Submitted photo Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner has been hired as the new executive director of the Upshur County Development Authority.

BUCKHANNON — The current mayor of Buckhannon has been named the new executive director of the Upshur County Development Authority.

UCDA president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital Skip Gjolberg announced that Mayor Robbie Skinner, who has been Buckhannon’s mayor since 2020, had been hired to the executive director position.

“I am thrilled to be in this role. It’s been my dream career for many years,” Skinner said.

“I want to extend sincere gratitude to the Board of Directors for believing in me, and entrusting me with the leadership of our Upshur County Development Authority.

“I love our community, and I will work every day to make sure we are on the map as a destination for important economic opportunities,” Skinner said.

Skinner was hired following the recent resignation of Jennifer Bostian, who replaced former UCDA director Rob Hinton, who left the position in 2021.

“We are very fortunate to have Robbie take over as the Executive Director of the UCDA,” Gjolberg said.

“Robbie Skinner is a great choice. He’s the full package: he’s local, he’s engaged in his community, he’s a West Virginia Wesleyan College graduate, and he’s mayor of his hometown.

“If anybody wants Buckhannon and Upshur County to be a success, it’s Robbie Skinner,” Gjolberg said.

Skinner, a native of Upshur County, serves on several boards throughout the city, county and state.

He is on the board of directors of the West Virginia Municipal League, the Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival Association.

He is also a charter member of Create Buckhannon, an organization focused on the growth and preservation of Buckhannon’s historic downtown.

Skinner received his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. He is also a landscape photographer, having visited all 55 counties in the state. He has driven thousands of miles in the state and has hiked through every state park.

Skinner previously was a local insurance agent, and also served as the director of business development for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.