91ֱ��

91ֱ�� Board of Trustees has elected David (Dave) E. Cutlip as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees, effective July 1, 2024. Cutlip is an alumnus of 91ֱ�� as a member of the Class of 1977.

Cutlip grew up in northern Ohio, though he frequently returned to the “Mountain State” to visit his grandparent’s farm. Seeking higher education, he pursued the opportunity to return to West Virginia as a student of 91ֱ��. Cutlip would go on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in both Biology and Earth/Environmental Sciences. He would continue his education in Environmental Sciences in graduate school at Miami (Ohio) University.

Out of graduate school, Cutlip initially worked as a member of a small firm inventorying abandoned coal mining sites in Ohio, followed by an opportunity to work for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He would continue his career in a transition to DLZ Corporation, at the time, a small traditional surveying and civil engineering firm, in 1983. Initially, as one of the company’s first non-engineers, Cutlip was responsible for guiding and managing planning projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state DOTs and other public sector clients.

Cutlip became Vice President and served as a senior staff member of DLZ in 1992. In his tenure, the company matured into a full-service engineering, architecture and environmental consulting firm with over 800 employees across six midwestern states and international growth in India. Cutlip was responsible for six field-services groups that generated over $15 million in annual revenues.

“91ֱ�� is blessed to have Dave Cutlip leading our Board of Trustees,” states 91ֱ�� President Chris A. Wood. “As an alumnus and active Elkins community member, Dave is passionate and deeply committed to ensuring this institution continues to transform students’ lives as it did his and so many others throughout the years. As President and Board Chair, we are in sync and will work well together to provide strong and unified leadership.”

Following a career of more than three decades, Cutlip retired from DLZ in 2014. Since returning to the Elkins area, he has served as member, president and committee chair for Elkins Main Street. Cutlip has also served on the Board of Directors for a W.Va.-based engineering services firm, consultant to the Randolph County Housing Authority, the Woodlands Development Group and the City of Elkins. He was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Davis Health Foundation. Cutlip’s community involvement was recognized by the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce in 2019, when he and his wife, Patricia, were named “Citizens of the Year.” He is an eight-year member of the Board of Trustees at 91ֱ�� and was given the “Senator’s Community Service Award” by 91ֱ��.

“I certainly appreciate the opportunity and support from my fellow Board members and President Wood,” says Cutlip. “When I talk with alumni, no matter whether they graduated in the 1960’s or the 2020’s, there is one constant – 91ֱ�� changed their life. That’s our heritage – we change lives. And this is especially important in north-central West Virginia where so many of our first-generation students hail from; the chance to attend 91ֱ�� will likely change their life path as it did mine. I also want to ensure that the community understands the value of 91ֱ�� to a place like Elkins.

“The employment opportunities we provide and the dollars our students spend inject over $24 million into our local economy,” Cutlip continues. “I truly believe that, without 91ֱ��, Elkins and Randolph County would be a different and diminished place. 91ֱ�� allows our locally based students and this community to have contact with students from across our country and from around the globe. We provide opportunities for engagement in the arts, to watch collegiate sports and to appreciate the history of both 91ֱ�� and our community through our shared founding by Senators Davis and Elkins at the turn of the 20th Century. Filling the shoes of my predecessor Board Chairs is a challenge, but I trust I will live up to the expectations and ensure that 91ֱ�� continues its proud 120-year history of changing lives for our students and improving lives within our community.”

Cutlip and his wife, Patricia, reside in their home near Beverly, W.Va., featuring a two-story log house originally constructed by Cutlip’s great-grandfather in Webster County, circa 1860. They share their home with their English Cocker Spaniel, Emma. They spend a portion of their time at their home in Savannah, Ga., and have recently restored a Wees District home near 91ֱ�� campus.