New West Virginia State president is North Carolina provost

INSTITUTE, W.Va. (AP) — The West Virginia State University Board of Governors announced on Thursday it has chosen Nicole Pride to become the 12th president of the University.

Pride is the vice provost for academic strategy and operations at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, according to a news release on the appointment. She has also served as a member of the chancellor’s executive cabinet, the university’s chief of staff and its chief communications officer.

Prior to joining North Carolina A&T State University, Pride served as vice president for development and communications for Child Care Services Association in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She also worked as at IBM as a manager and in public affairs for nearly a decade.

Speaking of the new appointment, Pride said in a news release, “The opportunities for the University in the years ahead to continue to meet the economic development and prosperity needs of the state and region are immense and I am honored to be selected to lead this growth.”

Pride earned a bachelor’s degrees in business management and economics from North Carolina State University, a master’s in corporate and public communications from Seton Hall University, and a doctorate in leadership studies from North Carolina A&T State University.

She replaces Anthony Jenkins, who left to become President of Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Charles Byers has served as interim president of the University since May 16.

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.