President and CEO and Vice president for Alumni Relations Sean Frisbee WVU Photo
The West Virginia University Alumni Association announced Tuesday, Nov. 24, that Colonel Sean Frisbee, USAF (Ret.), president and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association and vice president for alumni relations, will leave office on June 30, 2021, after more than five years of service in order to shift focus towards economic development in West Virginia.
Under Frisbee’s leadership, the WVU Alumni Association designed the Mountaineer Alliance professional network; created the 1873 Society to engage former WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors members; reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; welcomed thousands of visitors to the Erickson Alumni Center; built the Tower Society to steward relationships with donors and friends; launched the WVU Alumni app; initiated new staff positions and programs dedicated to alumni engagement and support; established the WVU Connect virtual network; increased alumni membership; and continued to strengthen the bond between thousands of alumni and their alma mater.
Utilizing the strong partnerships, he has built during his tenure as president and CEO, combined with his background in aerospace engineering and a lifetime of experience in research and development for the U.S. military, Frisbee is eager to continue his service by supporting job growth and economic expansion across the state. “I believe we are in the early stages of a significant growth cycle in West Virginia,” Frisbee said.
“We’ve seen a substantial increase in economic development over the last several years and the recent announcement of the Virgin Hyperloop Certification Center, the expansion of the remote work effort, and desire of the future workforce to live and work where outdoor adventure is right in their backyard means West Virginia is facing a new era of opportunity,” Frisbee said. “The time is ripe for West Virginia to play a more significant role in the federal defense marketplace by accelerating innovation and developing technology and solutions through strategic partnerships with government, industry and academia. I’m eager to capitalize on my experience to give back and be part of that future.”
“The WVU Alumni Association’s Board of Directors is grateful for Sean’s service and all that he achieved as the president and CEO of the organization,” Bill Beynon, chair of the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors, said. “In the last five years, Sean led us through a modernization period where we significantly increased our support of alumni and students of West Virginia University and established the core programs and capability needed for our next phase of growth.”
Beynon added the Board of Directors will take this opportunity of transition to carefully evaluate the next steps for the Alumni Association. The board will work with Kevin Berry, chief operating officer, and the senior Alumni Association staff as it moves forward.
President Gordon Gee also shared his appreciation for Frisbee’s efforts. ‘I would like to thank Sean for his dedication and service to his alma mater,” Gee said. “He reimagined many of the ways our University can stay connected with Mountaineers. I have valued his insights and am appreciative of the enthusiasm with which he led this organization. We are fortunate to have a very talented team at the WVU Alumni Association and the Erickson Alumni Center who will carry that energy into a new phase.”
The majority of Frisbee’s career, from 1989-2012, involved service in the U.S. Air Force. He was program director of the F-22 stealth aircraft weapon system at Wright Patterson Air Force Base; vice wing commander of Iraqi Air Force Development in Baghdad, and held other operational, acquisition and staff positions as a propulsion engineer, intelligence analyst, program manager and aircraft and munitions commander. After retiring from the military, he was involved in several small business and startup firms and served as president of a privately-held electronics business, IES Global, Inc., that designed and produced systems for the oil, gas, and defense industries.
The West Virginia University Alumni Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping more than 200,000 alumni and friends connected and engaged in the life of WVU.
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CONTACT: Andrew Sealy, Director of Marketing & Communications
WVU Alumni Association
304-293-0990; asealy@mail.wvu.edu
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