The following individuals were recently named as the 2020-2021 officers of the WVU Potomac State College Alumni Board:
Gary Parish – President
Gary Parish, a native and current resident of Keyser, W.Va., is a 1978 graduate of Potomac State College with an associate of art degree in secondary education. He also earned a B.S.Ed. in secondary education (social studies emphasis) and an M.Ed. (administration and supervision) from Frostburg State University.
Parish is retired from the West Virginia Division of Corrections as a Probation & Parole Officer II having 25 years of service. He was also the Northeast Regional Director for several years and was responsible for supervision in seven counties and six other probation/parole officers in this position.
Parish has been a member of the Keyser Volunteer Fire Department for 43 years where he has served in a variety of administrative and fine-line offices. He was also a past member of the Keyser Jaycees and the Keyser Kiwanis Club.
He and his wife, Cathy, have a son and a daughter and one grandson.
Pamela Wilkinson – Vice President
Wilkinson is a 1979 graduate of WVU Potomac State College who majored in agriculture. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural education and Master of Science in safety at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Wilkinson had approximately 30 years’ experience in workplace and system safety design engineering, including designing safety into military vehicles, satellite systems, and undersea warfare-control systems before retiring in 2018.
She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed professional articles and a regular speaker and trainer at conferences and training sessions.
She spends her retirement consulting on system safety projects she finds challenging and traveling with her husband, John. Pam is also an accomplished jewelry artist, producing beautiful pieces of jewelry from repurposed and recycled materials.
Drew Brubaker – Secretary
Brubaker attended WVU Potomac State College from fall 2007 through to spring 2011. He graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in business management. During his time at the College, he served as the president of the Student Government Association from 2008 to 2011.
A native of Canaan Valley, W.Va., Brubaker currently resides in Keyser, W.Va., and has served as the Mineral County Commission County Coordinator since January 2017. Additionally, he’s a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church and has served on the Alumni Board since 2016.
John Wilkinson – Treasurer
Wilkinson is a 1978 graduate of WVU Potomac State College with an associate degree in forestry. He continued his education in the College of Agriculture and Forestry at WVU and received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1982 and his master’s in education in 1986.
Wilkinson entered federal service in the fall of 1982 and worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. He served as a director and program manager in the Office of Information and Technology, Technology Training and Support Program Branch providing training and support to more than 60,000 personnel world-wide. He was certified as a Level III., acquisition professional, program manager, for acquisition activities with annual costs greater than $100M and life-cycle costs greater than $200M and managed an annual budget in the $10M to $25M range. John retired in January 2014.
Since retirement, Wilkinson enjoys volunteering as a board member with the WVU Potomac State College Alumni Association and with The Thomas Jefferson Foundation Archaeology Lab.