Mayor, City of Fairmont; Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations—Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University Foundation, Inc.
Photo by Melissa Rosic Photography.
By Dawn Nolan
Growing up, Clendenin, WV, native Anne Bolyard, Ed.D., enjoyed spending holidays and summers at her grandmother’s house on Fairmont’s East Side, but she never imagined that one day, she would become a part of the city’s history.
“To date, my greatest achievement professionally has been being elected as the first female mayor in the city that I love and that my family has called home for over 100 years,” she says.
Bolyard was elected mayor of the City of Fairmont in January 2023 after serving two years as a city council member for Fairmont’s District 2. Before running for city council, she served as a commissioner for both the City of Fairmont Board of Zoning Appeals and Historic Preservation Review Commission.
“As the mayor, I preside over all city council meetings, I am recognized as the head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes, I listen to the needs of the citizens, and I work in partnership with our city manager and my fellow city council colleagues,” she says.
Along with her mayoral responsibilities, Bolyard works as director of corporate and foundation relations for the Health Sciences Center at the West Virginia University Foundation, Inc.
“The important aspects of my work are to identify funding opportunities and cultivate and solicit philanthropic support by developing and maintaining relationships with corporations, foundations and individuals to foster positive and enduring relationships,” she says. “Prior to joining the WVU Foundation Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations, my career spanned over 16 years in research administration in several roles at WVU.”
Bolyard was raised in a family of public school teachers who instilled in her the importance of intellectual curiosity and education, something she has carried with her all her life. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from the West Virginia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in community health education from WVU and a Doctorate in Education in leadership studies from Marshall University.
With educators who helped her discover her love of music, supervisors at her first professional job at CAMC Corporate Wellness and her doctoral committee, Bolyard has had a number of mentors throughout her life. She has reciprocated their efforts by advising undergraduate and graduate students.
“In being a mentor, the important aspect is to listen to understand, not just listen to respond,” she says.
In addition to mentoring, community service and volunteering are important parts of Bolyard’s life.
“Each of us achieves our dreams and realizes our ambitions not alone, but with the support of family as well as strangers that give their time or resources to make these achievements possible,” she says. “This legacy of philanthropy and service is only possible when you realize that your gifts and talents are needed to help others, whether it’s one person or an entire community. This understanding is what drives me to give back and work with others to make a difference in West Virginia.”
Bolyard has been a neonatal intensive care unit cuddler and Child Life Program volunteer at WVU Medicine Children’s hospital for six years and also serves as a board member for the Friends of WVU Hospitals and Marion County Rescue Squad. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of South Fairmont and GFWC Woman’s Club of Fairmont.
“These organizations are important to me because the common thread of their respective missions is to support and improve the community in a variety of ways,” she says.
The support and encouragement of her family, as well as her own stamina to live a life of service and purpose, has gotten Bolyard to where she is today. For the future, she is focused on continuing to better herself, her community and her state.
“West Virginia is home,” she says. “It’s a collection of close-knit communities and a heritage of hard work and determination. This is a legacy that I must continue in my own way with other West Virginians for future generations.”
