West Virginia Wesleyan College recently welcomed six new trustees to the Board of Trustees during the Founders Day Convocation. These individuals bring years of experience across diverse fields, including education, health care and law.
Sam Fox, a 1986 graduate, earned his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1980. He is a health care lawyer at Flaherty Sensabaugh and Bonasso PLLC in Charleston, specializing in medical malpractice, defense, risk management and health care licensing. Fox has served as chair of the West Virginia State Barâs Law and Medicine Committee and teaches business law and sports law at the University of Charleston.
Stephen Ranjan, a 2001 graduate, holds a bachelorâs degree in computer science from WVWC and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. As the Global Head of Digital Health for Roche Pharma personalized healthcare, he leads the implementation of next-generation digital health concepts. Ranjan has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device and health IT industry, collaborating with technology players such as Amazon and Verily.
Danette Ifert Johnson, a 1990 graduate, is the provost of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, overseeing academic vision, faculty development, curriculum and student access to experiential learning. Johnson also serves as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. She holds a B.A. in speech communication and history from WVWC, a masterâs in educational psychology from WVU and a masterâs and doctorate in communication studies from Northwestern University.
The Rev. Debra Wallace-Padgett began her role as Bishop of the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in September, while continuing as Bishop of the Holston Conference. She graduated from Berea College, Scarritt College, Lexington Theological Seminary and Asbury Theological Seminary. Wallace-Padgett was first elected a Bishop of the UMC at the 2012 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
Dr. Jesse Oldroyd serves as chair of the faculty senate at WVWC and is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2010 and holds a Master of Science and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Idaho, specializing in applied harmonic analysis. Oldroyd has been a member of the faculty at WVWC since 2016.
Brenda Friend, a 2007 graduate, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with specializations in Multicategorical Special Education and Specific Learning Disabilities K-5, 6-A. She has taught at Buckhannon-Upshur High School and contributed to educational content for the West Virginia Department of Education. Friend has been the assistant controller at WVWC since March 2012 and is a professional income tax preparer and enrolled agent. She also serves as staff council chair.
The six new trustees join existing board members Brian Brouillette, Michael Bush, Jason Fiegel, Jamion Wolford, Bill Fahrner, David Young, Martha Ognibene, Arria Foster-Hines, Alan Letton, Rev. Dr. Ellis Conley, Justin Raber, Craig Welsh, Kevin Spear, Angel Riley, Rev. Amy Shanholtzer, Curtis Wilkerson and Sadie Nichols, who serves as president of the Student Senate.
