James Bailey
West Virginia Secretary of Commerce
KRISTEN UPPERCUE TRACY A . TOLER PHOTOGRAPHY
Bailey admires the newly renovated Susan Wheeler House .
James Bailey , West Virginia ’ s secretary of commerce , spent a lot of time out - side growing up , playing in the rivers and the woods of West Virginia . That love of the outdoors continues for Bailey today as he enjoys bowhunting and fishing .
“ Being in the woods on a fall morning as the sun rises is a priceless experience ,” Bailey says .
Bailey ’ s first professional job was as assistant prosecutor in Kanawha County , where he prosecuted a variety of cases from indictment to trial , including eight felony jury trials that all resulted in guilty verdicts .
Bailey now serves as secretary of commerce for the state of West Virginia where he manages seven state agencies , several boards and commissions , approximately 2,000 full-time employees and a total budget of more than $ 420 million . When appointed at age 35 , Bailey became , and remains , the youngest cabinet secretary in the state .
“ I enjoy the opportunity to make pos - itive changes throughout the state in such a diverse array of sectors ,” Bailey says . “ We have agencies involved in workforce development , labor regulations , energy production , natural resources , hospitality and more . On any
given day my schedule will include things like the recruitment of a major hydrogen producer to the state , followed by a planning session on building a new state park , followed by a budget meeting for our agency that regulates the mining industry . That level of variety keeps me excited and engaged .”
However , transitioning from being a prosecutor to working at the state Legislature was Bailey ’ s biggest challenge in his career thus far .
“ I knew nothing about state government , and I started right at the beginning of a legislative session , which is like drinking out of a firehose in the best of scenarios ,” Bailey says .
One of the biggest lessons he learned early on was that it is important to ask for help .
“ I sometimes say , ‘ If I know one thing , it ’ s that I may not know anything .’ I ’ d always rather listen to something that I already know than miss out on learning something new that ’ s critical to success ,” he says .
There have been several people Bailey has had the opportunity to work alongside that have shaped his professional career , including Governor Jim Justice .
“ I ’ ve been blessed to work with several great leaders who have shaped me professionally ,” Bailey says . “ My current boss , Governor Justice , is the epitome of a coach who has led myself and the state to unimaginable successes . I ’ ve also benefited immensely from working with Mitch Carmichael , Craig Blair and Ed Gaunch . I ’ m very fortunate for all their mentorship .”
Despite his current season of life as a father of two children under 3 , he still finds time to help with events that are near and dear to him . For instance , providing Christmas gifts to children through the Secret Santa organization , mentoring middle school boys at Guys in Ties and taking wounded veterans on hunting experiences have all been rewarding to him .
While his career has been rewarding , too , he attributes his greatest success to marrying his wife and his greatest motivators to be his sons .
“ My wife has facilitated every other success I ’ ve had since we met . I have been blessed with finding the absolute best partner ,” he says . “ We have two young boys . I ’ m motivated every day to set a good example for them and raise them to be good men .” •
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ?
video game :
NCAA Football 2014
food :
Chicken wings
book :
“ Into the Wild ”
car :
1967 Shelby Mustang GT500
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