worked on a number of legislative bills , including a broadband bill to expand middle-mile infrastructure throughout the state and a solar bill to permit utilities to build renewable power during the 2020 legislative session .
“ I take a tremendous amount of pride in seeing the bills I ’ ve worked on enacted to help the state ,” he says . “ I find working on legislative policy challenging , exciting and of paramount importance , but even more significantly , I find that I can help make a difference by working on enacting bills that can help our customers , the company and the state achieve better utility service at a lower cost or by helping prevent bills from being enacted that would be harmful .”
While he was born and raised in Ohio , Jack enjoys the life he has built in the Mountain State with his wife , Linda , and their two children and grandchildren . When he isn ’ t practicing law or serving his community , he enjoys skiing , fly fishing and gardening . He chooses to live and work in West Virginia , where his mother was born and raised , even though many of his relatives have moved out of state .
“ Sometimes you have to act against the flow and do what you think is right ,” he says . “ I love West Virginia , its people and the opportunities it has provided me .” •
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