CHARLESTON — Incoming West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced members of his administration leadership team and several cabinet appointments, making the budget, energy, child welfare, and seniors clear priorities as he prepares to take office in 11 days.

In a press conference Thursday morning in the law library of the Attorney General’s Office which Morrisey will be vacating when he takes the oath of office as governor on Monday, Jan. 13, Morrisey announced a 10-member administrative team, as well as five nominations for cabinet positions.

“We have a great team,” Morrisey said. “They’re outstanding in every single way. They’re deeply experienced, they’re smart, and they put service before self. I’m just thrilled that these folks have agreed to be such an important part of the team going forward, because they know there are great challenges ahead for West Virginia.”

Joining Morrisey in the Governor’s Office will be Tom McCaffrey as chief of staff. McCaffery was a former assistant secretary for Health Affairs and a principal deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense in the first term of incoming President Donald Trump. McCaffery most recently worked for Health Management Associates.

A. Todd Johnston, mostly recently a vice president and managing director at ConservAmerica, will serve Morrisey as deputy chief of staff and chairman of the Energy, Infrastructure, and Competitiveness Council. Johnston previously served as staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittees on Energy and Environment.

Douglas Buffington II, a chief deputy attorney general and former Department of Revenue official, will be a senior advisor to Morrisey. Buffington also serves as a co-chair of Morrisey’s transition team.

Sean Whelan, a deputy attorney general and division director for the Attorney General’s Tax and Revenue Division, will serve Morrisey as general counsel. Curtis R. A. Capehart, another deputy attorney general, will serve as director of policy for the Morrisey administration.

Helping craft Morrisey’s general revenue budget will be Mike McKown as director of budget. McKown previously served as director of the State Budget Office from 2006 to 2018. Most recently, McKown was a deputy state auditor.

John Findlay, the former executive director of the West Virginia Republican Party and political operative, will serve Morrisey as director of intergovernmental and political affairs. Most recently, Findlay served as the convention delegate selection director for the Trump campaign. His wife, Marissa Findlay, will serve Morrisey as director of operations. Marissa Findlay also serves as a consultant for the Morrisey transition team.

Crescent Gallagher, a deputy state director for the West Virginia chapter of Americans for Prosperity, will serve Morrisey as press secretary. AFP-WV supported Morrisey in the May Republican primary for governor. Prior to his time at AFP-WV, Gallagher served as the director of business development and communications for Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt.

For cabinet appointments, Morrisey tapped state Sen. Eric Nelson for secretary of the Department of Revenue. Nelson, R-Kanawha, was elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving several terms in the House of Delegates. Nelson chairs the Senate Pensions Committee.

Outgoing House Majority Leader Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, will serve as secretary of the Department of Administration. Householder was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2010. He spent two terms as chairman of the House Finance Committee. He most recently lost the May Republican primary for State Auditor. Householder also serves on the Morrisey transition team.

Alex Mayer, the chief of Children and Family Services for the South Dakota Department of Social Services, will serve as secretary for the Department of Human Services. A U.S. Army veteran, Mayer has more than a decade working in the fields of health and human services.

Diana Graves, chairwoman of the Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee and a former member of the House of Delegates, will serve as commissioner of the Bureau of Senior Services. She has most recently served as the executive director of the Bob Burdette Center in Charleston, which provides several after-school programs.

Retaining his current cabinet position is Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Harold Ward. Justice appointed Ward as DEP secretary in 2021. Ward previously served at DEP as deputy secretary of Operations and director of the Division of Mining and Reclamation.

Morrisey said several of his picks — Nelson, Householder, McKown, and Buffington — have extensive experience with tax collections and crafting general revenue budgets. With current tax collections for the first half of fiscal year 2025 beginning in July 2014 coming in at just above estimates, Morrisey predicted a tight budget for the next fiscal year.

“A Governor’s budget is one of the most important things that he can do to set the imprint in terms of the priorities for the state,” Morrisey said. “It’s really important to have really smart, good, experienced people. I think you’re going to see through some of the picks that we have a number of individuals who have deep expertise in budgeting and in revenue.”

Other picks, including Johnston and Ward, will focus on state energy issues. Morrisey said his early picks of Graves for the Bureau of Senior Services and Mayer for DoHS are meant to show that his administration is serious about making reforms and changing how departments operate in order to better provide services.

“I feel very good about this and the messages that we’re trying to send,” Morrisey said. “I want to make sure that we’re emphasizing that we have a great high-quality team that’s going to roll their sleeves up and get big things done to repurpose and to right-size government. And that’s what this represents.”

Unlike administration appointments, cabinet appointments require the advice and consent of the West Virginia Senate. Morrisey said he has been in constant communication with incoming Senate President Randy Smith, R-Tucker, to ensure the confirmation process is smooth and quick.

“I’m really enjoying the working relationship with Senator Smith,” Morrisey said. “I think he’s going to do a terrific job…I anticipate a good close working relationship.”

Morrisey continues to work behind-the-scenes to review all aspects of state government operations to find better efficiencies, remove redundancies, and recommend possible reforms to the Legislature.

“Certainly, there’s been progress in some areas in recent years, but we know that there are a lot of big things ahead of us,” Morrisey said. “It is our intent, as I’ve indicated throughout the campaign, to repurpose and right-size government, I want to demand that every agency look for savings within…We’re going to look for the efficiencies and the accountability we need, because we have to transform how government works here in West Virginia and be in a place where we’re generating more savings so we can put that money back into people’s pockets to have deeper tax cuts.”

Morrisey said further announcements about administration and cabinet appointments will be made prior to inauguration day on Jan. 13 and after.