Officers and Board Members

Dan Gooding, President

Dan and Kellie enjoy their 1915 Southside home with their adult, autistic son, Daniel.  Dan, a Marshall graduate and Certified Financial Planner, owns a wealth management firm.  He spent thirteen years with Xerox in Morgantown, WV, before relocating to Lewisburg, WV, following Kellie’s radiology residency and fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.  He was Morgantown’s Ronald McDonald House founding president. He served multiple terms as president of The Lewisburg Preservation Alliance and was an officer of The Preservation Alliance of WV for 10 years.  Having had a lifelong interest in historic preservation, Dan served seven years as Lewisburg’s Landmarks Commission architectural advisor.

Jim Rorrer, Vice President

Jim Rorrer is a retired institutional investment consultant. After graduating from Marshall University in 1971 and working for First Huntington National Bank, he relocated to Richmond, VA, to work in the investment industry for nearly 40 years. Jim moved back to the Southside with his wife, Trish, in 2014.  Jim is active in the community, serving on various city and Marshall University boards, including the Marshall University Foundation, the Big Green Scholarship Foundation, Lewis College of Business Advisory Board, Huntington Water Quality Board, Huntington Municipal Development Authority, and the Woodlands Retirement Community Board.

Christina Bailey, Secretary

Christina is a Morgantown native and 2004 graduate of WVU with a degree in interior design and art history. After her husband Tim, a physical therapist, completed a rotation at Cabell Huntington Hospital, he accepted a position there.  They settled into their comfortable Southside home in 2008 with their family, which includes three growing boys.  Christina formerly worked as an interior designer with Creative Kitchens, but has more recently been focused on her family.  She served a two year term as president of the Southside Neighborhood Organization, was on the board of Create Huntington, and has been a member of the City of Huntington’s Historic Preservation Commission, having been appointed by the mayor in 2012.

Timothy Stanley, Treasurer

Timothy grew up in the tristate area and is a USC Healthcare graduate.  He has spent more than 25 years in the healthcare industry, focusing on bringing medical talent to small communities in need.  After being gone for several years, he returned to Huntington because of his love of the area.  Timothy resides in a 1921 Colonial home near Ritter Park that he has carefully restored over the past 4 years.  He has always been involved in community organizations, wherever he has lived, and is an enthusiastic supporter of The Alliance and promoter of Huntington’s Southside.

 David Amsbary, Board Member

David is an attorney with Bailes, Craig & Sellards Law Firm in Huntington. He was the president of the Huntington Little League for four years and served on the Cabell County Public Library Board of Trustees. David also contributes his time to the Highlander Baseball Club. During his time residing in the Southside with his wife, Rachel, and their three children, he has grown to appreciate the wonderful attributes the neighborhood has to offer. Features as simple as the brick streets and unique architecture give David the motivation to help preserve the charm of the Southside.

Liza Caldwell, Board Member

While wrapping up her work in renovation and interior design, Liza knew which neighborhood she would like to call home upon returning to Huntington. A lover of the Southside, Liza now calls the house she renovated on Whitaker Boulevard home. She is an experienced businesswoman and is greatly involved in the community, serving on numerous development boards such as the Municipal Development Authority, the Urban Renewal Authority, and Huntington’s Historic Preservation Commission. Liza believes that education is the key factor to future success of the Southside. She desires for the homeowners and residents of the Southside to be aware of the benefits they can reap from working alongside their neighbors to restore and maintain the beautiful neighborhood they all call home.

Dan Ferguson, Board Member

Dan is a retired Huntington police officer who now serves as the Cabell County Chief Magistrate. A lifelong Southside resident, Dan is a graduate of Huntington High School and Marshall University. He and his wife, Arlene, reside near the Memorial Arch. The only time he has spent away from the area was during his service in the United States military. Like many other members, Dan joined the Southside Alliance board to help preserve the beautiful neighborhood he has always loved. He plans to use his skills in community service to help the Alliance continue to make progress with its objectives.

Sharon Frazier, Board Member

Sharon moved to Huntington in 1986 when she married her husband, Michael Frazier.  They raised their three sons here, two of whom have chosen to make Huntington their home also. Sharon’s first involvement with the Southside neighborhood was when her sons were attending Cammack Middle School and discussions were beginning about whether to close or renovate the school.  She became active with the PTA and the LSIC in doing whatever she could to help encourage a renovation that would complement the surrounding neighborhood. It should be noted, her husband grew up on the Southside and was a proud Cammack Blue Streak.
Huntington has been her home now for more than 35 years where she has raised her family and had a career as an attorney.  She is now retired and plans for this to be her forever home.  Sharon believes the city has so much to offer-green spaces, the arts in many forms, a vibrant downtown, and a variety of sports.  She hopes to help the city promote and develop these opportunities in any way she can.

Whitney Gesner, Board Member

Whitney is a real estate agent and co-owner of Hood Realty Holdings in Huntington. She is a Huntington High School and Marshall University graduate. Before becoming a licensed real estate agent, Whitney worked in administration with King’s Daughters Medical Center and Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital in Ashland, KY. She is a lifelong Southside resident. In 2006, Whitney purchased the Southside home she grew up in and now raises her children, Kendall and Grant, there with her husband, Tom. Whitney joined the Southside Alliance with the motivation to help preserve and improve the neighborhood that is such a significant part of her family and friends’ lifestyles.

Bob Hansen, Board Member

The former CEO of Prestera Center, Bob is now retired and spends his days working as a community volunteer. Bob and his wife, Linda, moved to the Southside from Teays Valley. He has always had an interest in the development and improvements of the City of Huntington, serving on various boards here. Bob is chairman of the sub-committee to re-restore the old Huntington High School building. His goal is to work in collaboration with the Huntington Housing Development Authority to secure additional funding to make the facility again a source of pride for the residents and the city.

Jason Pennington, Board Member

Jason transferred to Huntington from Louisiana to join Marathon Petroleum’s Catlettsburg refinery as Maintenance Manager. He holds a degree from Auburn University in Mechanical Engineering. He and his wife, Hanna, were impressed with home ownership opportunities in the Southside. Living in the Southside has sparked his interest in helping to preserve the neighborhood. Jason believes the park is one of, if not the biggest, asset of the Southside. Helping to preserve the historic stonework and landscaping of the park is an important task to him. Jason has assumed the chairmanship of the Alliance’s Bridges and Gateways Committee and serves on the Parks Committee.

Scott Stapleton, Board Member

Scott was born in Huntington and attended Wayne High School. He graduated from Marshall University in 1980 and went to law school at George Washington University. Scott is an attorney at his firm, Stapleton Law Offices, practicing personal injury law alongside his brother and son. Scott and his wife, Gail, are longtime Southside residents who raised their sons, Chris and Matt, here. Scott worked on the Ritter Park cleanup project and is eager to continue to be involved in improvements to the park. He believes that targeting the younger generation and motivating them to be involved in the preservation of the Southside is a key factor to the neighborhood’s long term success.

Robert “Bo” Sweeney, Jr. , Board Member

Outside of his work as experienced trial counsel for Jenkins Fenstermaker, Bo is active in the Cabell County community, serving as a board member of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department and the Huntington Urban Renewal Authority. When he’s not working for his clients or to better his community, you might find him playing bass with his band, “My Only Cab Ride,” or putting his woodworking skills to use building a Goat Island Skiff sailboat.

Parker Ward, Board Member

Parker is a lifelong resident of Huntington. He and his wife, Amy, moved to the Southside in 1995. Their two children enjoyed walking to Cammack Elementary and Middle School (now Southside Elementary and Huntington Middle School) and playing throughout their Southside neighborhood. Parker and Amy are owners/brokers of Realty Advantage and have always supported downtown Huntington and the Southside neighborhood. Parker was on the Huntington Zoning Board for nine years. He was the first president of the Marshall University Quarterback Club and is a past president of The Big Green Scholarship Foundation. He is a member of the Huntington Rotary Club. Parker enjoys attending sporting events, live music, boating, and traveling. His favorite travels are to visit with his grandchildren.

Jennifer Wheeler, Board Member

Jennifer Wheeler is a Huntington Southside native.  After time spent in Manhattan and South Carolina, Jennifer now resides in the hills atop the Southside, enjoying a beautiful view of the city she loves.  Jennifer is Director of Development for the Huntington Museum of Art.  She formerly served as chairperson of Huntington City Council, representing much of the Southside. Married to Hurricane native, Ben Newhouse, County Manager for Cabell County, Jennifer is an avid tennis player. She enjoys walking in Ritter Park, especially near the Memorial Arch, and is learning more about the popular sport, pickle ball.  She also loves keeping up with Huntington Little League. Jennifer’s love for her hometown and her desire to “preserve and enhance” the beauty and other attributes of the Southside makes her eager to join the leadership of The Alliance.