President & CEO , WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital and Executive Vice President of Government Affairs , WVU Medicine
Karen L . Bowling
President & CEO , WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital and Executive Vice President of Government Affairs , WVU Medicine
MAGGIE HATFIELD
Karen Bowling , president and CEO of WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital and executive vice president of government affairs for WVU Medicine , always knew she wanted to help people , so health care was an obvious career path for her .
“ My entire life I knew that wherever my path leads me , I want to be able to help people ,” she says . “ My firm belief is that God puts you in the right place at the right time , so all my choices were based on that premise .”
Looking back , Bowling ’ s biggest influence in her life was her father .
“ Growing up in a small town in Southern West Virginia , my father frequently reminded me that I could do anything a boy could do . He instilled in me a determination and resilience that would not allow me to give up at anything , no matter how challenging ,” she says .
Bowling used this resilience to start her career as an emergency department registered nurse and gradually progressed to leadership roles in nursing at hospitals in rural West Virginia .
“ After receiving my bachelor ’ s degree in nursing , I began to explore school health and teaching in nursing programs .”
Eventually , she decided to pursue a master ’ s degree , which led her to her first executive role as a chief nursing officer .
Photo by Roger Shrewsbury .
“ During this time , the company I worked for enrolled me in a program to expand my knowledge in health care administration ,” she says .
Bowling ’ s interest in the clinical care of patients led her to achieve an additional credential as a nurse practitioner and spend her spare time volunteering at various free clinics .
“ Both my administrative and clinical knowledge helped create my style of leadership in all the roles I have had throughout my career .”
In addition to these roles , Bowling served as the dean of Mountain State University ’ s School of Health Sciences and the secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Resources ( DHHR ) for the state of West Virginia under Governor Earl Ray Tomblin .
“ Upon leaving the Tomblin administration , I began working at WVU Medicine in various leadership capacities . Today , I continue to merge my interests in government relations and hospital leadership through my current role ,” she says .
Bowling ’ s position is a blended job where she serves as both a president and CEO of a hospital and provides support for government affairs for the WVU Medicine system on the state and national level . Bowling feels fortunate to work with great leaders and a health
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