Governor Patrick Morrisey announces staff changes and new appointments

Governor Patrick Morrisey announced multiple leadership appointments across key state agencies, including new roles in homeland security, corrections, the parkway and health care authorities, and the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission.

News Release
June 13, 2025

Governor Patrick Morrisey recently announced the following appointments.

Department of Homeland Security

Douglas P. Buffington II – Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Effective immediately, Buffington will become Acting Secretary of the agency. He currently has responsibility for Department of Homeland Security issues in his role as Senior Advisor to Governor Morrisey. Buffington will serve in both roles during the interim. Previously, Buffington served as Chief Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Morrisey.
James Canaday – Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
Canaday has nearly 25 years of experience in law enforcement, currently serving as the State Law Enforcement Liaison for the West Virginian Governor’s Highway Safety Program. Previously, he served in a number of positions at the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, including Sheriff and Chief Deputy.
Robert Workman – Director of the Fusion Center
Workman is a retired West Virginia State Trooper with nearly 28 years experience. He is currently the Chief Investigator for the West Virginia State Police assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
David Kelly – Commissioner, WV Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Kelly is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing the 6th District. He spent 20 years in law enforcement and served on the Tyler County Commission before running for the legislature.

West Virginia Parkway Authority

The West Virginia Parkways Authority is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the West Virginia Turnpike, including toll collection, construction and repairs.

Dwayne “Chuck” Smith – Executive Director
Smith became the Director of Facilities Planning for Kanawha County Schools in February of 2022 after serving as the Executive Director of Facilities Planning since 2018. He was previously the President of Quatro, Inc., and has extensive experience overseeing large-scale construction projects and managing outside vendors and consultants.

Health Care Authority

The West Virginia Health Care Authority regulates the need for capital expenditures of covered services for health facilities through the certificate of need (CON) program, along with collecting, analyzing, and disseminating health care financial and clinical data to assess utilization, access, costs, and quality.

Heather Glasko-Tully
Glasko-Tulli is a Family Nurse Practitioner with West Virginia FQHC experience. She spent Thirteen years as an ICU nurse at a West Virginia Hospital and was the former Vice Chair of the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on Health & Human Resources.
Doug McKinney
McKinney is a retired physician who served for ten years as Chief of Urology at Clarksburg, WV, VAMC and spent four years on the Health Policy Committee of the American urological Association. He is the former President of the West Virginia State Medical Association and WVU Medical School Alumni Association.
Robert Cheren
Cheren is Senior Counsel at Empower Oversight and formerly served as the Special Assistant to the West Virginia Attorney General.

Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission

The Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission consists of four attorneys and four non-attorneys and functions to assist the Governor in filling judicial vacancies.

Governor Morrisey has appointed three attorneys to the Commission from a slate of candidates submitted to him by the West Virginia State Bar:

Michael P. Donnelly, Charles Town, Jefferson County, for the term ending June 30, 2031. Donnelly is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Club for Growth and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Regent University.
D. Luke Furbee, Middlebourne, Tyler County, for the term ending June 30, 2031. Furbee is the Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney and a past member of the Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar.
Marc E. Williams, Huntington, Cabell County, for the term ending June 30, 2031. Williams is the managing partner of the West Virginia office of Nelson Mullins, handling complex cases nationally in an array of litigation areas. He has had first-chair responsibility for more than 100 jury trials and appeals in his career.

The Governor has appointed three public members to the commission:

Jeff Lyon, Pipestem, Summers County, for the term ending June 30, 2031. Lyon is a native and longtime resident of Summers County. He worked in the construction and appliance repairs business, including owning a major appliance repair business for 21 years. Lyon also served as the chairman of the Republican Executive Committee from 2016-2023.
Jason Huffman, Charleston, Kanawha County, for the term ending June 30, 2031. He serves as the Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia state director. Previously, Huffman was Operations Director for the West Virginia Republican Party and a policy analyst for the West Virginia State Senate.
Gwyneth M. Capehart, Winfield, Putnam County, for the term ending June 30, 2031. Capehart is an 8th-generation West Virginian and a native of Winfield. She is a senior honor student at Marshall University with plans to obtain a doctorate in occupational therapy.