Biography
Tricia Ball is a dynamic leader and community advocate with experience in higher education, economic development, and marketing who has a passion for supporting entrepreneurs and driving regional growth. She is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iCenter) at Marshall University.
Tricia returned to Marshall in late 2024 after serving as the President and CEO of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. Under her leadership, the Chamber saw increased membership, revenue, and engagement. In addition to completing a community-driven strategic planning process, rebranding, and membership investment restructuring, the Chamber also launched several key initiatives during her tenure, such as Leadership Huntington, the Greater Huntington Candy Cane Trail, the “In Your Business” podcast, and the Nonprofit Roundtable.
Prior to the Chamber, Tricia worked at Marshall University in multiple roles. She served as the Associate Director of the iCenter and worked to inspire innovation within the University and throughout the community by providing design thinking education and facilitation. During her time at the iCenter, Tricia helped to launch the Entrepreneur in Residence program and open a content creation and design thinking studio. She also served as the Acting Director of the Brad D. Smith Business Incubator and Director of Marketing for the Appalachian Transportation Institute and Center for Business and Economic Research.
Before originally coming to Marshall, she worked in the field of corporate marketing, where she was an account manager who led an international team of 15 employees on the agency’s largest account while simultaneously serving as the lead on a new line of business. Her career started in an organizational advising and leadership development role at the University of Florida.
Tricia is actively involved in the community. She is on the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Vision 2030 Committee and serves on the Board of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She has previously served on the Boards of Advantage Valley, the Huntington Tri-State Airport, and the Huntington Area Development Council (HADCO). She is also the third grade Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church of Kenova.
Tricia is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Appalachian Leadership Institute. She has been certified by Intuit as a Design for Delight Innovator, by LEANSTACK in Continuous Innovation, by IDEO U in Business Innovation, and by Gallup as a Strengths Coach.
Tricia is a first-generation college student with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and business administration from West Virginia University. She went on to earn her master’s degree in student personnel in higher education from the University of Florida. Tricia is originally from southwestern Pennsylvania, where she learned the transformative impact of entrepreneurship from her parents who were small business owners. Tricia and her husband, Christopher, have two young sons, Aaden and Ethan.