Andrew Gunnoe
Chief Development Officer, Chief Legal Officer & Assistant Director, West Virginia International Yeager Airport
Written by Jordan Charbonneau
Photo by West Virginia International Yeager Airport.
Andrew Gunnoe, the chief development officer, chief legal officer and assistant director at West Virginia International Yeager Airport( CRW) did not follow the traditional path in law.“ My impact has been less in traditional legal industry terms and more at the intersection of law and public infrastructure, which is, I’ d argue, exactly where legal expertise can create the most tangible community benefit,” he says.
Gunnoe completed all his degrees at West Virginia University( WVU). He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Science in industrial and labor relations from the WVU John Chambers College of Business & Economics before completing his degree at the WVU College of Law.
“ I’ m a Mountaineer through and through,” he says.“ Staying in state kept me connected to the community and professional network where I have built my entire career.”
After graduating in 2011, Gunnoe joined Bailey & Wyant in Charleston as an associate, practicing civil litigation with a focus on governmental liability defense. While he learned a lot from the partners, he says the most valuable lesson was learning what type of lawyer he did not want to be.
“ After law school, I went into civil litigation and learned very quickly that while I deeply respect litigators, the courtroom wasn’ t my arena,” he says.“ I’ m a generalist and a consensus builder, and I’ ve come to embrace that.”
From there, he made the transition to local government, leaning on his roots.
“ I grew up in a household where public service was the family business,” he says.“ My dad worked his way up
from paramedic to firefighter, holding three jobs on the side along the way, to eventually become the fire chief and emergency services director for the City of Charleston. My older brother followed him into the fire service. My grandmother Louise spent more than 50 years in the court system, including over 30 years as the magistrate clerk for Putnam County, and my mom kept everything running as a business manager for Bert Wolf Auto.”
Following the family path, Gunnoe spent nearly a decade at the Kanawha County Commission working as the assistant county manager, assistant county attorney and fiduciary supervisor, where he was proud to do meaningful work that affected people’ s everyday lives. At the county commission, he helped respond to emergencies like the 2014 water crisis and 2016 floods, some of the most challenging moments in his career, and developed the county’ s $ 34 million American Rescue Plan grant program.
Gunnoe also loved working on projects like the Shawnee Sports Complex.
“ A big and bold vision for a public project translated into something that changed a community for the better,” he says.“ I watch my own kids play in tournaments there now, which never gets old.”
No matter what Gunnoe was working on, his law degree helped him accomplish his goals.
“ The most important thing a legal education gave me wasn’ t a specific area of expertise— it was optionality,” he says.“ The ability to read a complex contract, understand regulatory frameworks and think strategically across disciplines has opened doors I never would have reached otherwise.”
While he has moved on from local government, Gunnoe still loves the local community.
“ Charleston punches well above its weight culturally and professionally,” he says.“ I’ ve never felt like I was missing out on something by staying here, and there’ s something rare and valuable about being part of a community where you can actually see the work you do make a difference.”
Today, Gunnoe is making a difference at CRW, the state’ s busiest commercial service airport. As chief development
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