Today, Ginny Painter stands beside one of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures, Brad D. Smith, now the 38th president of Marshall University, serving as his chief of staff. This role, which demands a unique blend of higher education insight, strategic planning and people savvy, is challenging – but Ginny’s journey has more than prepared her. Armed with degrees in journalism and business administration, she understands how to communicate with clarity and purpose, a skill crucial for navigating higher education. Her talents, honed over the years in a variety of public relations roles, allow her to craft thoughtful messaging and implement plans, while her business administration skills enable her to streamline operations and support Smith in executing his vision for the university.
With more than three decades of experience, Painter has served in several public relations positions. They include positions with the Black Diamond Girl Scout Council, the West Virginia Chapter of the American Lung Association, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, as well as the Marshall University Research Corporation and then as the senior vice president for Communications and Marketing at Marshall. Early in her career, she also tapped into her love of history as deputy commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
“I left public relations, really, because Brad Smith offered me the opportunity,” Painter said. “I wasn’t bored because no one in public relations is ever bored. I wasn’t even burned out, but when he came to me and said he would need a full-time chief of staff, and that he valued my skillset and institutional knowledge, it became clear to me that maybe I could do the job.”
A chief of staff is notedly a planner, an organizer and a writer, skills that Painter realized she had even as a teenager. The St. Albans High School graduate considered law school while in her freshman year at West Virginia Wesleyan College, but instead decided to transfer to Marshall University where she found her niche in the School of Journalism and focused on public relations. It was a career she stayed with until 2022 when she assumed the chief of staff role.
Working closely with Smith has given Painter a front-row seat to his ambitious initiatives aimed at transforming the future of Marshall University.
“One of the things I do love about this position is being able to influence and help solve students’ problems and the trials that our student body faces like student debt….and how I can have an integral role in improving, lessening our student debt by working on programs like the Marshall For All program,” she said.
Conversely, she acknowledges that in previous higher education positions, she didn’t often see the challenges that students face daily. Being in the president’s office, such issues are commonly confronted, and Painter admits it can be sobering.
So, what does a high-powered chief of staff do to relax? She reads, gardens, travels with her husband and has recently begun to knit again, a hobby she enjoyed years ago.
As she reflects on her journey from scooping ice cream to managing the programs of a university president, Ginny sees how each step – big and small – prepared her for the work she does today. She knows that her roots, and the early lessons in work ethic and connection, play as big a part in her success. And as she helps Smith lead Marshall University into a promising future, Ginny remains dedicated to her hometown values, always grounded, and always ready to serve.
