AEI Staff

Lourdes A. Karas
Executive Director

While AEI’s mission is to provide arts education advocacy, research and program services in West Virginia, the organization’s leaders are immersed in the fulfillment of its ambitious objectives. In fact, it is one woman’s passion.

Lourdes (Lou) A. Karas serves as the executive director of The Appalachian Education Initiative, a role that she accepted with great determination in 2005. Armed with nearly thirty years of experience in the administration, design and evaluation of arts and education programs, Lou applies unmatched professional qualifications and working knowledge to the many existing and future courses of action within AEI. The comprehensive results of Lou’s efforts are evident, given the organization’s impressive momentum since its inception. Under her leadership, AEI has become a visible organization in the region, as it recently became the West Virginia affiliate of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network. AEI receives continuous praise and support from respected businesses and individuals, accolades that can be attributed to Lou’s ongoing cultivation work.

Lou earned a bachelor of arts degree from Allegheny College and a master’s degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining AEI, Lou held several positions, including interim executive director, with the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Lou also held the position of director of education and special programs with The Kingsley Association, also located in Pittsburgh. Quite active in the community, Lou serves on several non-profit boards of directors, which include Arts Advocacy West Virginia and Arts Monongahela. She also serves on the West Virginia Department of Education’s 21st Century Schools Advisory Council and the Advocacy Committee of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network.

Email Lourdes Karas

AEI Board of Directors

Jennifer Francis Alkire
President

A blend of creative talent, diversified strategic expertise, and interpersonal skill has been a driving force behind the success of the Appalachian Education Initiative. One of the key individuals responsible for such development is philanthropist Jennifer Francis Alkire.

In December of 2001, Jennifer and her father, Michael Francis, founded AEI. During this time, Jennifer served as the organization’s first executive director, and then accepted the role as president, which consisted of leading AEI’s daily operations for four years. Today, Jennifer serves as president and chairperson of the board of directors. Alkire’s passion and commitment to AEI creates a results-oriented culture uncommon in many of today’s non-profit organizations. Donors, students, parents, board members, and staff are all quick to recognize the success of this unique approach.

Jennifer graduated with honors from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Immediately following, Jennifer obtained a master’s degree from Radford University in industrial/organizational psychology. Motivated, hard working, and seemingly tireless, Jennifer pressed on to earn a doctorate of jurisprudence from the West Virginia University College of Law. As a practicing attorney, Jennifer was employed by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, in Charleston, West Virginia, as an employment lawyer.

In addition to her dedicated work with AEI, Jennifer is a member of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, and she has served as an adjunct lecturer in business law at the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics. She is currently employed as an employment lawyer by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, in Morgantown.

She, her husband, Craig, and their daughter, Reese, and family dog, Tango, make their home in Morgantown.

Ashley M. Harman
Treasurer

Ms. Harman is a Girl Scout leader with Girl Scouts of Southwestern Pennsylvania and is a volunteer with the Monongalia County Read Aloud Program. She, her husband, Ed, and their three children, make their home in Morgantown.

Elizabeth Francis
Emerita Board Member & AEI’s Inspiration

Elizabeth “Libby” Francis serves as the inspiration for AEI’s mission. She is the mother of Michael Francis and grandmother of Jennifer Francis Alkire, the co-founders of the Francis Foundation for the Arts, now the Appalachian Education Initiative. Mrs. Francis is a retired secondary music teacher and theater director and lives in New Martinsville, West Virginia. Originally from Clarksburg, West Virginia, and educated in the Harrison County public school system, Mrs. Francis earned a Bachelor of Music degree from West Virginia University in 1942, and later earned a Masters of Music degree from WVU in 1963. She also studied at Penn State University both prior to receipt of her Masters and subsequently. She as awarded a drama certificate from Ohio University in 1980. In 1985, Mrs. Francis was honored as the recipient of the Academic Excellence Award from the state of West Virginia.

Her legacy began upon her employment as an elementary school teacher in Clarksburg, West Virginia in 1942-43, at Central Jr. High School in 1943-44, and at Washington Irving High School from 1943 through 1945. She taught music education to adults at the West Virginia University Extension in New Martinsville from 1963-65. She was a Fred Waring workshop staff member for Waring Enterprises, Delaware Water Gap, where she conducted music workshops for teachers and youth from the late 1960s through the early 1970s. She taught music, chorus, and musical theater in New Martinsville at Magnolia High School and surrounding schools from 1959/60 to her retirement in 1993.

Beginning in 1988 and continuing through the present, Mrs. Francis serves as the Director of Theater Activities for Parks & Recreation in New Martinsville, and from 1993 through the present, she has served as the chairperson of the organization. Also from 1993 to the present, Mrs. Francis has acted as producer and director of the Community Musical Theater. During her tenure as an educator, theater director, and choral master, she touched thousands of lives and has had a profound impact on the direction and quality of the lives of a significant number of her former students who returned to honor her upon her retirement in 1993.

Robin C. Capehart
President, West Liberty University (www.WestLiberty.edu)

Robin C. Capehart of Wheeling, Ohio County became the 32nd President of West Liberty State College, West Liberty, West Virginia, on July 1, 2007. Originally from Moundsville, Marshall County, President Capehart graduated Magna Cum Laude from West Virginia University in 1975 where he also received his law degree in 1978. Upon graduation from law school, President Capehart returned to Moundsville to practice law. He served as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Marshall County until 1985 when he became Chief Administrative Law Judge for the State Tax Department’s Office of Hearings and Appeals. In 1989, President Capehart left state government to attend Georgetown University receiving his Masters of Law in Taxation Degree in 1991. He served as committee counsel for the West Virginia House of Delegates during the 1991 Legislative Session until accepting a position at the Wheeling law firm of Phillips, Gardill, Kaiser & Altmeyer. He practiced law in Wheeling concentrating in the area of state and federal taxation and also served as an adjunct professor at West Virginia Northern Community College. In February 1997, Governor Cecil H. Underwood appointed President Capehart as Secretary of Tax and Revenue for the State of West Virginia. As Revenue Secretary, he also chaired the Commission on Fair Taxation, which conducted the most comprehensive review of our tax structure in the state’s history. Both national and international economists and public policy experts have critically acclaimed the Commission’s tax reform process and the final recommendations presented to Governor Underwood in February 2000 as one of the country’s most outstanding state tax reform efforts in the recent history. As a result of the national and international attention the Commission’s work received, President Capehart also served as a consultant to tax reform efforts in Colorado, Virginia and Tennessee and made substantial presentations to the Japan Local Government Center, the Ukrainian MBA Cohort and the Romanian Presidential Commission on Tax Reform. President Capehart has delivered over 600 speeches and presentations to local, state, national and international organizations including the Federation of Tax Administrators, the National Tax Association and the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He has authored a number of articles, which have appeared in such publications as the West Virginia Law Review, State Tax Notes, the Journal of State Taxation and the National Tax Journal. In September 1998, The Council of State Governments selected President Capehart for the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program, which each year recognizes 40 of the top leaders in state government from throughout the nation. President Capehart also served as President of the Southeastern Association of Tax Administrators; Chairman of the Governor’s Committee on Government Reorganization and has represented West Virginia on a number of national public policy committees and projects. Based upon his achievements and contributions to the State, Governor Underwood presented President Capehart with a Distinguished West Virginia Award in August 2000. In August 2000, President Capehart left his cabinet position to begin teaching at Marshall University. In May 2001, President Capehart was honored to receive the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Lewis College of Business becoming the first professor to receive such an award in his first year of teaching. In December 2000, President Capehart became Of Counsel to the statewide law firm of Steptoe and Johnson concentrating his practice in the area of federal, state and local tax. President Capehart was a member of the Leadership West Virginia Class of 2000 and is actively involved in a number of civic organizations. From 2001 through 2003, President Capehart hosted a statewide radio talk show. In 2004, President Capehart ran for the Republican nomination for Governor. Following his loss in the primary election, he became the campaign manager for Brent Benjamin who became the first Republican elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals since 1972 and only the second Republican elected since 1928. Also in 2004, President Capehart served as one of West Virginia’s five electors to the Electoral College. In May of 2005, President Capehart was elected Chairman of the West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee. He served until July 2006. In May of 2006, President Capehart was named a Fulbright Scholar by the U.S. State Department. From August 2006 to January 2007, he taught Public Finance at Moldova State University in Chisinau, Moldova and conducted extensive research regarding the Moldovan property tax system. Currently, President Capehart authors a weekly column on state government for The State Journal. In February 2007, President Capehart was named President of West Liberty State College in West Liberty, West Virginia where he assumed office in July 1, 2007. President Capehart is a member of the Vineyard Church in Wheeling. He and his wife, Saun, and their youngest child of four, Emily, live in Wheeling.

Brace Mullett, Esq.
Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP (www.DinsLaw.com)
Board of Governors, Concord University (www.Concord.edu)

Brace R. Mullett is a Partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the Dinsmore & Shohl’s Professional Development Committee. Brace is a civil litigator who advises clients on contractual and tortious claims. He represents a diverse client base, including coal companies and consumer goods companies, in matters related to workplace injury, product liability claims, and labor and employment disputes. Brace has experience in all aspects of fact and expert discovery, motions practice, settlement of complex litigation, and trial work. His bar admissions include West Virginia and his specific court admissions include the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Brace obtains a J.D. from the Washington and Lee University School of Law (Moot Court Executive Board, 2001) and a B.A. from Concord University (magna cum laude, Outstanding Political Science Graduate, WVIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, 1998). Brace’s selected professional and civic organizations include the Kanawha County Bar Association (past President); the West Virginia Defense Trial Counsel; the West Virginia Coal Association; the Kanawha Valley Mining Institute; Concord University, Board of Governors; Junior Achievement West Virginia (past member - Board of Directors); the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation; and, Legal Aid of West Virginia (Board of Directors). His awards and recognitions include being selected for the West Virginia Rising Stars® List Leadership Charleston, Class of 2002, among others.

Andy McKenzie
Mayor of Wheeling (www.WheelingWV.gov)

After graduating from West Liberty State College, Mayor McKenzie received his M.B.A. from West Virginia University. He holds two certifications - CRPS (Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist) and AAMS (Accredited Asset Management Specialist). In addition to serving as Wheeling City Mayor, Andy is employed as a financial advisor. He also has served as a Senator with the West Virginia Legislature from 1996-2008 where he held the positions of Minority Whip for the 73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th and 77th Legislatures. He was the youngest elected State Senator in the history of West Virginia. Andy is proud to be involved in the community, which is evident through his many affiliations, including, but not limited to, the following: Member, Executive Board, Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce; Member, Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau; Regional Economic Development Partnership; Leadership Wheeling Class of 1991; Wheeling Lions Club; American Council of Young Political Leaders Delegation to the Country of Australia Civil Air Patrol, Legislative Squadron; and the Ohio County Development Authority. McKenzie’s awards and recognition include the 2000 Leadership Award, West Virginia Care Home Association for Elderly Rights; the 1999 Northern Panhandle Aging Service Directors Award; the 1998 Legislator of the Year, YWCA Family Violence Prevention Program; and the 1996 U. S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year for West Virginia, among others. Andy and wife Carrie reside in Wheeling, WV with their three children - Austin, Levi, and Quinn.

Mary Beth Hughes, ASID/IIDA
Owner/Interior Designer, Hughes Design and Hughes Gift Gallery (www.Hughesdsgn.com)

Currently owner and interior designer at Hughes Design and Hughes Gift Gallery in Wheeling, WV, Mary Beth is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association. She is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. Having attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, she graduated with high honors from West Virginia University, and received an A.A.S. degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, with a major in Interior Design. Following her graduation from WVU, Hughes taught high school French for six years in Charleston, Moundsville, and Glen Dale, West Virginia. Upon completing the course of study at the Art Institute in 1981, she began her own design firm in Glen Dale, WV. In 1984, she was appointed Director of Architectural Design at Boury, Inc., in Wheeling, where she designed restaurants and hotels in Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus, OH; Rochester and Syracuse, NY; and, Detroit, MI. In 1988, Hughes spent a year as head of the Interior Design Department at Stone and Thomas. The current Hughes Design and Gift Gallery has been her “home” since 1991, when she purchased the former Rybeck Interiors building on National Road in the Fulton area of Wheeling. Hughes has been a guest lecturer at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and was the first person honored as A.I.P. Interior Design Alumni of the Year in 1993. Statewide, she serves as a member of the West Virginia Governor’s Mansion Preservation Foundation, where she served as chair of the Furnishings and Decorative Arts Committee. Hughes has recently completed a term as President of the Pennsylvania West Chapter of ASID, which also includes northern and central West Virginia. Active in the Wheeling volunteer arena as well, her service includes membership on the Foundation Boards of Sandscrest and West Virginia Northern Community College, where she has served as board president. She is a past president of the Board of Directors of the Wheeling Symphony and serves on the board of King’s Daughters. She is a member of the Junior League of Wheeling, where she served as President from 1971-1973, and is a member of Wheeling Rotary, where she is a Paul Harris Fellow. Hughes lives in Wheeling, and is the mother of three grown children, all of whom work in somewhat creative fields. Molly lives in London, doing art direction and set design for films and the theatre. Justin is an architect and engineer in Atlanta. Chad is a cardiac surgeon in Durham, North Carolina.

Doug Skaff, Jr.
Member WV House of Delegates (www.legis.state.ev.us)
Board of Governors, WVU Alumni Association (www.alumni.wvu.edu)

Douglas J "Doug" Skaff Jr. of South Charleston is a member of the House of Delegates in Kanawha County's 30th District. Doug graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and a Master's Degree in Industrial & Labor Relations and Human Resource Management in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Doug currently works as a District Manger for a building material distribution company and covers all of Southern West Virginia; Eastern, Kentucky; and Southwest Ohio. Doug will focus on education, improving jobs, providing for our seniors and veterans, and smart economic growth / development across the region. Doug intends on listening to the concerns and insights of Kanawha County residents to identify the critical issues and challenges facing the area today and tomorrow.