New President
is Ready for the Challenge
By Stephen Douglas
The West Virginia University Alumni Association is changing and evolving. Not surprising, considering the challenges and demands facing colleges and universities nationwide. Fortunately, the Association has always been able to turn to reliable leadership from our board of directors and our national president to lead the charge. This year Judge Irene Berger is at the helm directing us through interesting and, in many ways, unfamiliar territory. She is no stranger to a good challenge.
Programming, affiliated status, facilities, and attracting more diverse members are among the key issues facing the Association. They all require a great deal of time and energy on the part of our board and leadership.
This is an interesting time to be an alumni leader. As the new president of the board, Judge Berger understands this thoroughly. Her life has prepared her to meet challenges not with a faint heart but with fierce anticipation and preparation. As a child, she and two friends desegregated their elementary school in McDowell County, West Virginia. Her experience was not recorded on the pages of best-selling books, yet that experience paved the way for many others in that community. As the youngest of nine children, Judge Berger was the first in her family to attend college. She came to WVU in 1972 with plans to study mathematics and then go to law school. She did.
She was the first African American woman to be appointed to the circuit court bench in West Virginia and has served in that capacity since 1994. She now is the first African American woman to lead the WVU Alumni Association, and we are honored that she holds the University in such esteem that she accepted the nomination.
As noted, the issues Judge Berger will address during her year as president will leave a lasting mark on the Alumni Association. She is familiar with the needs of the Association and will proceed judiciously and comprehensively. The Judge has worked with other alumni leaders to access the needs for a new alumni building, and will help navigate the Association through the process. She has sat on the board for four years and understands what is needed to keep the Association viable and promises to work diligently for the good of the Association and the University.
Judge Berger succeeds Glenn Adrian, the 101st board president. His presidency marked a number of achievements. His expertise helped build a network of alumni advocates who are willing to get involved in the legislative process on behalf of the University. Adrian also provided support and knowledge needed to streamline and fully computerize the budget operations of the Alumni Association.
From nonprofit management to a successful development business, Adrian has acquired a wide spectrum of expertise and experience that he used to help make the Alumni Association a much better organization.
Judge Irene Berger and Glenn Adrian have illustrated exemplary commitments to their alma mater through service. The WVU Alumni Association is not adrift during the tough currents of this vast sea. We are navigating through the budget cuts and economic climate, through the challenges of attracting new members and keeping others engaged, and of expanding in the midst of shrinking resources. Thanks to committed leaders, the Alumni Association continues to sail.