Davis & Elkins College’s Chris Wood meets with community
ELKINS — Speaking with community members Thursday about his decision to join the Davis & Elkins College community, the institution’s new president described the school as unique and emphasized its importance to the state.
The D&E community and individuals from around the county were able to meet and socialize Thursday with President Chris Wood, who expressed the importance of the college to the state of West Virginia during a meet and greet event.
The president explained some of the reasons he and his family believed D&E was a good fit for them, starting with the importance of being home.
“First of all, in spite of the fact that Lisa and I had been away for 24 of the past 30 years, we are West Virginians; we were born here, we were raised here, our families have lived here for generations and many of them continue to live here,” Wood said. “As so many who have left West Virginia, there is something about it, it gets in your blood, and even when we were gone for all of those years, whenever anybody asked us where home was, we would always say West Virginia.”
Wood, a native of Huntington, graduated magna cum laude from West Virginia Wesleyan College before receiving a graduate degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University. Wood then continued his graduate study at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.
Wood has served as vice president of Wesley College in Delaware since 2009.
While at Wesley College, Wood designed and implemented the institution’s first major comprehensive capital campaign. This project and its success prepared Wood to not only oversee the entire college enterprise as president of Davis & Elkins but also oversee the completion of the $25 million McDonnell Challenge and the college’s $100 million Secure the Future Campaign.
Prior to becoming vice president of Wesley College, Wood served several United Methodist pastorates in both Illinois and Maryland.
After returning to West Virginia in 2000, Wood served for six years as executive and program director of Mission West Virginia Inc., a nationally recognized organization that initiates and oversees collaborative work between governmental agencies, community organizations, the private sector and faith-based organizations.
In addition, before serving at Wesley College, Wood worked for a period of three years as vice president of advancement at the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina.
Wood explained that in the past, as an ordained Methodist minister, his faith kept him at institutions that valued faith. He said this was something that drew him to Davis & Elkins College.
“I have never worked anywhere that was not church-related and I don’t intend to,” Wood said. “That is important to me, that’s a part of who I am, it’s the DNA that I have, and that is all through D&E, it’s the values that are instilled in this institution.”
The current president also expressed the importance of D&E being a liberal institution, as well as the value of the Highland Scholarship.
“If you’re not familiar with Highland, it was originally available to the seven surrounding counties but has now been expanded to the entire state,” Wood said. “What that has done is help to make private education affordable and more comparable with the cost of public education.
“As we now are, the majority by far, of West Virginia students at this institution, those students, when they go through the transformative educational process here, they’re going to go back and they’re going to go back as college graduates who are trained and inspired, and they’re going to go back and make a difference for themselves, their families, and for their communities,” Wood said.
He said by utilizing the Highland Scholarship, D&E students are able to expand their education as well as their ability to create a positive impact on their communities and, ultimately, the state of West Virginia.
In addition, the president extended a promise of commitment of partnership to the business community.
“I think the stronger Elkins and Randolph County are, the better for D&E, and the stronger D&E is, the better for Elkins and Randolph County,” Wood said. “We are committed to being partners with you to improve the quality of life and to continuously improve the opportunity for all of our citizens in this area.”
The president-elect and his wife, Lisa, have been married 29 years. The couple has two daughters, Lacey and Lexi.
“I do feel like I’m in wonderful company, and am certainly very appreciative of each of you and the opportunity to share with you today,” Wood said.