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1979 Graduated from Virginia Tech and moved to West Virginia
1981 Became assistant manager of Blossom Dairy in Charleston
1984 Became executive director of Charleston Renaissance Corporation
1986 Daughter, Rachel, was born
1989 Became state director of West Virginia Main Street Program; Promoted to director of local development initiatives for Governor’ s Office of Community & Economic Development
1992 Established Terrell Ellis & Associates, Inc.
1996 Daughter, Taylor, was born
1997 Twin daughters, Hannah and Kayse, were born
2002 Received certification as an economic development finance professional
2016 Began consultative work with Advantage Valley
2023 Became full-time president and CEO of Advantage Valley
“ The state is small and closeknit and it’ s easy to get involved, and if making a difference is important to you, there is ample opportunity to do so.”
big things, that private sector leadership is critical to the success of any community’ s real progress toward revitalization, that collaboration among organizations will yield quicker results than the go-italone strategy and the importance of pushing the envelope to effectuate real change,” Ellis says.
These roles, along with her experience as state Main Street coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Economic Development and owner of her own economic and community development consulting firm, Terrell Ellis & Associates, equipped her with the skills to take on her current role at Advantage Valley. Here, she leads efforts to promote investment and growth in the Charleston and Huntington Metro Areas.
“ We are one regional economy and need to market ourselves as such,” Ellis says.“ Our competition is not with each other, but rather we are competing within a global economy, and our vision is to position the region to aggressively compete at that level.”
Ellis oversees the team that manages marketing and business attraction, business retention and entrepreneurial development programs and site development efforts. The team has also recently started taking on the rising challenges in housing, child care, transportation and workforce development.
Pointing out the importance of partnerships, Ellis says she also spends a lot of time building and maintaining those partnerships, designing collaborations and securing resources.
“ Our work is done in partnership with county economic development authorities, educational institutions, local governments and the private sector,” she says.“ Because of these partnerships, we have leveraged millions of federal and philanthropic dollars into the region to build our capacity and offer the most competitive business climate in the state.”
Ellis also devotes much of her time to initiatives that have a positive impact on the community and protect scenic and historical resources. She currently volunteers with various organizations, including the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta, Elk River Trail Foundation, Goodwill Industries of the Summit, Kanawha Huntington Area Development Council and West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation. She also contributes annually to several local organizations.
Ellis names James R. Thomas, the first chairman of the Charleston Renaissance board, and a national consultant she had the chance to work with as important mentors to her. She also impacts others through her own mentorship. Her guidance extends to young people in her profession, aspiring entrepreneurs and her own staff who she empowers to be the best program leaders possible.
Though proud of her career accomplishments, Ellis says her four daughters, who are all successful in their own right, give her the most pride.
Ellis hopes to give back as much as possible and has an ultimate goal of leaving her chosen community better than she found it.
“ The state is small and close-knit and it’ s easy to get involved, and if making a difference is important to you, there is ample opportunity to do so,” she says. •
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