Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey addresses the media during a news conference Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, where he announced several officials slated to take positions in his gubernatorial administration. (West Virginia Prosperity Group livestream photo)
With less than two weeks until his inauguration day, Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey on Thursday announced the names of officials who will help lead his administration.
Morrisey in total announced 15 people that will fill executive staff roles and cabinet positions. They include longtime Republican operatives, individuals who worked with him in the state’s attorney general office and current and former state lawmakers, among others.
Morrisey said his picks — several of which will need to be confirmed by the state Senate as they are cabinet positions — represent where he wants to see changes most in the state’s leadership. A full list of these officials can be found at the bottom of this story
“I’m just thrilled that these folks have agreed to be such an important part of the team going forward, because they know there are great challenges ahead for West Virginia,” Morrisey said of his picks. “Certainly there’s been progress in some areas in recent years, but we know that there are a lot of big things ahead of us.”
Among the governor-elect’s top concerns is “right-sizing” the state government, he said, which will be done through performing audits to see where certain systems and services can be performed more efficiently.
“I think you’re going to see that there’s going to be an emphasis on efficiency, on accountability, on growth, by fixing the underlying challenges facing the state — and there are significant ones,” Morrisey said.
A majority of the incoming administration will be people already in the state, but at least three positions are going to be filled by those new to West Virginia.
“Look, I mean, I’m going to take talent wherever it comes,” Morrisey said. “I want to send a message across the country. If you’re the best at your position, you have a place in West Virginia.”
Notable among those new to the Mountain State is Alex Mayer, who Morrisey named to take over as the Secretary of Human Services, a position currently held by Cynthia Persily.
Mayer will come to West Virginia from South Dakota. According to a bio provided via news release, Mayer has over a decade of experience holding multiple leadership positions with agencies related to health and human services. A veteran, he most recently served as the head of Children and Family Services at the South Dakota Department of Social Services.
Morrisey said he knows that DoHS is a difficult agency to manage and while he thanked the service of those who have worked there under Gov. Jim Justice’s administration, he said a change was needed.
“I wanted to send a message that we have someone who’s been very successful in this area, who knows foster care issues, who knows the importance of treating families with great respect, and knows these programs,” Morrisey said.
DoHS has faced scrutiny this year for how it handled a high-profile child death in Boone County and for its lack of response to questions about children’s issues, including the decision to close a long-standing children’s home in Elkins. Lawmakers have been frustrated about the agency’s murky spending on child care subsidies and services for people with disabilities.
Lawmakers last year created DoHS after deciding to break up the massive West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Morrisey’s leadership for the Department of Health Facilities and the Department of Health — also created in the DHHR split — hasn’t yet been announced.
Morrisey also said that Sen. Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, will be leaving the Senate to serve as the new revenue secretary. His departure from the Legislature means that an appointment will be expected in coming weeks to fill the now vacant seat.
Morrisey’s inauguration will be held on Jan. 13. For a complete list of the day’s events or to buy tickets, visit http://wvwins.com.
Morrisey said more announcements will be made in coming weeks regarding other positions and news on his transition.
Here is a complete list of those Morrisey named to his administration on Thursday:
The executive team:
Chief of staff — Tom McCaffery, who served as assistant secretary for Health Affairs and the principal deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Defense under former President Donald Trump.
Senior advisor — Douglas P. Buffington II, who served as chief deputy attorney general under Attorney General Morrisey, where he assisted with the oversight and management of attorneys and the office.
Deputy chief of staff and chair of Energy, Infrastructure, and Competitiveness Council — A. Todd Johnston, who most recently worked as vice president and managing director of ConservAmerica, a rightwing environmental and energy nonprofit.
General counsel — Sean M. Whelan, who served as a deputy attorney general and the division director for the West Virginia attorney general’s tax and revenue division under Morrisey.
Director of policy — Curtis R. A. Capehart, who served as deputy attorney general in the attorney general’s main office division under Morrisey.
Director of operations — Marissa Findlay, a “lifelong Republican operative” who serves as the president of the West Virginia Federation of Republican Women.
Director of intergovernmental and political affairs — John L. Findlay, who served as the convention delegate selection director for Trump’s 2024 campaign and who was previously the executive director of both the Republican Party of Virginia and the West Virginia Republican Party.
Director of budget — Mike McKown, who worked as West Virginia’s director of the state budget office from 2006-2018.
Press secretary — Crescent Gallagher, who is returning to state government after working as the deputy state director for Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia, which heavily supported Morrisey’s election campaign. Gallagher previously worked in the Department of Agriculture, filling numerous roles.
Deputy general counsel — Katie Franklin, who has served as an assistant attorney general under Morrisey since 2021.
Cabinet positions:
Secretary of Revenue — Sen. Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, who was elected to the state senate in 2020 after serving five terms in the House.
Secretary of Administration — Eric Householder, who served in the House of Delegates from 2010 to 2024, when he did not seek reelection and instead ran a failed campaign for state auditor. Householder chaired the House Finance Committee for three years and served as House majority leader during his final term.
Secretary of Human Services — Alex Mayer, who comes to the state from South Dakota, where he worked as the head of Children and Family Services at the state’s Department of Social Services, overseeing the divisions of child support, child protection, and economic assistance.
Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection — Harold Ward, who held this position under Justice and who will keep it through the transition.
Commissioner of Bureau of Senior Services — Dianna Graves, a former Republican member of the House who lost her reelection in 2022. Graves most recently served as the executive director of the Bob Burdette Center, where she led an education non-profit in Charleston that provided free afterschool education programs.
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