Chambers alumnus Aidan Priest knows what it means to be a Mountaineer. In fact, he was once a finalist to serve as the University's mascot. It’s about more than buckskins and coonskin caps: it’s about the shared identity that unites generations under the WVU banner.
Thanks to that Mountaineer mindset, Priest is connecting students, alumni, and communities as outreach events program coordinator in the University’s offices of Corporate Relations and Government Relations.
“Initially, I wanted to go into corporate accounting and finance,” Priest said, “But after some self-evaluating, I realized I could use my data analytics experience to bring a unique skill set to the Enrollment Management team, and decided to pursue a passion that allowed me to stay in West Virginia and serve WVU."
That passion stems from his undergraduate work as a tour guide and assistant to the director of recruitment event strategy. When the opportunity to step into his current role presented itself, Priest jumped on it.
As an outreach events program coordinator, Priest is tasked with connecting WVU’s resources with communities across the state and helps fulfill its land-grant mission. As he puts it: “My big key goal with this position is that WVU gets out to the communities so that we're bringing the benefits of WVU to them."
The impact of Priest and his team has been felt far and wide. In summer 2025, West Virginia experienced multiple deadly flash floods that left communities devastated. Priest helped organize a team of students and staff to provide support in the areas that had been hardest hit.
“We got to support our land-grant mission by not only being present and speaking to people about WVU, but also showing that we’re also here to help when the state is in need,” Priest said.
Beyond his service work, Priest helps plan events that bring the WVU senior leadership team into local communities.
“I’ve been so excited and honored to be part of the team helping with President Benson’s Coming Home tour,” Priest said. “It’s all about listening and learning, meeting West Virginia citizens where they live and work. Along the way, we also hear the stories of West Virginians and learn so much about what WVU means in this state. We have a unique culture in West Virginia because a lot of our supporters are not alumni – they are passionate about the University and the unique ways we help in West Virginia.”
Additionally, Priest is working on a campaign to develop relationships with educators and counselors in West Virginia, encouraging in-state students to visit and apply to WVU even if they think college is out of reach.
“If we can get that conversation started, that's when we can start talking to high school students about programs that help with their financial aid and share how they can build and develop an academic portfolio in college that they may not have had in high school,” Priest said.
In the next few years, Priest hopes to further develop programs like this using the skills he learned at the Chambers College.
“The most important thing I learned from the Chambers College was relationship building and understanding the authenticity of a relationship,” Priest said. “The wide breadth of education that I got in addition to my accounting and finance majors helped set me up for success.”
When Priest chose not to follow his original path in corporate America, he called it a risk that proved worthwhile. Now he has more than a career: he has a mission.
“I’m very passionate about our mission at WVU,” Priest said. “We’re willing to take risks and go down the road less traveled. That mindset allowed me to feel comfortable and confident in my decision to stay and uplift WVU. I love sharing that passion with prospective students and families, alums and local leaders.”
-WVU-
Emma Higgins 10/13/25
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andrew Marvin
Senior Communications Specialist
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
andrew.marvin@mail.wvu.edu
