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Ginny Favede previously served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Valley Construction Employers Council, a tri-state contractor’s association, as well as the Co-Chairwoman of Project Best, a construction industry labor-management organization encompassing over five hundred contractors and six thousand building trades craftsman and apprentices serving the Upper Ohio Valley region including Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. In 2019, Favede was appointed by Archbishop Lori to Chairman of the Wheeling University Board of Trustees, by Governor Jim Justice to the West Virginia Design-Build Board, and is a member of the Executive Board of Directors for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Favede is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned a BA in Political Science. Prior to her tenure with the Contractors Association, she served as a Belmont County Commissioner for eight years and five years as a City of St. Clairsville Councilwoman, achieving a demonstrated record of growth, innovation, and leadership. Under Ginny’s guidance, Belmont County, along with Marshall and Ohio Counties of WV, was noted as the nation’s fifth-fastest growing economy by the U.S Department of Commerce. Favede served as an advocate at the state level serving as the 2nd Vice President of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio Executive Board of Directors and on the national level as the Vice-Chair of the Community, Economic and Workforce Development Committee of the National Association of Counties (NACo). Favede also served as the vice-chair of the CCAO Taxation & Finance Committee, co-chair of the CCAO Deferred Compensation Committee, and Chairperson of the Belmont Records Commission, Jefferson Belmont Solid Waste Authority, and the Belmont County Land Reutilization Corporation.

She is a 2010 graduate of The National Association of Counties Leadership Institute and a graduate of the Ohio Municipal League Municipal Training Academy. Ginny is one of the leading champions for women in leadership in the Ohio Valley, serving as a member of the OUE Women in Leadership Board. Ginny is known for her advocacy efforts on behalf of children, seniors, and veterans. She was recognized for her commitment to those serving in the military with the “Patriot Award” and the “Freedom Award” from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for her work on behalf of military service employees. Favede also received the Ohio Public Images Merit Award for her advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities and contributions supporting the Belmont County Board of Developmental Disabilities. In 2011, Favede collaborated with BCJ&FS and the Board of BCBDD to establish the Belmont County Harmony House, a children’s advocacy center, to improve the community’s response to child abuse. Ginny received an Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office Award in recognition for her work on the historic Belmont County Sheriff’s Residence. The Wheeling News-Register named Ginny one of the “40 Under 40 Most Influential People.”

Favede has always been a committed and involved member of her local community as a leader of St. Mary’s Church, where she served as a parish council member, Eucharistic minister, and a Parish School of Religion teacher. She is a member of the Ohio University Community Foundation Board, past president and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Wheeling, the past president and member of the Ohio State University Alumni Club of Belmont County, and the past president and member of the St. Clairsville Downtown Revitalization Task Force. Favede and her husband, Dr. Lee Favede, reside in Wheeling with their two children, Cecelia, a fourth-year medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and Frankie, a junior at Otterbein University.

Prior to applying for the presidency, Favede and her husband, Lee already had a special familiarity with Wheeling. “As the parents of a Cardinal (son Frank a former student Cardinal baseball player), both Lee and I believe in Wheeling University’s, its mission, and the large impact the Wheeling University experience has on students,” said Favede.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the thirteenth President of Wheeling University and to continue the positive momentum and collaborative process that our administrators, faculty, and staff have fostered throughout the Wheeling community. I am grateful for Bishop Mark Brennan’s confidence and the support of the Board of Trustees. I look forward to working closely with our faculty and staff, as we lead Wheeling University into a bold new era of academic, athletic, and administrative excellence.”

Favede is also looking forward to working with Wheeling University faculty and staff to underscore the importance of the liberal arts as the foundation of Wheeling’s academic programs and explore opportunities to expand graduate and undergraduate opportunities at the University.

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