Officers

Chris Greaver, President

Chris-Pic_small Chris continues to serve as Vice President of the West Virginia State Society. Chris grew up in Shinnston, West Virginia in Harrison County. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from West Virginia University in December 2000. Chris moved to the Washington area in 2002. He worked for AFLAC until 2004 when he became a financial analyst for the U.S. Navy. Today he is a senior financial analyst in the Navy Office of Budget. Chris is also a member of the WVU National Capital Alumni Chapter’s Board of Directors and serves as secretary. He spends a lot of his free time traveling back to West Virginia to experience the outdoors and root for the Mountaineers. He looks forward to helping the Society become the finest representation of the state to the people of the nation’s capital. He is the nephew of past President Gary Crayton.

Shane Barker, Congressional Liaison

sbarker_small Shane was born in South Williamson, KY, on October 16, 1979.  He was raised in the southern coalfields of West Virginia, and has always had a deep concern for the mining community and the economic vitality of West Virginia.  Shane earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Marshall University in 2002 and 2008. After working for the Higher Education Policy Commission and the Senate Education Committee in the West Virginia Legislature during the 2004 regular session, he worked in the Washington, DC office of Congressman Nick J. Rahall, II before accepting a position with the late Senator Robert C. Byrd.  Shane currently serves as the Senior Legislative Associate for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where he advocates for better educational and health benefits for veterans and retirees and educates Congressional staff and others on the barriers to employment facing veterans and members of the Guard and Reserve. Shane enjoys returning to the hills of southern West Virginia to hike the Shenandoah Valley and raft the Gauley but also loves spending time in the city he how calls home. Shane considers it a great honor to serve as an Officer on the WVSS board and to have the opportunity to serve West Virginia while living in Washington, DC

Linsey Godbey, Delegate to National Convention of State Societies

Linsey_small Linsey Godbey is a Deputy Press Secretary for Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. Before joining Senator Rockefeller’s office in January 2010, Linsey worked as a Senior Account Executive at public relations agency, GolinHarris. Linsey received her Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with minors in English and Spanish from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.  She remains involved with WVU by participating in events with the National Capitol Area Chapter and returning to Morgantown as often as possible to cheer on the Mountaineer football and basketball teams. Linsey is a member of PRSA and also had the honor of being named West Virginia’s 2007 Cherry Blossom Princess by the National Conference of State Societies.

Eric Wilfong, Webmaster

Kent Keyser, Parliamentarian

Michael Bowman, Echo Chairman

Theresa Phipps, Past President

Theresa-Phipps-2_small Mrs. Theresa Phipps has many reasons for her loyalty to West Virginia. Her family is originally from Wheeling, and she received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Wheeling Jesuit University. In 2000, Theresa had the honor of serving as the Cherry Blossom Princess for the State of West Virginia. She also worked in Charleston, West Virginia at Ernst and Young, as a Senior Auditor in the banking and health care industry. In 2004, Theresa moved from West Virginia to the D.C. area, and from that time she has been an active member in the West Virginia State Society. Theresa currently works for U.S. Government Accountability Office as a Senior Financial Auditor in Washington D.C. Theresa lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Peter and her two children.