MORGANTOWN , W.Va.The West Virginia University Alumni Association recently elected its executive officers and three new board members during its annual business meeting held in May.
Mike Petruski, of Charlotte, N.C., is serving as chair for 2009-10. Petruski, a member of the board of directors since 2005, is director, collateral evaluation unit manager for Wachovia Capital Finance, a Wells Fargo Company. Serving as vice chair is Nancy McCormick DiPaolo of Spring, Texas. DiPaolo is the financial officer of JNDI Corporation and is actively involved with the Lone Star Chapter in Houston, as well as Mountaineer Parents Club. Jack Rossi is serving his third term as treasurer. Rossi is a presiding member of Arnett and Foster, PLLC in Charleston, W.Va. William Kennedy, of Bay Head, N.J., has assumed the role of secretary; he retired from UBS Paine Webber after more than 37 years on Wall Street.
The board also elected three new members: John T. Fahey, of Morgantown; Johnathan M. Holifield, of Cleveland, Ohio; and Holly Jesso Metz, of Rockville, Md.
The alumni associations board of directors is an impressive group of high-energy, dedicated individuals who share a common love for West Virginia University,said Stephen L. Douglas, president and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association.Our new members bring unique areas of expertise, and we look forward to welcoming them to this group.
John T. Fahey
Fahey is senior vice president of Centra Bank Inc. He received his bachelors degree in finance from the College of Business and Economics and holds graduate degrees from both WVU and Georgetown University.
Fahey has a 25-year career as a marketing professional and he has held positions in manufacturing, higher education, the computer industry and, since 1991, in banking. He is one of the founding officers of Morgantown-based Centra Bank which also has offices in Martinsburg, Fayette County, Pa., and Hagerstown, Md. In 2007-08, Centra Bank was recognized by both Entrepreneur and INC magazines as one of the top financial service companies in the country.
For more than 20 years, Fahey has been actively engaged in the life of WVU where he has served on numerous boards and committees including the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, the Universitys Homecoming Committee, the Visiting Committee for the Health Sciences School of Nursing and Mountaineer Athletic Club.
While at WVU , Fahey was active in student government, campus events and served on then President Gordon Gees Student Advisory Council where he was particularly known for his work with the West Virginia Legislature on issues that directly affected WVU .Immediately following his graduation, Fahey assumed a public affairs position with the presidents newly formed division of institutional advancement and served for two years before accepting employment in the private sector.
Johnathan M. Holifield
Holifield is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland. In this role, he leads development and implementation of an agenda to empower Clevelanders to contribute their full measure and potential to increase societal inclusion, educational competitiveness and economic prosperity.
Prior to joining Urban League, Holifield was president and CEO of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy where he led management and restoration of a historic urban parks system to advance green-based community revitalization.
Holifield holds a bachelors degree in political science from WVU . As a student, he was elected to the board of governors, won three varsity letters for football (serving as team captain), and was named a member of Mountain Honorary. Holifield holds a masters degree in educational foundations from the University of Cincinnati College of Education and a juris doctor degree from University of Cincinnati College of Law. Additionally, Holifield is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute.
He has served on several governing and advisory boards, including vice chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, VP of the Cincinnati NAACP , Cincinnati State Foundation, the Bankers Club, and the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute, to name a few. He is a member of the City of Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Workforce Investment Board, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committee, Tau Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
Holifield received WVU s 2004 Distinguished Alumnus award from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and was named amongTwenty-one to Watch in the 21st Centuryby The Cincinnati Enquirer. He also received Cincinnati Public SchoolsSetting the Standard Award, Black Data Processing Associates Presidents Award and Cincinnati Business Couriers Forty Under 40 Award.
The former WVU football player was founding executive director of CincyTechUSA and vice president of the Cincinnati USA Chamber of Commerce, where he led regional technology-based economic development projects, programs and initiatives. Under his leadership, CincyTechUSA became the leading regional advocate for technology-based economic development, collaboratively winning more than $40 million of grant funding; raising $40 million to spark creation of a $250 million regional network of early-stage capital; and establishing Cincinnatis first 21st century public high schools focused on information, design and health technologies. Additionally, Holifield was a civil litigation attorney with the Manley, Burke and Lipton firm in Cincinnati and an assistant civil prosecutor with the Hamilton County, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Office. He also was a member of the National Football Leagues Cincinnati Bengals.
Holly Jesso Metz
Metz is president of Key Staffing Solutions, Inc., a career placement firm located in Rockville, Md. She founded the firm in 1996 after eight successful years recruiting for the national search firm, Snelling Personnel.
She received a bachelors degree in business administration/marketing from WVU in 1986. She has been an active member of the National Capital Area Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association, serving in numerous leadership roles including membership chair and, most recently, president. During this time, she initiated social/networking gatherings, WVU game watches and fundraisers for the NCAC s scholarship fund and the new alumni building campaign.
Metz is a member of the Mountaineer Alliance, the chapters business networking group, and also serves as a volunteer for WVU s National Alumni Recruiting Network. She works closely with new graduates and alumni to assist them in obtaining career opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area. She also assists WVU faculty and staff in planning career fairs for students and alumni.
In 2008, Metz was honored with the WVU Alumni Associations John F. Nicholas Jr. Award for her outstanding service and contributions to the NCAC chapter.
A native of Masontown, Pa., she and her husband, Bruce, reside in Rockville.
Members of the 2009-10 WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors also include: Charles D. Brown, past chair, of Lake Oswego, Ore.; Samuel J. Cann Sr., of Bridgeport, W.Va.; Michael Ellington, of Grafton, W.Va.; Phillip D. Gaujot, of Morgantown; Jonathon R. Hickey of Wilmington, Del.; David L. Hill of Madison, W.Va.; Heather Heiskell Jones, of Charleston, W.Va.; William F. Kennedy of Bay Head, N.J.; Douglas J. Skaff, of Charleston, W.Va.
For more information about the WVU Alumni Association, visit http://www.alumni.wvu.edu .