Morrisey appoints Kessinger as new Tourism secretary
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CHARLESTON - A former Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from Fayette County will become the second cabinet secretary of the Department of Tourism, succeeding Chelsea Ruby in the role.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kayla Kessinger's appointment Tuesday morning in a press conference in the Governor's Reception Room at the Capitol.
"Whenever you’re telling stories, you need a great storyteller. And I think we found an incredible storyteller in our next secretary of tourism, Kayla Kessinger," Morrisey said.
"I feel beyond blessed and privileged to be stepping into a department that has accomplished so many remarkable things over the last couple of years and a team that is incredibly strong, that loves West Virginia, that loves the work that they get to do," Kessinger said. "Giving me the opportunity to step into this role is something that I cannot be more excited about and we’re grateful for."
Kessinger is a native of Fayette County, home to the state’s only national park and the capital of West Virginia's outdoor recreation industry. She represented the 32nd House District in Fayette County from 2014 to 2022, rising to the role of assistant majority leader. She declined to seek re-election.
During her time in the House of Delegates, Kessinger chaired the Select Committee on Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse. She also was a member of the Education, Rules, Redistricting and Senior, Children and Families committees.
"She knows our state. She understands our communities. She has incredible organizational skills and she’s a coalition builder," Morrisey said. "She knows how state government ticks. She has worked and she has built massive coalitions on issues West Virginians care very deeply about. I’ll tell you what, she is going to be in a position to tell a story because this has been her passion."
Kessinger is the state program director of Her Plan, a pro-life nonprofit organization that provides women's health services, pregnancy support, counseling and other services that encourage expecting mothers to not seek abortion. She serves on the West Virginia Ethics Commission and was recently on the America 250 Task Force that planned July's four-day Capitol City Celebration in Charleston.
Kessinger succeeds Ruby, who resigned at the end of July to pursue other opportunities after serving as the department's first cabinet secretary. Former Gov. Jim Justice removed the Division of Tourism from the Department of Commerce and made it its own department in 2021. In 2025, the department expanded when the Department of Arts, Culture and History was dissolved and its agencies, boards and commissions were folded into the Department of Tourism.
The total economic impact of tourism in West Virginia grew to $9 billion last year, with traveler spending outpacing national tourism spending. According to the department, visitor volume to West Virginia reached 77.2 million last year, with visitor spending increasing by 4.1% to $6.6 billion between 2024 and 2025.
“Over the last several years, the Tourism Department has really changed the way that people see our state," Kessinger said. "I think that in a lot of ways, they have put West Virginia on the map, not by pretending that we’re something that we’re not, but by really showing people who we are and who we’ve always been.
"They’ve invited people to see our mountains and to raft our rivers, to hike our trails, and to discover the incredible people that make West Virginia such a special place to all of us," Kessinger continued. "I really believe that their work has been so successful because, as the governor mentioned, at its heart, tourism really is telling a story. And I am convinced that West Virginians are the best storytellers."
Many people in recent years have been excited “to hear just a little bit about the West Virginia story," Morrisey said.
"People know about our incredible national park. They know about Harper’s Ferry. They know about all the amazing hills and hollers,” he said. “And why West Virginia is the most scenic, the most gorgeous place on the face of the earth."