FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2025
Contact: Gary Zuckett, 304-437-3701, garyz@wvag.org
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – WV Citizen Action Group celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Saturday, May 17. Nearly 200 gathered at the WV Capitol’s Culture Center to hear from founders and leaders from across the decades. The event honored half a century of people-powered efforts to protect and transform West Virginia.
The event kicked off with a social hour with music by Steve Himes & Joey Lafferty. After our opening video, David Grubb, WV Citizen Action’s founder, welcomed the crowd and opened the program by reading a letter by former President Obama congratulating the organization for its work protecting our healthcare, environment and democratic systems. The program continued with a short video from Hoppy Kercheval, the iconic, longtime host of Talkline. Hoppy, who once labeled WV Citizen Action as ‘the legitimate voice of the left’ in WV, said our voices are needed now more than ever in this time of turmoil.
This event was also an opportunity for the organization to announce that Gary Zuckett, the Executive Director since the mid-2000s, will be transitioning out of this position and Dani Parent, who had been the Organizing Director for the group in recent years, and is now serving as Co-Director will become the sole Executive Director in August.
Gary and Dani did the look ahead, introduced the congratulations video by singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea, and brought in the solo acoustic set by Corduroy Brown.
At 50, WV Citizen Action has had a long-lasting effect on the people and policies in West Virginia. Co-Director Zuckett mentioned in his remarks, “As I do my work in our community, I continually run across folks who, when hearing that I work at Citizen Action, say, hey, I knocked on doors for David Grubb, or I was an intern at Citizen Action in college. Our group has touched a lot of lives, helped make people-centered policies, and will now continue its work into our next 50 years.”
“As we look to the next 50 years of Citizen Action in West Virginia, I’m inspired by the power of organizing, education, and advocacy. We have everything we need to rise to meet this moment with courage, unity, and action through organizing. Our strength in West Virginia has always been our people, and we will continue working to build a more just, equitable, and democratic state for generations to come.” commented Dani Parent, incoming Executive Director of WV Citizen Action Group.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the first-ever Norm Steenstra Spirit Award by the Dunn Foundation of Parkersburg. Wayne Dunn and Beverly Steenstra presented the award to Angie Rosser, longtime Director of the WV Rivers Coalition, who now works with the World Wildlife Fund. This annual award, accompanied by a $5,000 stipend, will continue to honor an individual in the WV conservation and environmental movement who exemplifies Norm Steenstra’s dedication and spirit in fostering community involvement in a sustainable environment.
Local favorites Kindred Valley closed the night with a lively performance, with the audience moving and grooving.
View photos and videos from the event here.
For 50 years, WV Citizen Action has been at the forefront of driving meaningful change in WV, advocating for policies that uplift communities and empower individuals. Join us at www.wvcag.org as we honor the past, move from protest to power in the present, and envision a future that works for both the people and the planet.