About
The West Virginia Department of Commerce’s mission is to promote and preserve the well-being of the citizens of West Virginia by providing a cooperative, interagency system that stimulates diverse economic growth, encourages the appropriate use of our state’s abundant natural resources, improves the safety and productivity of our workforce and promotes the beauty and desirability of our state as a world-class tourism destination.
The Department of Commerce currently includes the following agencies:
Leadership
Matt Herridge
Secretary of Commerce
Matt Herridge
Nicholas S. Preservati
Deputy Secretary of Commerce
Nicholas S. Preservati
Garner Marks
General Counsel
Garner Marks
Emily Rector
Deputy General Counsel
Emily Rector
Jeremy Jones
Director, Division of Forestry
Jeremy Jones
Jessica Moore
Director, Geological and Economic Survey
Jessica Moore
Mitchell Woodrum
Commissioner, Division of Labor
Mitchell Woodrum
Mitchell Woodrum was born in Madison, West Virginia.
Commissioner Woodrum earned his Certificate of Achievement in Carpentry at the Boone Technical and Career Center. He worked several years in the construction industry from building homes in Teays Valley and other parts of West Virginia to building commercial buildings in the Washington D.C. area.
Commissioner Woodrum strives to work with Labor and Industry to make the climate in West Virginia better for all employees and businesses. With almost thirty years of experience in the industry, he was appointed Commissioner by Governor Justice in November 2017.
Woodrum is the Chair of the West Virginia Board of Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety as well as an Ex Officio Member of the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board.
Woodrum and his wife Deborah live in Ashford, West Virginia. They have two children, Jacob and Miah.
Brett McMillion
Director, Division of Natural Resources
Brett McMillion
Pisnu Bua-Iam
Director, Division of Rehabilitation Services
Pisnu Bua-Iam
Pisnu Bua-Iam serves as Director of the WV Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS). Pisnu served as Acting Director from August 2021 through June 2022, when he was appointed Director. Prior to this, Pisnu served as the DRS Deputy Director, as the Senior Manager of the State Plan and Program Evaluation Unit, and as the Manager of the Program Evaluation Unit when he initially joined DRS 21 years ago. Prior to his time with DRS, he was briefly at Westat, a think tank, as a research analyst and at WVU as a research instructor. Together, Pisnu has more than 34 years of experience in the field of vocational rehabilitation. Pisnu is a nationally recognized expert on program evaluation and return-on-investment of public vocational rehabilitation programs and has authored numerous journal publications.
Scott A. Adkins
Acting Commissioner, WorkForce West Virginia
Scott A. Adkins
Andy Malinoski
Director, Marketing and Communications