West Virginia Hive, WV Community Development Hub and WVU Tech Collaborate and Engage Leaders in Board Positions

Beckley, W.Va. (April 11, 2023) – The West Virginia Hive recently added Katie Loudin of the West Virginia Community Development Hub and Jen Wood of West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) to its board of directors. The WV Community Development Hub concurrently added Judy Moore, executive director of the WV Hive and deputy director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, to its governing body.

Moore said the three non-profits regularly partner on collaborative projects. “Katie Loudin and Jen Wood are outstanding additions to our engaged WV Hive board of directors,” said Moore. “Their wealth of experience is a valuable asset to our board and they both offer insightful guidance and meaningful oversight on Hive program development, project planning, human resources and financial accountability.”

Loudin is Director of Strategic Development at the West Virginia Community Development Hub, where she has served on the Executive Leadership Team since May 2021. Prior to joining The Hub, Loudin’s professional experience included developing young leaders and growing nonprofit organizations. She was Director of Community Engagement at West Virginia Wesleyan College from 2010 through 2020, when she joined the One Foundation as the West Virginia Program Director and eventually, its Executive Director. She became familiar with the WV Hive’s work while in that role and became committed to supporting the mission of the organization.

A graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College with a B.A. in Sociology and Applied Music, Loudin taught English on a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Thailand after graduating from Wesleyan. She then earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University in Nonprofit Management and Policy Analysis before returning to her “home among the hills” as a young professional.

Loudin lives in Buckhannon with her husband, Adam, and their two sons. She is an active community member, serving in Create Buckhannon and on the board of the Buckhannon Community Theatre. Loudin served on the Upshur County school board from 2017 until 2022 and was just re-appointed to the board of the Upshur County Public Library.

Jen Wood is Executive Director of University Relations at WVU Tech. An integrated marketing communications professional with two decades of experience promoting the work and successes of nonprofits and higher education institutions, she has extensive experience in event management, public relations, comprehensive marketing strategies and community engagement.

After working in community relations, educational access and higher education for a decade, Wood returned to her alma mater in 2013 to oversee a federal grant-funded student support services program that provides educational and financial support to students who are first-generation, low-income or have accessibility needs.

In 2014, she became the Director of University Relations at WVU Tech and was promoted in 2022 to Executive Director of University Relations. This role enables her to follow her passion for helping students achieve their educational goals while sharing the stories of the students, faculty and staff at her alma mater.

Wood has served on numerous boards in the region, including The Charleston Ballet and the March of Dimes of West Virginia. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Beckley Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce and Active Southern West Virginia.

In 2016, Wood was featured in The State Journal’s Generation Next: 40 under 40 and was selected as a Wonder Woman by WV Focus Magazine in 2015. An alumna of Leadership WV, Wood earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from WVU Tech and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University. She previously taught courses in integrated marketing communications, public relations and event management for the WVU Reed College of Media.

Moore joins the board of the WV Community Development Hub, which was founded in 2009 by a small group of passionate, committed community development leaders who saw an opportunity to establish a new, innovative approach to catalyze community growth and transformational change in rural areas of West Virginia. Their goal was to create an organization that would serve as a technical assistance provider, a coach for communities, and a team to connect the network of resources available across the state to serve West Virginia communities.

“I have worked with The Hub on a number of collaborative projects – including the newly awarded Appalachian Climate Technologies (ACT) NOW Coalition grant for the Community and Business Resilience Initiative (CBRI) and have always been amazed by their impact across the state,” said Moore. “I really enjoy the synergies the NRGRDA programs have with The Hub, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to their great work as a board member.”

Moore wears many hats at NRGRDA – deputy director of the umbrella organization; executive director of the West Virginia Hive; and president of the Country Roads Angel Network.

Moore has been the executive director of the West Virginia Hive since November 2017 where she has built the program to serve a consistent business portfolio of more than 100 incubation and acceleration clients. She led the creation of the Country Roads Angel Network in 2019, becoming its managing director and then president. CRAN is the state’s only accredited angel investment network and has thus far made direct investments totaling more than $1,089,250 to five new Mountain State businesses, with an additional nearly $8 million in leveraged funds.

As the Hive director, Moore focuses on establishing partnerships and alliances that provide increased access to resources for businesses and entrepreneurs. She works with her team of business advisors, support network, and funders to bring about more effective and efficient means through which regional entrepreneurs can operate successful establishments.

Prior to her present position, Moore served as a WV Hive business advisor, offering one-on-one advising to local start-ups, business owners, and future entrepreneurs to provide them with a personal connection and guide to the business world. Before joining the WV Hive, she was employed as an Assistant Director at West Virginia University’s National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) where her primary roles included providing leadership in areas of creative direction, media relations, and management of the communications, marketing, and education and outreach efforts of the organization.

Moore earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from American Intercontinental University and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University.