Regional Focus
COMPILED BY SAMANTHA CART
West Virginia Awarded Nearly $4.2 Million Grant
from Arnold Ventures to Boost Student Success
The Community and Technical College System of West
Virginia (CTCSWV) has been awarded a nearly $4.2 million
grant from Arnold Ventures to pilot a program at West Virginia
University (WVU) Parkersburg and Blue Ridge Community and
Technical College that supports students as they work toward
their credentials.
Modeled after the highly successful Accelerated Study in
Associate Programs at City University of New York (CUNY),
West Virginia’s program will provide academic, personal
and financial supports to help students complete degrees in
high-demand fields such as advanced manufacturing, infor-
mation technology, welding and health care. If effective, the
CTCSWV will work to scale the program to all two-year
institutions across the state.
“West Virginia’s system of community and technical colleges
has become a national leader in implementing meaningful
changes that have resulted in more of our students completing
college,” says CTCSWV Chancellor Sarah Armstrong Tucker.
“But to reach our goal outlined in West Virginia’s Climb initia-
tive—to arm 60 percent of our workforce with a postsecondary
credential by 2030—now is the time to double down on student
success. This pilot project, which we hope to ultimately expand
statewide, is one of the most important ways we can get there.”
United Bank Names Bontempo Director of Digital Strategy
United Bank, a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc., the
largest publicly traded company headquartered in West Virginia,
has appointed Thomas Bontempo to the role of senior vice
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
Blackwater River.
Photo by WV Department of Commerce.
president and director of dig-
ital strategy. In this newly
developed role, Bontempo
will be responsible for creat-
ing United Bank’s consumer
and business digital strategy,
developing a customer centric
digital experience.
With more than 15 years of
digital expertise, Bontempo
is a leader in the financial
Thomas Bontempo.
services digital industry. He
has successfully implemented
digital-first strategies at several of America’s leading institutions,
such as Bank of America and First Niagara Bank, and guided
KPMG’s clients through digital transformations.
“Thomas’ industry expertise and commitment to incorpo-
rating digital services will be a tremendous asset as United
continues to support the financial goals of businesses and
individuals throughout our footprint,” says United Bank Chief
Consumer Banking Officer Chad Mildren.
Tyler County Development Authority
Receives Grant to Expand Broadband
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect
50/50 grant and loan to the Tyler County Development
Authority (TCDA) was announced by Chad Rupe, USDA rural
utilities administrator, in late 2019. The $3.5 million grant
will make reliable broadband internet service available to up
to 1,366 Tyler County homes, businesses and farms with the