CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Belle, West Virginia native and a member of the West Virginia Army National Guard, Evan Conley says he’s ready to take on his new role as Executive Director of the state’s Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster group, or VOAD.
“I’m very excited to start with VOAD, I haven’t worked directly with them before, but I’ve been around them and their member organizations, and I just think it’s pretty exciting to get here and to get back home, and to get to do the work,” Conley said. 
According to a press release announcing Conley’s appointment, he comes to the role with a wealth of experience in emergency response, and remains a distinguished leader in the National Guard.
VOAD Board of Directors Chairman David Lumsden said Conley led emergency response efforts during the COVID-19 Pandemic and assisted in operations supporting the state’s correctional facilities under a special mission from former Governor Jim Justice.
“Evan stood out among the candidates in our search process due to his real-life emergency management experience,” Lumsden stated. “is leadership skills, operational mindset, and deep understanding of crisis response make him an ideal choice to guide our organization into the future and ensure that WV VOAD continues to play a critical role in disaster response across the state.”
During the pandemic, Conley helped coordinate large-scale community support initiatives, from setting up emergency hospital units to organizing food distribution drives across the tri-state region.
“VOAD’s a structure between members and partners that can probably do a little bit more than what the Guard can do, since the Guard is limited by government spending and their superiors, but at VOAD, they have no limits, we have a bunch of faith groups here, and they’re awesome,” he said. “You get to really make an impact on the individual more than just the area.”
The organizations that comprise VOAD dedicate their time and efforts to serving communities before, during, and after disasters, with the focus being on the four phases of disaster: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation.
Conley said while he started with VOAD on April 7 and was a little late at assisting them with the ongoing recovery efforts from the Mid-February flood disaster in Southern West Virginia, he did get to help some with that when he came on board.
He said he got to assist in bringing in some necessary supplies down to the Southern Coalfields.
“Currently, right now we have a shower trailer there set up in the Williamson area and a laundry trailer there, I was there for the drop-off,” Conley said. “I’m kind of late in the game responding to that disaster since it was back in February, and I didn’t get back until April, I started April 7th, so I’m a little late in the game with that, but whenever the next disaster that pops up, whenever that may be with West Virginia’s history with flooding and other things, that will be my first one.”
Conley said he was glad to get to see the progress that’s being made in recovery there, and he’s always ready to help out where needed.
“It’s always nice to get out in the field and see what happens, because that’s where you make the biggest effort in helping people, they see your face, get to build some relationships, and, you know, the next time something bad happens, they know who to call,” he said.
Conley said as a new leader to a non-profit, he’s still taking the time to learn the ropes and observe how the organization functions, but he added that he’s ready to bring his own energy into it.
Story by Katherine Skeldon, MetroNews