黑料吃瓜网

Apply Visit
Main Menu

Future Students 

Current Students 

Alumni & Friends 

Faculty & Staff 

Visitors 

Board of Governors

In This Section 

Board of Governors Members

James Cherry, Ph.D.
Title Chair, Board of Governors
Dr. James M. Cherry 鈥�96 received his doctorate in Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Science from The Catholic University of America in 2008 and his Master of Science in Biotechnology from The Johns Hopkins University in 2000. In his dissertation research, Dr. Cherry studied molecular changes in ovarian tumor progression, and identified several biomarkers that proved to be useful in early diagnosis of this disease that often eludes detection until it has reached a very advanced stage.

He joined QIAGEN Inc. in 2008 as a research fellow in their Gene Expression Laboratory, where he studied the role of miRNAs in various disease states and identified novel miRNA targets in phosphodiesters in cancer stem cells. Following his fellowship, he was promoted to a research scientist in QIAGEN鈥檚 research and development laboratory, where he proceeded to work on QIAGEN鈥檚 SYBR-Green chemistry platform, miScript, for miRNA detection, low and high-throughput miRNA molecular profiling platform. In addition, he developed the automated applications for Q-PCR gene expression miRNA/mRNA molecular profiling kit and marketed it to the biomedical research community. This new product generated $5.8M net sales in year one for QIAGEN Inc. in 2010.

He was then recruited back to the NIH/NCI in 2010 to become a Scientific Program Director/Assistant Project Officer of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), and the Contracting Officer鈥檚 Representative, COR III, for the Operational Technical Support Contract for the National Cancer Institute鈥檚 (NCI) Division of Intramural Research. The ATP/CRTP is currently a $17M program that provides state-of-the-art technologies to the NCI鈥檚 principal investigators, postdoctoral and clinical fellows at NIH/NCI and other federally funded research institutes. In 2011, Dr. Cherry co-developed a $4M technology development arm for the ATP/CRTP. This program was established to promote a collaborative environment with the NCI intramural community to develop innovative technologies in all areas of biomedical research including genomics, proteomics, imaging (subcellular, cellular, and whole animal), nanotechnology, genetically engineered animals, veterinary histology/pathology and bioinformatics. In 2013, his responsibilities pivoted from the ATP/CRTP to the Laboratory of Animal Science Program (LASP). During his government oversight of the LASP, he has successfully implemented the NCI鈥檚 Gnotobiotic operations, Genomic Modification Core and the HIV reservoir laboratory and continued the development of the LASP technology development effort.

In 2019, Dr. Cherry took on a leadership role and collaboratively worked with NIH senior leadership to launch SeroNet and the Clinical Translational Serology Task Force at the Federally Funded Research and Development Center, FFRDC, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There they advanced the understanding of all aspects of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and increased national capacity for serological testing in collaboration with the FDA, NIH-Clinical Center, BARDA, and CDC.

In 2021 Dr. Cherry served as the co-principal investigator for the HHS鈥檚 American Rescue Plan Act to support two separate initiatives, 1) COVID-19 vaccine booster trail for immunocompromised patient and 2) the establishment of a trans-governmental collaborative network to address critical gaps in serology development, validation, and standardization through the implementation of high-quality testing assays for public health response to SARS-CoV-2 infections. Both proposals were accepted and ~$90M dollars was awarded to establish these efforts through the FFRDC that can meet the needs of public health. Dr. Cherry also served as the scientific advisor for all high school, undergraduate, graduate and capstone students at the NCI at Frederick campus/FFRDC. In 2021, Dr. Cherry was selected to be chief of NIAID鈥檚 Research Technologies Branch. There he established an interdisciplinary resource that provided investigators access to leading-edge technologies and specialized expertise that are fully integrated to study complex biological questions. The first initiative launched in year one was the Integrated Data Sciences Section, IDSS. This section focuses on providing scientific consultation, training on computational and data scientific support up through manuscript preparation.

In 2022, Dr. Cherry was named chief for the Center for Human Immunology, Autoimmunity and Inflammation, where he worked in full collaboration with the newly established scientific advisory board to increase the visibility and approve 16 projects during FY’22 and 22 projects in FY’23. During FY’23, Dr. Cherry was able to launch the Metabolomics/Lipodomics Discovery Center in Rocky Mountain Laboratories under the RTB. In less than a year, the laboratory completed 40-plus projects for intramural investigators, with 30-plus in the queue for consultation.

Dr. Cherry has been appointed to several scientific advisory boards representing NIAID for various universities in the state of Maryland and West Virginia, and currently serves on the 黑料吃瓜网University Board of Governors as its Chair. Dr. Cherry is an associate professor at Hood College and an adjunct professor at Mount St. Mary鈥檚 University, where he teaches Biomedical Ethics, Introduction to Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, Protein Biochemistry and Advanced Technologies Genomics and Proteomics applications.

Austin J. Slater, Jr.
Title Vice-Chair, Board of Governors
Austin J. Slater, Jr. 鈥�76 has over 40 years of experience as an executive in the energy industry, retiring in March 2020 following 18 years as President and CEO of the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative. He formerly served as VP for Education and Training at National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in Arlington, Virginia, and as General Manager of Tideland EMC in eastern North Carolina. Slater has served as a Board Member and Chairman of the Board of ACES Power Marketing and was a founding Member and Secretary of the National Renewables Cooperative Organization.

Slater is presently Board Vice Chairman and Lead Independent Director of a publicly traded $6-billion community bank that operates in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia; Board Member and President for the 黑料吃瓜网University Foundation; an instructor in NRECA鈥檚 Director Education curriculum; and an active member of the Shepherdstown Rotary Club.

Slater has served as both Director and Chairman of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board, and the College of Southern Maryland Boards. He also served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Board (Baltimore Branch) and as director and Vice Chairman on the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center board. Slater was recognized by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce as a 鈥楤usiness Hall of Fame鈥� recipient in 2013, and as the 2014 鈥楥EO of the Year鈥� by the College of Southern Maryland Leading Edge Awards.

Slater graduated from 黑料吃瓜网College in 1976, earning a BS in business and economics. He graduated from George Washington University in 1994 with an MBA in finance. He and his wife Carmen reside in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

David Avella
Title Member, Board of Governors
David Avella 鈥�92, a native of Martinsburg, is the CEO and chair of GOPAC, an Arlington, Virginia-based national organization formed in 1979 to develop and cultivate rising young leaders in the Republican Party to run for state and local offices. GOPAC鈥檚 programs include Conservative Congress Project, Emerging Leaders, and national and state leadership program.

Avella is a frequent guest on national television and radio, appearing on Fox News, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, PBS, and HBO鈥檚 Real Time with Bill Maher, and he delivered an address at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Avella earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 1992. He and his wife, Claire, live in the Washington, D.C., metro area with their two daughters.

Gat Caperton
Title Member, Board of Governors
Gat Caperton is the founder and CEO of Gat Creek, a domestic manufacturer of solid-wood furniture that employees over 160 artisans in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. He holds a master鈥檚 degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Davidson College.

Caperton was a member of Shepherd鈥檚 Board of Governors from 2006 to 2014 and served as board chair from 2011 to 2014. He also served as a member of the 2015 Presidential Search Committee.

Henry Kayes, Jr.
Title Member, Board of Governors
Henry Kayes is currently chief operating officer and regional president for United Bank Incorporated and is responsible for the bank鈥檚 entire West Virginia market. United is West Virginia鈥檚 largest publicly traded company and trades as [Nasdaq: UBSI]. Kayes joined United in 2012 at the time of the Centra Bank/United Bank merger. He was a founder of Centra Bank Berkeley County in 2001 and served as its president from 2001-2012.

Prior to that he served as senior vice president and market president of BB&T Bank for the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia.

Kayes is a lifelong career banker, starting in the training program of First Union National Bank of North Carolina in 1986. He is a graduate of Elon University (1990).

Kayes is a native of Huntington, West Virginia. He and his wife Amy have two daughters, Meredith and Caroline. His wife and both daughters are graduates of 黑料吃瓜网University.

His community leadership activities include: current board member for WVU Medicine-University Healthcare and Farmer and Mechanics Insurance Companies; past chairman and board member, Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce; former board member, Eastern Panhandle United Way and the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation.

Jonathan (Jay) Mason
Title Member, Board of Governors
Jay Mason 鈥�08 is employed with Montgomery County Public Schools as a 5th-grade teacher. Mr. Mason graduated from Governor Thomas Johnson High School in 1991 and completed his undergraduate studies at 黑料吃瓜网University in 2008, where he was also a 3-year starter as a quarterback and captain of the football team from 1992-1994. In 2011, he completed his graduate work at Frostburg University with an M.A.T. in Elementary Education. Jay is a 3rd-year doctoral student at Hood College working on a Doctorate of Organizational Leadership.

Jay was elected to the Frederick County Board of Education in November 2018 for a four-year term: December 2018-2022. The Board elected Mr. Mason as its President for the 2020-2021 term, and he previously served as the Board Vice President for the 2019-2020 term. He served two terms as the President of the Board for Habitat for Humanity in the fiscal years of July 2019 鈥� June 2020 and July 2020 鈥� June 2021. Currently, he is an associate broker at Frederick Land & Home and has been a licensed Realtor since 2004. He graduated from the Maryland Association of Realtors Leadership Academy in the spring of 2016.

Mr. Mason spent numerous years coaching football at Frederick and Montgomery County high schools and Frederick youth organizations. He has assisted Heartly House in their fundraising efforts for several years in the annual Walk a Mile in Their Shoes and Affair of the Heart events.

His wife, Beth, a longtime Frederick resident, and he are the proud parents of three children, one a college graduate and two attending Frederick County schools.

Susan Mentzer-Blair
Title Secretary, Board of Governors
Susan Mentzer-Blair 鈥�72 earned a teaching degree from 黑料吃瓜网University and a school counseling degree from Marshall University. She taught in Kanawha County, West Virginia, and continued her career in education as a school counselor in Jefferson County. She completed her 42 years in education in Frederick County, Maryland, where she earned her National Board Certification and earned certification as a Licensed Public Counselor. She was honored by her colleagues as Maryland High School Counselor of the Year in 2000.

Sue retired in 2014 and retains strong opinions on the college selection process. She now spends her time serving on the Development Committee of Frederick Health Hospital, as a committee member of the Brunswick Main Street and a volunteer with the Brunswick Heritage Museum.

Mentzer-Blair is a member of the Board of the 黑料吃瓜网University Foundation (emeritus), an active member of WISH (Women Investing in Shepherd) and both the Alumni and Gridiron Associations. She was honored to be named 黑料吃瓜网University 2020 Alumna of the Year.

Guillermina (Mina) Garcia Moore
Title Member, Board of Governors
Guillermina (Mina) Garcia Moore brings over fifteen years of experience working in public affairs and advising top leaders in the public and private sectors on issue management and stakeholder engagement. Throughout her career, Moore has built policy expertise in a wide range of international and domestic issues across various sectors including education and workforce development, energy, entertainment, international affairs, philanthropy, sports, technology, and telecommunications.

Moore spent seven years working in various roles in the U.S. House of Representatives, including two years serving as senior policy advisor to the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. Most recently, she served as managing director at FGS Global in Washington, D.C. where she was promoted several times for successfully advising and helping clients navigate complex situations to further their interests and achieve their goals.

From 2021 to 2023, Moore served as an advisory council member for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C., an organization dedicated to developing the next generation of Latino leaders through various educational experiences and professional opportunities.

She currently serves on the St. Joseph Advisory Board providing support for the school administration鈥檚 mandate to create St. Joseph Catholic High School, which is scheduled to open its doors in 2025.

Moore earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Arts in development studies with a focus on Latin America from the University of California at Berkeley. She received a Master of Arts in strategic security studies with a focus on international security from the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

Moore has a passion for student life and student support services, having worked as a resident assistant (RA) at Berkeley and the University of California (UC) Washington Center, supporting UC students during their semesters in Washington, D.C.

Moore is a native Spanish speaker. She lives in Harpers Ferry with her family and can be found exploring the Wild and Wonderful West Virginia on weekends.

Karl Wolf
Title Member, Board of Governors
Karl Wolf 鈥�70 graduated from 黑料吃瓜网College with a bachelor of science in accounting, with additional fields in marketing and economics. Wolf earned his M.B.A. from George Washington University in International Business two years later. He then began coursework in higher education administration at WVU with fields in guidance/counseling and health care administration. He is a certified health care administrator.

Upon graduation from Shepherd, he was named Director of Admissions and served in that role for thirty-four years taking Shepherd鈥檚 enrollment from 1,800 students to 4,800 students. In 2004 he became Director of Athletics where he oversaw the addition of women鈥檚 lacrosse and renovations to the Butcher Center arena, the installation of field turf in Ram Stadium, the new fan seating and press boxes for baseball and softball, and the construction of the West Campus tennis courts. In 2011, he was named Assistant to the VPAA for Compliance and Athletic Initiatives. He retired in 2015, but has continued to teach one course each semester for the Recreation and Sports Department. He has served on numerous committees at Shepherd. 黑料吃瓜网honored Wolf as its 2003 Outstanding Alumnus and with the 2019 President鈥檚 Award.

From 2013 to 2024, Wolf served on the 黑料吃瓜网University Foundation Board of Directors, where he held roles as Secretary of the Executive Board and Chair of the Nominating Committee.

He has been a member of the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admissions Counseling and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling since 1970, serving as a NACAC national delegate and committee member. And, he has served on many PCACAC committees and served as President of the association in its three-year cycle. PCACAC honored him with the Richard Apperson Award, its highest award for service to students and the profession.

Though now an inactive member, he is a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Shepherdstown and served the community service organization as president for three terms.

On campus, Wolf has advised several campus organizations and has been the advisor for Shepherd鈥檚 Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity since 1976. He has facilitated and presented at numerous regional and national conferences. The International Fraternity honored him with its Order of Merit, the highest award for service at the campus/chapter level, making him a permanent voting delegate at national conventions.

Tyler Furbee
Title Student Representative, Board of Governors
Tyler Furbee is a junior and serves as the president of the Student Government Association for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. He is pursuing a major in business administration with a concentration in management and a minor in recreation and sports studies. An Eagle Scout and native of Morgantown, WV, Tyler is excited to take on the role of being a member of the Board of Governors to make sure that the student voice is heard. Improving the lives and involvement of students is a top priority that he hopes to strengthen during his time as president.

Tyler was previously the Vice President and Parliamentarian of the Student Government Association. He is a member of Delta Sigma Pi and the Order of Omega. He was a part of the 2024 August A-team and attended the LEADs Program in August 2023.

Heidi M. Hanrahan, Ph.D.
Title Faculty Representative, Board of Governors
Heidi M. Hanrahan is a Professor of English at 黑料吃瓜网University. She earned her BA in English and History from Roanoke College. She earned her MA in English and her PhD in American Literature, both from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been at 黑料吃瓜网since 2007, teaching literature, literary theory, composition, and gender and women鈥檚 studies. Her research interests include nineteenth-century American and British literature, composition, and pedagogy. Her essays have appeared in journals including The New England Quarterly, Poe Studies, Feminist Teacher, and Studies in American Humor. Her book, American Women Writers of the 19th Century, was published by McFarland Press in 2024. She serves as a Contributing Editor for Studies in American Humor and the Associate Editor for McFarland Press鈥檚 鈥淐ompanions to 19th Century Literature鈥� Series. At Shepherd, she has served on multiple committees, was President of the Faculty Senate, served for twelve years on the 黑料吃瓜网University Board of Directors, and is a member of W.I.S.H. She is the recipient of Shepherd鈥檚 Outstanding Service Award, Outstanding Advisor Award, and the Storer College Award. In 2018, she was named West Virginia Professor of the Year by the Faculty Merit Foundation.

Danielle Stephenson
Title Classified Staff Representative, Board of Governors
Danielle Stephenson is a native West Virginian and a first-generation college student. A two-time alumna of 黑料吃瓜网University, Danielle earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 2020 and her Master of Arts in College Student Development and Administration in 2022. Her experiences as a first-generation student inspired her passion for supporting students through leadership roles during her undergraduate years. Danielle currently serves as a Success Coach at 黑料吃瓜网University, where she oversees the 黑料吃瓜网Success Academy鈥攁n invitation-based cohort program for incoming students who need additional academic support. She also coordinates Shepherd’s Peer Success Leader program, a peer-mentoring initiative that guides students navigating the college experience. Danielle is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Leadership and Administration through Slippery Rock University. She hopes to work in higher education policy in West Virginia to advocate for underserved student populations.