Evan Conley will serve as the new executive director of the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD), the organization announced Friday.
Conley served in the West Virginia Army National Guard and will now take leadership of WV VOAD after serving in roles across the state, including leading response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and managing high-intensity operations supporting correctional facilities.
WV VOAD is a collaborative humanitarian association of independent organizations dedicated to serving communities in the state before, during and after disasters.
Evan Conley is taking the reins at West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
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Focused on the four phases of disaster — preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation — WV VOAD works to identify unmet needs and streamline services to individuals and families impacted by disaster.
“Evan stood out among the candidates in our search process due to his real-life emergency management experience,” said David Lumsden, chair of the WV VOAD Board of Directors. “His leadership skills, operational mindset and deep understanding of crisis response make him an ideal choice to guide our organization into the future and ensure that WV VOAD continues to play a critical role in disaster response across the state.”
After the devastating and deadly flooding that hit southern and central West Virginia in 2016, WV VOAD rose to prominence for helping families recover when the state seemed unable to get anything done. But after that, VOAD was involved in a controversy of its own, eventually leading to the resignation of the organization’s director in February of 2024. The national organization cut ties with West Virginia over these concerns.
Conley said it is an honor to lead WV VOAD and focus on local needs.
“In moments of crisis, the strength of our communities lies in our ability to come together,” he said. “I’m deeply committed to building strong partnerships, expanding our reach, and ensuring that no West Virginian faces disaster alone. Together, we will elevate our collective capacity to respond swiftly, compassionately, and effectively when our neighbors need us most.”
“Evan brings a unique blend of leadership and empathy — qualities that are essential for guiding an organization like WV VOAD,” Lumsden said. “He not only has the operational expertise to lead effectively, but also a deep understanding of what individuals and families endure during times of disaster. We’re confident in his ability to strengthen our mission and are excited to see how he will shape the future of this organization.”
Financial funding matters around West Virginia Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) have been referred to the Committee on Special Investigations, the state Auditor and the legislative auditor.
This came after a back-and-forth discussion between Senate Finance Chair Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, and Jenny Gannaway, the executive director of the organization during the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding meeting Sunday.
A video recently surfaced on the Facebook page ScoopSquad that appeared to show Gannaway directing employees to sell donated items for a tenth of their value to employees. Tarr also raised a number of concerns about employees taking donated items like patio furniture and fire pits home after making a donation to the organization. Tarr asked Gannaway if she had personally taken items to her home in Matewan, but she replied that they had gone to her home in Roanoke.
VOAD has been working in the state since 2016 doing flood relief projects like rebuilding bridges torn out by high water and raising and rebuilding homes. The organization gets its money through state and federal grant funding as well as corporate donations and grants.
“Our goal after that was to build our capacity here in this state… we now have a shower unit that can be deployed within hours and six washers and six dryers,” she said. “We have currently built 169 bridges, 54 of those was used from using CDBG (Community Development Block Grants). And 115 of them was using private donations and donations that had came to West Virginia.”
Once Gannaway’s presentation was completed, however, Tarr began questioning the money that flows through the organization and how it was used.
“I’m sure you’re aware of videos and pictures that have come out that question some of the behaviors that you personally have had,” Tarr said.
Gannaway replied that she was aware of the video but had not personally seen it.
Tarr also asked about the organization’s hiring practices and the hiring of family members including Gannaway’s brother, great niece and great nephew-in-law without board approval.
Gannaway explained the hirings occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was difficult to hire employees. She noted that the organization hired family members from several other employees.
“Looking back on that, that was probably something I would never do again. But at that time when we had to get things done,” she said.
Then Tarr asked questions about specific items that were donated but ended up at Gannaway and other employees’ homes.
“Did you take as your own seven pieces of items donated to VOAD? They were valued at $600 to $2,000, to write them off rather than record them as write offs as a way to not have to have them on the books as they went to your house,” Tarr asked.
“I did not say to write anything off,” Gannaway said. “We had permission to take donations for items that we could not give out to flood survivors. And I gave large donations for anything that I took that I might have given to someone.”
Gannaway also said she has since donated many of those items to other people. Tarr asked if that happened since the information about the items came to light and she said it was before.
Tarr also questioned her use of a VOAD rental truck, paid for using grant money, to transport approximately $4,000 worth of items from VOAD’s warehouse to her home in Roanoke.
“Was he on VOAD’s checkbook?” Tarr asked. “Did he pay for that rental truck with dollars or any dollars VOAD received?”
“The rental truck had been leased by West Virginia VOAD. And we did use that truck but also I did pay him to do what he done out of my own pocket,” she said.
Tarr also questioned giving certain VOAD employees “Hero” bonuses of more than $7,000 each including Gannaway.
“It was told to me from our CFO at that time that he had cleared this with our CPA and our auditor,” Gannaway said. “We had had employees working weekends and things and was not paid for those times.“
Gannaway said she could not recall how much her hero bonus was.
At the end of the meeting, Tarr put forth the motion to have the Committee on Special Investigations, the state Auditor and the legislative auditor review the state funds that have been given to VOAD for flood recovery work.
“In light of the discussion with Miss Galloway, I’m not convinced that the funds that went through VOAD were used appropriately. I’m not sure how much of that would have been state dollars with just even the recent appropriations, let alone what’s happened since 2016,” Tarr said. “Those state dollars that have been involved that were directly related to Miss Gannaway’s supervision, and probably the board as a whole, also should be referred to state Auditor. I’m pretty sure the state Auditor has not had a chance to look at especially these most recent funds.”
The floods that ravaged West Virginia in June wiped out hundreds of private bridges – bridges that provide direct access to homes. And over 300 bridges were wiped out from flooding last year, too. It usually falls to residents to rebuild.
West Virginia’s Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD) called on Mennonites to help by building wooden bridges designed to handle flooding.
An Impossible Task
When hundreds of private bridges in the state were washed away by flooding last year, state chair of WV VOAD Jenny Gannaway set out to rebuild safer, stronger ones at no cost to residents — even though many people said that it would be impossible.
“When we heard this can’t be done,” Gannaway said at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, “we made sure we got it done.”
Credit Glynis Board / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Jenny Gannaway with a host of collaborators and invested parties celebrate the completion of the Adkins’ bridge.
In remote and mountainous Lincoln County, Gannaway stands with residents, government and religious leaders. They’re on the wooden deck of a 50-foot long bridge that Mennonites from Virginia designed and built. It crosses a stream connecting a state road to the house of Chuck and Carol Adkins. It’s the 15th one they’ve completed.
“We’ve lived here 36 years; had my bridge 35 years,” said Chuck Adkins, or Preacher Chuck, as he’s known. He walks slowly with a cane.
“I took it for granted to walk across there to leave my garbage, get my mail, and carry my groceries until it was gone.”
It’s flooded several times around their home since last year. There were no disaster declarations, and that meant no government funding to help rebuild. Replacing this bridge is a twenty thousand dollar job – something the retired couple can’t afford. Today, Preacher Chuck stands next to a sign he asked the Mennonite volunteers to paint. In large, white letters it reads: Thank God.
Credit Glynis Board / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Preacher Chuck walks across his new bridge in Lincoln County. It’s been tested by flooding several times already and remains intact.
Tough Economic Times
A few ridges over – probably less than a mile as the crow flies, but several twisting turning miles by truck, there’s a machine shop preparing steel pieces of the next bridge.
“I do the machine work for the bridges… just whatever they need,” said Bill Frye, the machinist who lives and works here.
Frye has piercing blue eyes, and a lifetime of cutting and welding metal has left him with leather hands and strong like an ox. For 40 years he’s been working here for the coal mines, but he said he hasn’t had a single job for two months.
“This is all I’ve got right now,” Frye said referring to the occasional work he does for the bridge builders.
Collaborative Key to Resiliency
Frye’s handiwork for the current bridge underway ends up on the other side of the county with a group of Baptists. Jack Cobb and other volunteers stand on either side of a stream that has cut a fifteen foot crevice between them.
With so many damaged bridges in the state, other religious organizations like the American Baptist Men are now stepping up to help. Cobb and his Baptist crew are retired contracting and engineering professionals from West Virginia.
“Mennonite Disaster Services built the first fifteen, so they provided a coordinator for us to train us on how to do the first one.”
Credit Glynis Board / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Volunteer crew of American Baptist Men build a bridge in Lincoln County, West Virginia.
Cobb’s crew used a bulldozer clears the remnants of two washed-out bridges next to the creek. Many of the bridges washed away were made of trailer frames and wooden planks, or other recycled materials. Better ones might be cemented culverts. Cobb said the bridges the Mennonites designed are altogether different.
“These bridges are phenomenally well-designed. It’s exportable, with minor changes it could be 20 foot long, 40 foot long. And we’re complying with upwards of a dozen permits to get all this done.”
The Mennonite who designed the bridges, Johann Zimmerman, says cost, as well as a volunteer-friendly building process were important design factors. But the main challenge was how to make them resilient.
“Just about every one of these bridges is built in the 100-year flood plain; just about every one is going to be topped with floodwaters once or twice a year.”
Wooden-decked steel beams are cemented to bedrock on either side of the creek, spanning across streams so as not to catch debris or disturb ecology. The structures are quickly built, more easily maintained and more resilient than what they’re replacing. Flood waters like those that wrecked communities in June tested his design. All are still intact.
But he says the most impressive feature of the new bridges is the collaboration between organizations to make each one a reality.
“I have never seen anything like it before. To do a bridge across a stream usually takes a permitting process of 6-12 months. We’ve been able to cut that process down to 4 weeks.”
West Virginia Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster designed this bridge project. It’s the first of its kind in the country, this year it won a national innovation award. The Mennonite Disaster Service was an early partner. Other participating organizations include the West Virginia Department of Highways, local fire departments, the state’s Department of Natural Resources, the state’s Department of Agriculture.
Credit Glynis Board / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Back on the bridge in Lincoln County Barbara Chalfant is a Presbyterian who is also participating in the project.
“When each one of us does a little bit, we can accomplish a lot,” said Barbara Chalfant back at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Lincoln County. “The Mennonites have shown us the way and the 7th Day Adventists are coming up behind and doing an amazing job, and so the Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Unitarians, Muslims and everybody else are going to have to come in and pick up the slack and get this thing done.”
Hundreds more bridges still need to be replaced costing thousands of volunteer hours and millions of dollars, but organizers in West Virginia like Jenny Gannaway remain undaunted. She printed the email she got a year ago suggesting the project is impossible. She says it’s still taped to her wall motivating her to press on.
