The WVU Alumni Association recently elected its executive officers and two new board members during its annual business meeting held in May.

The diverse backgrounds and expertise of our Board of Directors will help us continue to enhance the programs and services we provide to our graduates,said Stephen L. Douglas, president and CEO , WVU Alumni Association.We have established some significant goals for the Association moving forward, and, under the Boards leadership and guidance, we feel confident we will be able to succeed in our mission of keeping our alumni connected to their alma mater.

Charles D. Brown (80) of Lake Oswego, Ore., is serving as chair for 2008-09. Brown, a member of the Board of Directors since 2006, is senior director of corporate responsibility compliance for Nike. Serving as vice chair is Mike Petruski (74) of Charlotte, N.C. Petruski is director,collateral evaluation unit manager, for Wachovia. Jack Rossi (70) is serving his second term as treasurer. Rossi is presiding member of Arnett&Foster, PLLC in Charleston, W.Va. Nancy DiPaolo (�€~76) of Spring, Texas, is beginning her second term as secretary. DiPaolo is the financial officer of JNDI Corporation and is actively involved with the Lone Star Chapter in Houston, as well as the Mountaineer Parents Club.

The Board elected two new members: Ray A. Byrd of Wheeling, W.Va., and Dr. Darin Gilpin of Martinsburg, W.Va.

Mr. Byrd received his bachelors degree and Juris Doctorate from West Virginia University in 1966 and 1970, respectively. He is a member in the law firm Schrader Byrd&Companion, PLLC in Wheeling, and has been associated with the firm in commercial, tax and estate planning practice for more than 38 years.

TEXT -ALIGN: justify; mso-pagination: none”>Byrd is a member of the West Virginia State Bar, American Bar Association, West Virginia Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Ohio County Bar, where he served as president from 1983-1984. He is a member of the Board of Directors of WesBanco, Inc., WesBanco Bank, Inc., The Regent Investment Co., PinnOak Resources, LLC , Tri-State Machine, Inc., and the Community Foundation of the Upper Ohio Valley, Inc. He is a former deacon and a current session member of Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Sharon, reside in Wheeling and are the parents of two daughters.

Dr. Darin L. Gilpin graduated from WVU with a bachelors degree in 1990, and The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine D.V.M. in 1994.He is vice president of Shenandoah Veterinary Hospital and serves as an alternate delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates. Dr. Gilpin is a past board member and currently serves as president of the West Virginia Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Gilpin is active in the community, serving as a member and past president of Sunrise Rotary Club. He served on the board of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Eastern Panhandle Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club.

A proud member of the WVU Alumni Association, Dr. Gilpin served as president of the WVU Eastern Panhandle Alumni Chapter and is a member of the Eastern Panhandle Mountaineer Fan Club and Mountaineer Athletic Clubs 1100 Club. Dr. Gilpin and his wife, Wendy, who also attended WVU , reside in Martinsburg, with their two daughters, Anna and Julia.

Michael Ellington (85,91), of Grafton, W.Va., and Phillip D. Gaujot (68,71), of Morgantown, W.Va., were re-elected to three-year terms to the Board. Mr. Ellington is fulfilling a second, three-year term as on-campus representative, and Mr. Gaujot is serving a full, three-year term.

Members of the 2008-09 WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors also includes: Samuel J. Cann Sr. (75,76) of Bridgeport, W.Va.; C. Michael Fulton (79) of Washington, DC; Jonathon R. Hickey (77) of Wilmington, DE; David L. Hill (�€~74) of Madison, W.Va.; Heather Heiskell Jones (84) of Charleston, W.Va.; William F. Kennedy (�€~64) of Bay Head, NJ; Dr. Sheila S. Price (86,89,96) of Morgantown; Dr. Joy Faini Saab (�€~78,82,87) of Morgantown; Douglas J. Skaff (00,01)of Charleston; and Douglas R. Van Scoy (�€~66,68), past chair, of Charleston, SC. For more information about the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors, visithttp://alumni.wvu.edu/about/board/.

The WVU Alumni Association, chartered in 1873, represents more than 170,000 University graduates residing in every county in West Virginia, every state in the union and approximately 60 foreign nations. With nearly 100 registered chapters and constituent groups, the Associations 28,000 dues-paying members support Homecoming Weekend, the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni, the Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund and dozens of other social and philanthropic programs. For more information about the WVU Alumni Association, visit .