Combined with her strong work ethic of integrity and excellence, she is committed to the success of individuals and businesses. Carol holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor’s in Business Education. She served as the Executive Director of the Region 9 Planning and Development Counsel from 2006-2013. She is currently employed as a full-time professor in the College of Business at Shepherd University and a part-time business coach for the WV Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in the Eastern Panhandle.

As an almost lifelong resident of Berkeley County, Donna Van Metre was raised in a family where service to the community was a foundational value. Donna currently serves as the CTE (Career and Technical Education) Learning and Development Coordinator for the state of West Virginia. She provides training and mentoring to new CTE teachers and administrators in CTE educational certification and endorsement. Before this position, she was the Director at James Rumsey Technical Institute for eleven years, where she had the pleasure of working with a dedicated staff and diligent students. She previously worked at Hedgesville High school, as a French teacher for six years and as an administrator for eight years where she worked with attendance, discipline and curriculum. As a lifelong member of this community, she serves as a board member for the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle, The Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, Region 9, Healthy Berkeley, and Family Resource Network of the Eastern Panhandle; and is now very honored to be selected to serve on the Berkeley County Development Authority board. She and her husband Hal enjoy being with each other, their three children and their two grandchildren.

Assistant Entrepreneurship Instructor at the Company Lab located at James Rumsey Technical Institute. As an entrepreneur and educator, Doc’s greatest passion is to help others realize their goals. He has worked with numerous startups as well as established companies, offering guidance on growth, planning, and scaling. He especially enjoys helping solo entrepreneurs. Doc has worked with companies ranging from ESPN to VaynerMedia, and he operated his own agency, Brand Factory, for over a decade. As part of the Company Lab, Doc is excited to assist any who are on their journey as an entrepreneur.

a native of West Virginia, is the Region Manager for the West Virginia Department of Economic Development for the Eastern Panhandle and the Potomac Highlands regions. Jim's role is to help existing West Virginia based businesses grow and prosper by deploying the various resources that West Virginia offers to its business partners, while also working to recruit international companies to invest in plant and equipment in our state. Jim received his undergraduate business degree from Xavier University and his MBA from WVU. Prior to Mr. Linsenmeyer's tenure at the Department of Economic Development, he spent 40 years operating and owning beer and wine wholesalers in West Virginia. Jim has been involved in a number of startups, mergers and acquisitions of various small businesses throughout his career in the private sector. Upon retirement, Mr. Linsenmeyer spent several years providing pro bono consulting services to business colleges, incubators, and accelerators in the Baltimore area as a guest lecturer and entrepreneur-in-residence.

Born and raised in Berkeley County. Graduate of Shepherd University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a second Bachelor’s in Economics. Currently a mortgage lender with United Bank and going on 9 years with the company. As one of the most recent winners of Build Up Berkeley, I am the co-owner of Cloud Nine Events, a venue and event management company. In addition, I also serve on the board for the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle and the board of Main Street Martinsburg.