In
A GREAT EDITOR IN CHIEF once told
me—in December in my annual review—
that I need to do more writing. Kensie
Hamilton Fauber, whom I have worked
with for 11 years, was being a friend and
a mentor when she very frankly said, “If
you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”
I knew she was right. I had told myself
this before. After all, writing is how I
ended up on this career path in the first
place. Writing has been my passion since
elementary school. Being the managing
editor, though, there are a lot of moving
pieces that require my time and atten-
tion, and I’ll be honest: writing is not the
priority it once was.
When I attended IOGAWV’s 2018 Winter
Meeting in Charleston to learn about the
progress of the Appalachia Storage and
Trading Hub, I walked away energized
and ready to start writing again. The
hub is big news, and it’s going to mean
big things for West Virginia, even if it
doesn’t land within the state’s borders.
Anytime there’s a victory on the horizon
for West Virginia, I get excited. Perhaps
you could say West Virginia’s opportuni-
ties are my muse. Hearing success stories
—and the potential for them—gets my
creative juices flowing.
The IOGA meeting also inspired me to
find more events to attend that would pro-
vide inspiration as well as editorial ideas
for future issues. In April, I attended the
Bridges Without Borders: North Central
West Virginia Business Summit in Fair-
mont. One of the most interesting things I
experienced that day was a video about how
Pittsburgh has overcome so many chal-
lenges throughout its history to become
a thriving metropolitan area. The video
showed what can be done in any West
Virginia town—and in West Virginia as
a whole—with perseverance and passion.
8
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
Behind the Scenes
I also attended the 2018 WV Bioscience
Summit on the campus of Marshall Uni-
versity. West Virginia has highly intel-
ligent people, and the topics discussed
with regard to research and innovation
in the biomedical industry blew my mind.
For instance, Alcon Research, the global
leader in eye care, develops and manu-
factures medicines and devices for all
life stages of eye care in Huntington.
West Virginia’s greatest success sto-
ries are often also the state’s best-kept
secrets, and West Virginia Executive is
working to change this.
Another unique opportunity came
from Steve Rubin, who I met through our
Sharp Shooters program, when he invited
me to the premiere of “Outlier: The Story
of Katherine Johnson.” Johnson’s ac-
complishments as a mathematician for
NASA have become well-known thanks
to the major motion picture, “Hidden
Figures.” The documentary left me in awe
of Johnson’s intelligence and also made
me more curious about the women’s suf-
frage movement and the development of
the U.S. space program. Can you imagine
being the first person to volunteer to go
to space? To say yes, put me in that tiny
rocket and shoot me into space with the
odds stacked against my survival?
Those early astronauts put it all on the
line for America’s space program, and
I am emboldened as a West Virginian
by their commitment to chasing oppor-
tunity, much like the team at Appalachia
Development Group in their pursuit of
the Appalachia Storage and Trading Hub.
It’s hard for me to get away from my
desk, but by stepping out of my office
and attending these events, I have gained
perspective, inspiration and a wealth of
editorial ideas that will allow us to con-
tinue bragging about the intelligent and
driven people of the Mountain State. If
you have the opportunity to attend events
like this, regardless of what your career
is, take advantage of it. As West Virgin-
ians, we can all use that extra dose of
hope about our future.
Jennifer Jett Prezkop
Managing Editor
Upcoming Events
Here are some upcoming events
our staff will be attending in 2018.
Check out additional details online,
and make sure you say hello when
you see us out and about.
New Story 2018
May 31-June 1
WV State Fair Grounds, Lewisburg
The Greenbrier Classic
July 2-8
White Sulphur Springs
WVE’s Lawyers & Leaders
Awards Reception
August 16
WVU College of Law, Morgantown
WV Chamber of Commerce’s 82nd
Annual Meeting & Business Summit
August 29-31
The Greenbrier
WV Energy Expo
October 3
Morgantown
Small Communities,
Big Solutions Conference
October 22-23
South Charleston
WVE’s Young Guns Reception
November 15
Charleston