CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The president and CEO of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce will leave his position in October to join the office of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., as senior advisor for economic development and state initiatives.
Bill Bissett joined the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce in November 2016. He previously served as the president of the Kentucky Coal Association and as chief of staff and senior vice president for communications at Marshall University.
Bissett will succeed Aaron Sporck, who is leaving Capito’s office for an opportunity outside of government.
“This move allows me to kind of get a better knowledge of my home state of West Virginia,” Bissett told MetroNews. “It’s so kind of the senator — with this opportunity open — to select me for it, and I hope to do my very best to further her initiatives and to help the people of West Virginia.”
Capito cited Bissett’s economic development experience as a leading factor in his hiring.
“He is a proud West Virginian who shares the same goals I have for creating a better future for West Virginians,” she said in a press release.
Bissett said he is most excited to assist the senator with economic development issues.
“As we’ve seen recently, there has been that decline in population. There are challenges,” he said. “As we have someone of Sen. Capito’s status, how do we maximize that? Her influence in Washington continues to grow, still very popular back here at home, but with all of those things in mind, how do we use that to leverage more paychecks, more opportunities for West Virginians?”
Bissett’s first day will be Oct. 4.