1975
1978 Graduated with
distinction from
Stanford University
1980
1982 Graduated from
Harvard Law School
1983 Joined Bowles Rice LLP
1985
1990
1990-1993 Served as
chief of staff to Governor
Gaston Caperton
1995
2000
1999 Named a Young Gun
by West Virginia Executive
magazine
2005
2008 Elected managing
partner of Bowles Rice
2010
2010 Received the James
R. Thomas Outstanding
Volunteer Award from the
Charleston Area Alliance
2015
2015 Awarded an honorary
doctor of law degree by the
University of Charleston
“The chance to help people and
work on real-world problems was
compelling and energizing and
remains so for me to this very day.
I have the good fortune to truly
love what I do, the people I get to
work with and the place I live.”
first year in law school, I clerked at a law
firm in San Francisco for the summer,”
he says. “It was then that I became excited about practicing law and knew that
was what I wanted to do. The chance
to help people and work on real-world
problems was compelling and energizing
and remains so for me to this very day. I
have the good fortune to truly love what
I do, the people I get to work with and
the place I live.”
Heywood has had many mentors
throughout his career who have attributed to his growth and success. “All of
these mentors were incredibly generous
in creating opportunity for me and many
others,” he says. This is why Heywood
believes it is important to give his time
to provide counsel to others. “Over the
years, I have certainly tried to serve as a
mentor to others in ways both formal and
informal,” he says. “Being a mentor keeps
me on my toes and helps with my continued professional and personal growth.”
He believes community service is a
responsibility for all professionals, and
he invests countless hours trying to improve the quality of life in the city, state
and region. He also believes being raised
in West Virginia fuels his desire to help
others. “To me, one of the benefits of
growing up in Charleston is seeing the example of literally hundreds of community
volunteers who have always given generously of their time, talent and treasure to
the community.”
Heywood is active in more than 20 civic
and charitable organizations and plays a
leadership role on a number of boards,
including trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, immediate past
president of the Discover the Real West
Virginia Foundation and chairman of the
West Virginia Roundtable, Imagine West
Virginia, Kanawha Valley Council on Philanthropy, West Virginia Financial Education Foundation and the Library Foundation of Kanawha County, Inc. He also
sits on the executive committees of Vison
Shared, Inc.; Thomas Health System and
WVU Medicine and serves as secretary of
Reconnecting McDowell.
His efforts to make a difference have
not gone unnoticed. He is the recipient of
numerous accolades, including the James
R. Thomas Outstanding Volunteer Award,
the Alliance for Children Award, the Sam
Walton Community Leader Award, the
West Virginia Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award and the National Association of Social Workers’ Public
Citizen of the Year Award.
With his career and volunteer efforts,
Heywood is a busy professional, and what
keeps him motivated is his sense of possibility. “We are blessed to live in a truly
remarkable time, in the greatest country
in the world,” he says. “I want to do my
part to help West Virginia realize the incredibly bright future that lies ahead. I
love it here, and I enjoy the chance to be
actively involved in shaping West Virginia’s future.”
www.wvexecutive.com
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