Charleston, W.Va. – Today, Governor Patrick Morrisey announced he has appointed Bray Cary, Oliver Luck, and Jim Martin to the West Virginia University (WVU) Board of Governors. He also appointed Michael Kessinger to the Parole Board, Drema Hill to the Healthcare Authority, Kishore Challa to the Board of Medicine, and hired Jack Fencl as a Policy Consultant in the Governor’s office.
West Virginia University Board of Governors:
Bray Cary is a current member of the WVU Board of Governors and has been reappointed by Governor Morrisey. Cary is an experienced media executive developing and leading the Sun Belt Conference Television Network. After founding Creative Sports and selling the company to ESPN, he was responsible for creating championship week for ESPN and producing events for the NFL, NBA teams, boxing, and NASCAR.
In 1998, as Vice President of Broadcasting and Technology of NASCAR, he consolidated all television rights to NASCAR races under a $2.4 billion contract. Cary went on to establish West Virginia Media Holdings LLC in Charleston, which includes NBC and CBS affiliates as well as The State Journal. He has two degrees from West Virginia University: a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public administration.
Oliver Luck has years of sports management experience serving in executive roles and founding sports business advisory firms. Luck is a former standout quarterback for WVU and the Houston Oilers who went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He transitioned into sports management, eventually becoming Vice President of Business Development for the NFL. In 2001, Luck became the CEO of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, overseeing the development of major sports venues in Houston including the Astros, Rockets, and Texans. He went on to serve as the General Manager of the Houston Dynamo, leading the team to back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007.
Luck returned to West Virginia to serve as WVU’s Athletic Director from 2010-2014. In December of 2014, he accepted a newly-created position as Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the NCAA, managing eligibility, enforcement, and academic oversight. In 2018, Luck was appointed as the first Commissioner and CEO of the XFL. He is the co-founder of sports business consulting firm Ten Mile Consulting, LLC, and the Chairman of Altius Sports Partners, a college sports advisory firm.
Jim Martin is the President and CEO of Citynet, one of West Virginia’s leading telecommunications and broadband infrastructure companies. A lifelong West Virginian and entrepreneur, Mr. Martin launched his first company, MARCOM, while still a computer science student at West Virginia University. Martin has long been a leading advocate for broadband expansion across West Virginia. He served as a board member of the West Virginia Broadband Deployment Council and continues to work alongside state and local governments, nonprofit coalitions, and industry partners to bring fiber to unserved and underserved areas.
Martin has served on numerous other boards including the West Virginia State Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce.
West Virginia Parole Board:
Michael Kessinger has served as the Mayor of Mount Hope since 2015. He has owned and operated several successful businesses in the energy sector and most recently in the hospitality industry. He was born and raised in West Virginia and has dedicated his life to giving back to The Mountain State by raising his family, creating jobs, and serving as Mayor of his hometown.
West Virginia Healthcare Authority:
Drema Hill serves as Vice President for Community Engagement and Chief Operations Officer at the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Science in Public Service Management and a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Services with a specialization in Health Care Administration. Dr. Hill has 40+ years of experience in public health in various leadership positions.
Dr. Hill served in the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health for more than 20 years in several Office Director positions, including Director of the Office of Rural Health (ORH) and Associate Director of the Office of Community Health Systems (OCHS). Dr. Hill then moved to Nashville, Tennessee and served as the Director of the Infectious Diseases Section of the Tennessee Department of Health and later became the Chief Executive Officer of the Nashville Health Management Foundation and Comprehensive Care Center, one of the largest HIV/AIDS clinic systems in the country.
Upon her return to WV in 2010, she became the Director of the WV Office of Emergency Medical Services and completed her career in state government as Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, a six-county regional health system. She accepted her current position at WVSOM in 2016.
West Virginia Board of Medicine:
Kishore K. Challa, M.D., is a cardiologist in South Charleston, WV. He previously served on the Board of Medicine for eleven years including as the Board’s President and the chair of several committees. He received his medical degree from Osmania Medical College Osmania University in Hyderabad, India and has been in practice in West Virginia for over 35 years. He specializes in adult congenital heart disease and cardiac electrophysiology and is experienced in valvular heart disease, is a partner at South Charleston Cardiology Associations, PLLC, and the Chief of Cardiology at Thomas Health/WVU Medicine.
Governor’s Office:
Jack Fencl comes to the Governor’s Office after working for several years with Washington, D.C.-based Herald Group. At the Herald Group Jack served as an account manager and helped design and implement integrated advocacy and public affairs campaigns for companies, trade associations, and nonprofits across several industries. Prior to his work with the Herald Group, Jack was a Federal Affairs Associate at Americans for Tax Reform.
Jack is a native of Wheeling and received his BA from Washington and Lee University.