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Kerry Manier Gnik
Executive Director , Camp Dawson Event Center
LORI KERSEY
Photo by Cathy Williams / Studio C Photography .
EVEN BEFORE SHE CHOSE A CAREER PATH , Kerry Gnik knew she wanted to be part of a team .
“ That common thread ran throughout my ‘ what do I want to be when I grow up ’ dreams ,” says Gnik , executive director of the Camp Dawson Event Center ( CDEC ). “ I loved playing sports and being in the school band . Anything that involved comradery and working together drew me in .”
In search of that comradery , Gnik joined the Army in 1989 and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell ,
KY . She completed active duty in 1993 , after a deployment to Saudi Arabia in Operation Desert Storm , and moved home to Kingwood , WV , to work as the director of Main Street Kingwood .
Her work there put her in touch with the commander at Camp Dawson , ultimately leading to her role at the West Virginia National Guard facility . She joined the Guard in 2000 and went back to school full time at Fairmont State University . After 9 / 11 , she went to work full time for Camp Dawson Operations , helping fill a gap created by soldiers being deployed .
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE