WVFF Announces Regional Expert Panel Members

WEST VIRGINIA (June 24, 2025) – The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) is proud to announce the appointment of its inaugural Regional Expert Panel members. These individuals will play a critical role in guiding the Foundation’s mission to prevent substance use disorder, support recovery, and save lives across West Virginia.

Developed in accordance with the Foundation’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Expert Panel Policy establishes a structure for seven-member Regional Expert Panels across each of WVFF’s six regions. These Regional Panels are composed of experts representing the following key Areas of Expertise:

1. Prevention
2. Treatment (including mental health and pharmacology)
3. Recovery / Lived Experience
4. Systems of Care, Health Policy, and Management (including finance)
5. Law Enforcement and Judicial Systems
6. First Responders
7. Corrections and Reentry

Regional Expert Panel members were nominated by Board Members serving each region and approved by the full Board of Directors. These panels will serve as vital local advisors, coordinating data collection, reviewing grant proposals, and offering region-specific recommendations to ensure community voices shape funding decisions. 

One of the first tasks of the Regional Expert Panels will be to nominate subject matter experts to serve on the State Expert Panel for each Area of Expertise. The State Panel will review regional findings, ensure alignment with the MOU, and provide strategic recommendations to the Board to inform statewide funding priorities.

“This is an important milestone in our mission to empower communities and deliver on the promise of the opioid settlement,” said Matthew Harvey, Chairman of the WVFF Board of Directors. “We are incredibly grateful to these appointed experts for stepping forward to serve. Their wisdom and lived experience will help shape the path ahead.”

A full list of appointed panel members can be found in the table below.

• Region 1 – Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel Counties
• Region 2 – Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Berkeley, Jefferson, Pendleton and Morgan Counties
• Region 3 – Wood, Tyler, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Calhoun, Roane and Jackson Counties
• Region 4 – Monongalia, Braxton, Lewis, Harrison, Marion, Preston, Taylor, Tucker, Barbour, Randolph, Gilmer, Doddridge and Upshur Counties
• Region 5 – Cabell, Clay, Boone, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, Mason, Mingo and Wayne Counties
• Region 6 – Fayette, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Mercer, Wyoming and McDowell Counties

For more information about the Foundation, visit wvfirst.org. For details on the Expert Panel Policy, view Article C(9) of the Memorandum of Understanding.