-
Stephanie D. Taylor
Vice President and General Counsel
Stephanie D. Taylor serves as the Vice President and General Counsel of West Virginia University. As the Vice President and General Counsel, Stephanie is part of the University’s executive leadership team and provides advice and counsel to the President, the University’s administrators, faculty, and staff, and the University’s Board of Governors. She also manages the legal services provided by the University’s attorneys and oversees work performed by law firms on behalf of the University.
-
Gary G. Furbee, II
Deputy General Counsel and Associate Vice President
Gary Furbee serves as Deputy General Counsel and Associate Vice President of Real Estate Operations. Gary assists in representing the interests of the University’s executive and senior leadership by providing legal services, transactional support, policy development, and strategic planning. In addition to his legal duties, Gary oversees the University’s real estate operations, ensuring efficient management of the institution’s land and property assets, including the University's commercial properties and residential apartment communities known as University Apartments.
-
Carol Ann Marunich
Deputy General Counsel
Carol Ann Marunich serves as Deputy General Counsel at West Virginia University. As a Deputy General Counsel, Carol works closely with the University’s senior leadership by providing legal services in a wide range of practice areas, including medical malpractice, healthcare issues, employment law, employee relations, litigation, ADA issues involving employees and Title IX compliance.
-
Rossi E. Wiles
Deputy General Counsel for Innovation and Research
Rossi E. Wiles serves as Deputy General Counsel for Innovation and Research at West Virginia University. As a Deputy General Counsel, Rossi focuses primarily on: business transactions; construction; bond and traditional financing transactions; complex commercial and public-private transaction engagements; state procurement; federal, state, and industry research; and innovation engagements.
-
Kevin J. Cimino
Deputy General Counsel
Kevin Cimino serves as Deputy General Counsel at West Virginia University. As a Deputy General Counsel, Kevin primarily focuses on compliance related matters including issues surrounding Title IX, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act; student related issues and activities, including student conduct and academic integrity; University police matters; and assisting with the University’s Threat Assessment and Coordination Team and the University’s CARE Team.
-
Harry P. Montoro
Senior Managing Attorney
As a Senior Managing Attorney at West Virginia University, Harry P. Montoro primarily focuses on responding to or providing legal advice related to records requests to include subpoenas, Freedom of Information Act requests, and requests for student and personnel records. He also provides legal services in the areas of athletic contracts, children on campus activities (such as 4-H and the Boy Scouts of America), WVU Extension, and Global Affairs.
-
Ryan M. Watson
Executive Director of Intellectual Property and Licensing / Senior Associate General Counsel
Ryan serves as Executive Director of Intellectual Property and Licensing / Senior Associate General Counsel for West Virginia University. As the Executive Director of Intellectual Property and Licensing for the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, Ryan leads the legal review and negotiation of intellectual property transactions and the management of WVU’s intellectual property portfolio. As Senior Associate General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel, Ryan focuses on industry sponsored research and innovation engagements; business transactions; and state procurement. Ryan’s primary clients include the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute; the West Virginia Water Research Institute, the John Chambers College of Business & Economics and its Vantage Ventures; the WVU Research Office; and WVU’s affiliated West Virginia University Research Corporation.
-
Michael J. Spooner
Senior Associate General Counsel
Michael J. Spooner serves as Senior Associate General Counsel for West Virginia University. As an Senior Associate General Counsel, Mike assists in a variety of matters including litigation; business transactions; employment law; accessibility; student accounts; ethics; conflict of interest; and FOIA.
-
Abigail Wolfe
Senior Associate General Counsel
Abigail Wolfe is a Senior Associate General Counsel and also serves as the Senior Associate Export Control Officer in the Export Control Office. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and she is a graduate of WVU College of Law and Public Administration Program.
-
James P. Rector
Associate General Counsel
James P. Rector serves as Associate General Counsel at West Virginia University. As an Associate General Counsel, James provides legal services in several areas, including constitutional law, contracts, litigation, real estate, construction, student conduct, and Freedom of Information Act requests.
-
Kylie D. Barnhart
Associate General Counsel
Kylie D. Barnhart serves as an Associate General Counsel for West Virginia University. As an Associate General Counsel, Kylie assists in a variety of legal matters including litigation, trademark and copyright, Freedom of Information Act requests, and contracts.
-
Michael Mucciola
Clery Act Coordinator
Michael Mucciola serves West Virginia University as the Clery Act Coordinator. In this role, he ensures that our University complies with all requirements set forth in the Clery Act. He plays a significant role in preparing, publishing and distributing the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for all WVU campuses. In addition, he regularly works to identify and train designated Campus Security Authorities (CSA) and reviews all applicable crime reports for inclusion in the Annual Clery Act Crime Statistics.
-
Lisa Wolfe
Assistant to the General Counsel
Lisa Wolfe serves as the Assistant to the General Counsel. She provides high-level administrative support in several areas including assisting counsel with litigation and grievance management, medical malpractice litigation management, file management, and numerous other administrative duties. Lisa provides primary support for Stephanie D. Taylor, Carol Ann Marunich, Gary G. Furbee II, Kevin J. Cimino and Kylie Barnhart.
-
Jennifer Schuler
Program Manager
Jennifer Schuler serves as a Program Manager for the West Virginia University Office of the General Counsel. She assists counsel with contract management and numerous other administrative duties. She serves as primary support for Rossi E. Wiles, Ryan M. Watson, Harry P. Montoro, Michael J. Spooner and James P. Rector.
-
Cathy Sellaro
Paralegal
Cathy Sellaro serves as Paralegal for the West Virginia University Office of General Counsel. As the sole Paralegal, Cathy provides assistance to counsel in a wide range of areas, including transaction, real estate and contract management, litigation, policy development, subpoena responses, and Freedom of Information Act responses.
-
Thomas Motes
Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property
Thomas Motes is a registered patent attorney serving as Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property at West Virginia University. In this role, Thomas focuses on intellectual property and data use issues relating to University agreements and research. He also supports the Office of Innovation and Commercialization by assisting in patent procurement and licensing of WVU technology. Outside of his intellectual property responsibilities, he assists in various legal matters for the General Counsel’s office including real estate and general contracting.