CHARLESTON W.Va. (WVDN) — John “JB” McCuskey officially became the 35th West Virginia Attorney General.
The transition happened at 12:01 a.m. Monday, with a public swearing-in at 11 a.m.
Attorney General McCuskey has been working to ensure a smooth transition and with that, he is announcing his senior leadership.
The team brings decades of legal experience and will join McCuskey in his fight to preserve West Virginia values and move the state forward.
“I am honored to become the state’s next Attorney General and vow to fight every day to protect the people of West Virginia,” Attorney General McCuskey said. “Today, I am announcing my leadership team. The talent we have been able to attract is second to none, bringing in attorneys from the private sector, those with experience in civil and criminal litigation, and those with experience in state government. Together, this talented group will continue to lead the way to protect not only West Virginia’s citizens and industries, but also ensure that West Virginia plays a key role in restoring American greatness.”
Jace Goins and Lauren Plymale have been named Chief Deputy Attorneys General. Caleb David will be taking on the role of Deputy Solicitor General, serving under Solicitor General Michael Williams who has done an incredible job in the Morrisey Administration and will continue that work under Attorney General McCuskey. Steven Travis will remain the office’s general counsel. Administratively, Jeff Waybright is joining the team as Chief of Staff, Kallie Cart is Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Communications and Belinda Carpenter is Executive Assistant to the Attorney General.
“We are moving into a well-run operation, and for that I am thankful,” McCuskey said. “My leadership team and I are looking forward to working with the existing employees, who hold a wealth of knowledge and work hard to protect the people of West Virginia. Those employees, combined with this new crop of talent, ensures a smooth transition as well as a focus on building on the immense success of Governor Morrisey’s administration.”
Senior Leadership Team:
- Jace Goins is joining the Attorney General’s Office as Chief Deputy Attorney General. Goins has nearly 30 years of courtroom experience managing complex litigation as a member of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, where he specialized in civil litigation. He has earned Martindale-Hubbell’s prestigious “AV” rating, which signifies that peers rank him at preeminent levels of legal ability and professional ethics. Goins was also named by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in the areas of Litigation: Medical Malpractice Defense, and was named as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the areas of healthcare litigation, insurance litigation and professional malpractice law. He has a B.A. from Washington & Lee University and a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law.
- Lauren Plymale is Chief Deputy Attorney General. Plymale brings with her a wealth of experience both inside and outside the courtroom. Most recently, she was General Counsel for the State Auditor’s Office and Director of the Public Integrity and Fraud Unit where her team secured felony fraud convictions and tracked down millions in stolen taxpayer dollars. Prior to that, she served 17 years as an assistant prosecutor in Cabell County where she tried several high-profile felony cases and fought in front of the West Virginia Supreme Court. She has a B.A. in Management Information Systems from Marshall University and a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law.
- Michael Williams is the Solicitor General for the State of West Virginia, where he represents the State in strategic litigation and appeals, including cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Williams co-led Bush Seyferth PLLC’s complex-briefing and appeals group, representing Fortune 500 companies and others in suits across the country. He also practiced in the litigation groups of two Washington, D.C. firms and clerked with the Appellate Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. His work has been honored with a Best Brief Award from the National Association of Attorneys General and a Leader in Law Award from Michigan Lawyers Weekly. A graduate of the George Washington University Law School, Williams clerked for both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
- Caleb B. David joins the Attorney General’s Office as Deputy Solicitor General and special counsel to Attorney General McCuskey. David spent the last 10 years in private practice at Shuman McCuskey Slicer PLLC, where he was a member in the firm’s Charleston office. David’s litigation practice included representing the State of West Virginia and its agencies and officials in complex matters in state and federal courts, trying cases to verdict and handling appeals before the Intermediate Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. David is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law and Washington & Jefferson College.
- Steven Travis will remain General Counsel for the Attorney General’s Office. Travis has been with the Attorney General’s Office for the past 10 years; prior to that he worked for Jackson Kelly PLLC. Travis is a graduate of West Virginia University College of Law.
- Jeff Waybright is joining the Attorney General’s Office as Chief of Staff. Waybright was the Chief of Staff in the State Auditor’s Office for 9 years, where he helped run the day-to-day operations and managed the more than 160-person staff. He will bring those skills with him to help with operations within the Attorney General’s Office. Previously, Waybright was the Jackson County Clerk for more than 23 years. He also served on the Jackson County School Board.
- Kallie Cart joins the team as Director of Communications and Deputy Chief of Staff. Previously, Cart served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office. Prior to her roles in state government, Cart was an award-winning journalist, earning an Edward R. Murrow Award and recognitions from the Associated Press and West Virginia Broadcasters Association throughout her more than 15-year career in television news. She spent most of that time at WCHS in Charleston as a reporter and anchor where she held the powerful accountable and now is a crucial part of achieving Attorney General McCuskey’s mission to lead with transparency. Cart is a graduate of the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
- Belinda Carpenter is the Executive Assistant to the Attorney General. Carpenter was the Human Resources Assistant Administrator in the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office, where she helped with the day-today operations of the office. Previously, she worked in office management within the medical field.
