United Hospital Center welcomes four new board members to its board of directors and two new board members to its United Health Foundation.

United Health Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation formed to solicit gifts and bequests to further the purposes of United Hospital Center. UHC has many needs that can only be met by funds from the Foundation. Increased financial support through the Foundation helps to assure high quality hospital care for patients by providing the very latest equipment and new treatment methods at UHC.

New to the UHC board is Mary Lou Jones, Thomas H. Gorrell, Brian Jarvis and James A. Harris. Joining the United Health Foundation board are John Schirripa and Catherine Ann Goings.

Jones attended Marshall University and began her career in real estate in 1988. She has been a partner and owner of Homefinders Plus Real Estate, Inc., since 1993. She is a member and past president of the Harrison County Association of REALTORS®, a member of the West Virginia Association of REALTORS®, the National Association of REALTORS®, a member of the National Association of Professional Women’s organization and a member of the Presidential Who’s Who Among Business and Professional Achievers.  

Having earned numerous awards and honors throughout her career, Jones is the winner of the highly acclaimed Athena Award, which is presented for business and professional excellence, community service and especially for mentoring to others. It is an international network of business professionals. 

She is a past president of the Friends of the West Virginia State Bar; a member and past president of the Harrison County Student Achievement Association. Jones is a board member and past president of the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce and has served on its Membership and Government Affairs committees. She is a life member of the National Registry of Who’s Who, a highly recognized biographical publication for professionals, in recognition of exemplary service to community and to profession; published in Who’s Who of American Women; and Continental Who’s Who Registry of global business leaders. She was named the 2007 Honorary Italian Woman of the year by the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival Committee. An avid reader, she also enjoys bridge, painting and cooking.
She is married to Jerald Jones, an attorney with West & Jones. They are the parents of three children and have four grandchildren.

Thomas H. Gorrell began his professional career by joining Northwestern Mutual in 1979. In 1995 he marked his introduction into management as a field director and was appointed managing director of the Clarksburg Financial Group in 1998. Gorrell graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S. in forestry. He received the professional designation of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).

Having earned numerous awards and honors throughout his career, Gorrell has received the Million Dollar Round Table, National Quality Award and National Sales Achievement Award designations. 

Gorrell is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Association for Advanced Professional Studies and North Central West Virginia Estate Planning Council. He is equally involved in his community by participating as a Harrison County Chamber of Commerce board member, United Way of Harrison County board member and Oral Lake Fishing Club member. 
He resides in Bridgeport with his three sons, Harrison, Patrick and Luke.  He enjoys fly fishing, swimming, WVU sports and spending time with family.

Brian Jarvis is the president of The Exponent-Telegram, an independent news source for North Central West Virginia. Jarvis is also a practicing attorney in the areas of estate planning and corporate mergers and acquisition.

He grew up in Clarksburg and graduated from Robert C. Byrd High School in 2001. Jarvis received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Furman University in Greenville, S. C. In 2008, he received his doctor of jurisprudence from West Virginia University College of Law.

Jarvis worked for Jackson Kelly, PLLC for two years before receiving a master of laws in taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010. He has been admitted to the practice of law in West Virginia and Florida. Jarvis resides in Clarksburg with his family.

James A. Harris is a lifelong resident of Harrison County and a graduate of Bridgeport High School, who later attended Fairmont State University, West Virginia University and DeVry University.  

Employed by the Harrison County Commission for 27 years, he worked in emergency services telecommunications and was the Harrison County 9-1-1 coordinator responsible for planning and implementing the county-wide enhanced 9-1-1 system in 1989.

Harris was also appointed as the first Harrison County administrator in 1991 and served in that position until 2004 when he became contracts manager for Healthcare Management Solutions, LLC, a Fairmont-based healthcare consulting firm.
In January 2008, Harris was invited to become executive director of Health Access, Incorporated, a free primary care medical clinic providing services to low income, uninsured adult patients from communities in Harrison and Doddridge counties.
An active member in his community, Harris has served as a volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician and mobile intensive care paramedic.  He has been involved in United Way Campaigns for several years and has been a member of the Clarksburg Kiwanis and Clarksburg Lions clubs.  He previously served on the boards of the Clarksburg Mission, North Central WV Homeless Coalition and Criss-Cross, Incorporated.  Harris resides in Anmoore with his family and he is a member of the Northview United Methodist Church.

Since 1984,  John Schirripa has spent his professional career in the North Central West Virginia banking industry. Schirripa is president and CEO at MVB Central, Inc.

He graduated cum laude from Fairmont State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.Schirripa attributes his success to the valuable experience he gained while at Lowndes Bank, CB&T, Huntington National Bank and Chase. He has held several key banking positions throughout his tenure in the industry as a vice president of relationship management, senior vice president of relationship

management and community president. Schirripa resides with his family in Bridgeport.

Catherine Ann Goings is the owner and operator of four prominent area businesses — Embellishments, Wicked Sisters Clothing Boutique and The Fifth Floor Lounge located in Clarksburg and Embellishments, Too located in Bridgeport.

As a business woman and entrepreneur, she is very involved in her community and county serving as a board member of Clarksburg Uptown, Clarksburg City Council, vice mayor of Clarksburg and a former board member of the Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce.
Goings is a graduate of Washington Irving High School and Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. She resides in Clarksburg with her husband Rick. 

 

Information provided by Matt Chisler, UHC director of public relations.