Stephen was born in 1959 in Ripley, West Virginia, where he lived for the first year of his life. His family relocated to Parkersburg, where he attended Lincoln Elementary School, VanDevender Junior High School, and Parkersburg High School. After college, Stephen lived in various cities across the state before returning to Parkersburg to live and work. He has enjoyed a successful career in accounting and finance while finding time to serve his local community. Stephen chose Parkersburg as the place for him and his wife of 26 years, Paige, to raise their only daughter, Abby.
About Stephen
Stephen's Career
Stephen graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor's degree in Finance in 1980. He entered his chosen field of Commercial Banking. In 1982, he was elected by the Board of Directors of the Adrian-Buckhannon Bank (a bank with 90 million dollars in assets at the time, located in Buckhannon, WV) as Vice-President and Cashier (Cashier being the term used in banking at the time for the Chief Operating Officer). He was only 23 years old.
The bank was in trouble, and he had been recruited by the President of the bank, whom he had worked with previously. Together, they were able to reorganize the bank, stemming the extensive losses from poor practices and management, stabilizing the bank's operations and saving it from being closed and taken over by state and federal regulators. They then arranged to sell the bank to First Community Bankshares, another banking company. Had the regulators taken over, the shareholders of the bank would have lost all their investment. The sale not only protected the shareholders, but also the depositors as well.
In subsequent years, he served as a financial Controller and/or Chief Financial Officer for several firms in the areas of Banking, Manufacturing, Logistics, and Publishing. He was involved in the successful sale of two of the companies he worked for, which provided strong financial returns for the entrepreneurs who had founded them and allowed the firms to grow, creating future employment for a large number of individuals.
Later in his career, Stephen obtained a Master's of Business Administration from West Virginia University and a Master's of Accountancy from Stetson University. Stephen taught accounting and business at West Virginia University at Parkersburg for eleven years before retiring to help his daughter prepare for college and to care for his elderly mother.
Trusted Community Leader
Boy Scouts of America
Stephen was a proud member of Troop 5 of Parkersburg as a boy. As a Scout, Stephen served a term as Senior Patrol Leader and earned the Eagle Scout rank award in 1977 (an accomplishment completed by only 1% of boys who had been in Scouting at that time). Stephen's love of Scouts extending into adulthood, and he has served as an Assistant Scoutmaster, Assistant Cubmaster, and Cubmaster of troops and packs in Parkersburg.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Parkersburg
Stephen served as a “Big Brother” with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Parkersburg, a group that aims to create lasting one-to-one mentoring relationships that support personal growth, education, and confidence. Stephen served as a member of the Board of Directors for five years, and as a “Big” to a “Little.” Stephen's "Little" was 12 when they first met, and he continued to mentor him until his high school graduation. Today, his “Little” is a successful professional with a family of his own.
Religious Service
Stephen is a Christian who grew up in the United Methodist Church. He served as the Treasurer of the First United Methodist Church of Parkersburg for four years. In living the Methodist doctrine of belief through service, Stephen served on the Board of the Parkersburg Urban Ministries, a faith-based organization that provides food assistance, prescription medicine assistance, utility and rent assistance, and other needs to individuals and families in need in the community. Stephen served on the board for seven years, with three years as acting President of the Board.
Blennerhassett Island State Park
In retirement, Stephen has found a new passion, working at Blennerhassett Island State Park, located just off Parkersburg in the Ohio River. Stephen works as both a paid employee and a volunteer on the island, doing everything from leading tours of the mansion to hauling the anchor on the boat. He takes pride in learning the history of the Blennerhassetts, their impact on the surrounding community, and teaching others.