May 22, 2017 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Marilyn House West earlier this month was elected as the first minority and woman to chair Waynesburg University’s Board of Trustees, but she says that historical footnote shouldn’t define her or the board’s work.

“It’s not really about me, but about the capability of moving the university forward to fulfill its vision and mission,” West said.

The Waynesburg University graduate, who grew up in Elizabeth, Allegheny County, and now owns and operates a management and education consulting business in Richmond, Va., has been a member of the board for about eight years.

Her background running M.H. West & Co. Inc. and serving on various boards in Virginia’s state capital has prepared her for the role on the Waynesburg U. board, she said. West also was inducted Thursday into the Virginia Business Hall of Fame.

“It’s not the first position where I’ve led a board. It’s another step. It’s a great opportunity,” she said. “I look at it as a person leading the board. It just happens that I’m a minority, that I’m a woman and it happens to be I’m a senior as well.”

President Douglas Lee said her election to chair the board harkens back to Waynesburg’s history as one of the first colleges in the area to educate men and women together at Hanna Hall.

“To become the chair, it’s so consistent with the mission of the university and heritage we have,” Lee said. “It’s a great moment to celebrate.”

He added, though, her leadership abilities are what catapulted her to the position.

“There are great women leaders coming out of the university, and here is a leader in her community in Richmond, recognized for her work numerous times,” Lee said. “She has a great understanding of the mission and a great perspective of our vision.”

West graduated from Waynesburg in 1967 with a mathematics degree. During her time there, she became the first black woman to join a sorority, prompting the national organization to cut off the group’s funds and threaten to revoke its charter. Her sorority sisters instead chose to withdraw from the national group rather than refuse her membership.

She’s said she’s proud to now serve as board chairwoman of her alma mater.

“It’s all about cultivation and helping others, being a role model,” she said. “Stay focused and always be prepared. Do your very best no matter who you are or what you do. Everyone has a role to play and should play it as best as they can.”

And knowing that role within the university will be her most important attribute as a board member and chairwoman, she said.

“It’s about leadership. It’s about making things happen. It’s about being as proactive as possible, but staying in your lane as a board member,” she said. “I think there are some who want to get into the operations side. I understand what it means to be a board member, not to flip into another lane.”