On Thursday, the Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce announced their annual awards during a virtual celebration and elimination raffle. Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner announced the 2022 Citizen of the Year winner as Jeff Harvey:

“Our citizen of the year has been a part of Buckhannon his entire life and professional career.

“He graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 1996, and went on to attend West Virginia University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing, followed by a Master’s in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University in Beckley. He recently completed his doctorate in Executive Leadership at from the University of Charleston.

“He has been a strong and steady pillar in our community for many years. A volunteer on the Downtown Development Council in the mid-2000’s, a long-time member of the Chamber of Commerce, a City of Buckhannon Ambassador Award recipient in 2019, and always a proud citizen, his wife once told me that if Buckhannon was ever struck with a tremendous tragedy, he would be the first person you’d see ready to pick up the pieces, and put us back together.

“Since 2006, he has owned and operated JH Consulting, LLC – based right here in Downtown Buckhannon. What started out as a one-man operation has grown into one of our region’s most respected and well-known safety and emergency management firms. Additionally, he is a part-time professor at the University of Charleston. He is one of the six Certified Emergency Managers in the state of West Virginia, and is also the Planning Director of the Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He is also the International Association of Emergency Managers representative for our area.

“In 2020, he stepped up for our community in a big way, and led the Upshur County Board of Education throughout their Covid response for two years. He also led the entire county’s Covid task force for the past two years as well. In very uncertain times, he provided invaluable resources to our educators, students, and parents – all in an effort to keep our community safe.

“In his personal life, he has been married to Lori for 20 years, and the light of their life together is their young daughter, Julia. He also loves to play bass and has been in local and regional bands in the past. He loves to cook, and loves to master the art of grilling. He is an avid reader, and will never stop learning; truly a lifelong passion for him.

“Please join me as we congratulate our 2021 Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year: Jeff Harvey.”