CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – The torch is being passed to Jina Belcher, Executive Director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, and 50 other women across the Mountain State, as they are being recognized as the 2021 Wonder Women of West Virginia by West Virginia Living Magazine.
More than a title, it’s a recognization honoring these women for making the state a better place to live.
“It’s a great group of women, some that I’ve worked with and some I’m just meeting today, and I’m just really excited to be a part of this group,” Belcher says.
From business owners to organization leaders, motivational speakers, and university presidents, the magazine is recognizing the class of women for showing just how much success they can bring to the state through their dedication and hard work, along with proving how far a woman can come without letting limitations define her.
“For so long we’ve worked behind the scenes and didn’t have the recognition, and we were often doing the work, but doing it quietly,” says Nikki Bowmanmills of West Virginia Living Magazine.
This is the 8th Annual West Virginia Wonder Women Celebratory Luncheon. Held at the Holiday Inn and Suites in South Charleston, the luncheon not only included all of the women being recognized for their hard work throughout the state and taking on the prestigious new title, but Belcher also being the keynote speaker for the event.
“Today when I give my keynote speech, you’re going to hear a lot about how we bring women together to get the hard work done, and so we will continue to do that, all of us here in this room today have really lived up to that challenge already,” says Belcher.
Belcher’s mother, Linda McKinney of Welch, was a West Virginia Wonder Woman back in 2015, and was also attending the luncheon, alongside her daughter. They are the first mother-daughter duo to receive the award.
