FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/7/07

For more information:
Bob Edwards
Public Relations Department Assistant
Glenville State College
Glenville, West Virginia
(304) 462-7361 ext. 7610

Glenville, WV—James L. Estep is one of the newest members of the Glenville State College Board of Governors. He was appointed to the position by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin in February and then sworn in at the April 2007 meeting of the GSC Board of Governors to a three year term that will expire on June 30, 2010. When asked about the importance of helping lead GSC, Estep said, “I believe that Glenville State College provides an invaluable resource to the citizens of central West Virginia who want to pursue higher education. The presence of GSC, in my opinion, is critical to central West Virginia’s future economic prosperity.”

Estep is President and Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation in Fairmont, West Virginia. He has led an extensive reorganization of the WVHTC Foundation, which has included an expansion of the I-79 Technology Park and the creation of departments focused on research & development, commercialization, affiliate services, intellectual property management, technology services and internationalization, and public safety and homeland security. Estep also serves as President and Chairman of Innovative Response Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the WVHTC Foundation that specializes in robotics design and manufacturing.

Estep is very active in several business and technology efforts around the state. He is also a board member for the West Virginia NASA Space Grant Consortium, serves as Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex, is on the Advisory and Enterprise committee for West Virginia University's College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and serves as chair for the New Economy Task Force, which is part of the ‘Vision Shared’ statewide economic development strategy plan. He is a past board member for the West Virginia Roundtable, the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as a judge for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program, the West Virginia Engineering, Science, and Technology Scholarship Program, and the Research Challenge Grant Program. In June 2005, Estep received a Congressional Achievement Award presented by Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, U.S. House of Representatives, First District, West Virginia.

In 1989 Estep received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from The West Virginia University Institute of Technology. At WVU Tech he was awarded a military science scholarship from the United States Army, and after graduation went on active duty as a commissioned officer. He received a master’s degree in computer science from West Virginia University in 1993.

Mr. Estep is a native of Braxton County. He currently resides in Morgantown with his wife, Melissa and their three children Adam, Catie and Jacob.