Two West Virginia University graduates have joined the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors. On Saturday, June 7, Malene Smith Davis of Washington, D.C., and Terri Cunningham Hornsby of Houston, Texas, were elected to the Board during its annual meeting.
The Board also elected John T. Fahey of Morgantown to his second term as chairman; Christine Mullett McCartney of Houston, Texas, vice chair; H. Wood Thrasher of Bridgeport, secretary; and Richard Stephens of Madison, as treasurer.
“We are looking forward to another productive year under the leadership and guidance of our Board of Directors,” said Stephen L. Douglas, president and CEO. “Malene and Terri bring tremendous energy and enthusiasm to the board. Their unique business backgrounds and passion for the institution will help us build on our positive momentum moving forward as we continue to extend our reach to, and engage, our alumni all over the world.”
Malene Smith Davis
Davis, a native of Preston County is president and CEO of Capital Caring, one of the largest and most experienced hospice and palliative care providers in the United States. The community-based organization serves the greater Washington, D.C., national capital area including Northern Virginia and Maryland. Capital Caring includes eight regional offices, an award-winning inpatient center, and in 2014 a new state of the art 21-bed inpatient facility and the accompanying first ever hospice interventional pain management clinic. Under the leadership of Davis, the organization has become one of only eight sites for the American Association of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Clinical Scholars Programs.
Prior to joining Capital Caring, Davis served as president and CEO of Hospice Care Corporation in Arthurdale where she started as the organization’s first paid employee in 1988. In her role as CEO, she built Hospice Care Corp. into the largest non-profit hospice organization in West Virginia, serving 12 counties in North Central West Virginia and four counties in Pennsylvania. Davis continues to serve today on the board of directors as the founding president of Hospice Care Corp.
In 2008, Davis and Hospice Care Corporation created at the WVU School of Nursing the first national endowed lectureship focused on pain and palliative care – The Perry G. Fine Pain and Palliative Care Lecture Series. The endowed lectureship is the only in the country that partners a community-based hospice and a major university bringing national and international pain management experts to the state.
Davis has been recognized for her dedication and commitment to hospice and palliative care. She has received numerous honors for her commitment to the seriously ill, including the Patient Advocacy Award from the American Academy of Pain Medicine (2013), WVU School of Nursing Top 50 Graduates Award, the first Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation Project on Death in America Nursing Leadership Award in Palliative Care (2006), and the Matthew F. McNulty, Jr. 2007 Award, given by the Healthcare Council of the National Capital Area to honor outstanding healthcare leaders.
As an undergraduate, Davis received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from WVU (1984), followed by a master’s degree in business administration (1989) and a master’s degree in nursing (1994). She has dedicated her life to the improvement of care to those with advanced illness and her success has been influential and inspirational in her community.
Terri Cunningham Hornsby
Hornsby, who resides in Richmond, Texas, founded TLC Adcentives LLC, a promotional services company in 1995. Under her leadership, the home-based business has grown into a full-service promotional firm with more than 75 percent of the clientele being Fortune 500 companies. Hornsby has made sure that her firm has stayed dedicated to developing and maintaining a client’s desired image through corporate identification services that drive brand awareness.
Hornsby, native of Charleston, is a proud mother and breast cancer survivor. She volunteers her time to numerous causes and serves as a National Diversity Advocate. In recognition of her volunteer efforts, she received numerous honors and awards, including the Women of Excellence Award and Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance Volunteer of the Year.
Hornsby has been featured in various articles from Smart.Money.com, Minority Wealth and Enterprising Women, to name a few.
She has held important and influential positions such as National Diversity Taskforce chairwoman and president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (Houston Chapter). Hornsby, who received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from WVU in 1986, was crowned WVU’s first African-American Homecoming queen that same year. She credits her energetic personality, drive, and perseverance in fueling her success.
New members are elected each year at the WVU Alumni Association’s Annual Business Meeting. Individuals can be nominated by submitting a letter of consideration to the president of the WVU Alumni Association.
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CONTACT: Tara Curtis, WVU Alumni Association
304-293-0972, tecurtis@mail.wvu.edu
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