Tonya R. Michael

Tonya R. Michael started her new position as WVU Extension Service Development Representative in early August 2009.

Michael will assist with the planning and implementation of the WVU Extension Service development program, helping to support the mission, vision, and programming needs of the unit. She will also be in charge of annual fund, special events, and donor stewardship.

Michael previously worked with Extension’s development office as a graduate student. After graduating with her master’s degree in journalism from WVU in 2000, she moved to Huntington and worked for WOWK-13 as a commercial producer, developing all in-house commercials for the company.

Michael has spent six years working with Harley-Davidson. She started as a retail associate for Triple S Harley-Davidson in Morgantown and soon earned management status with Steel City Motorcycle Co. in Washington, Pa.

While at Steel City, she not only managed the general merchandise department and staff, but she also assisted with the day-to-day operations of the company, helped develop the employee handbook, and created in-store, newspaper, radio, and Internet advertisements.

Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts in 1998 from Concord College, where she was a Fife Scholar and Bonner Scholar recipient.

After earning her master’s in journalism, Michael went on to become a W.E.B. Dubois scholar while studying at WVU’s College of Law, where she earned her law degree in 2004. The Marie native is a graduate of Hinton High School.