THE SMILE MAKER

Kelly Collins

Chief Executive Officer, The State Fair of West Virginia

SUPERPOWER: Creating joy

The State Fair of West Virginia has always held a special place in Kelly Collins’ heart. As an August baby, she was only a few days old when she attended her first-ever fair to watch her brothers show livestock. Her family lived about 5 miles from the fairgrounds, and her mother was a decades-long 4-H leader. Collins remembers a conversation with her dad when she was about 12 years old: The two had just finished showing their sheep and were sitting outside the barn. She told him, “One day I want to run the state fair.” And in 2015, that dream became a reality. Collins, at age 26, was officially named chief executive officer of the State Fair of West Virginia.

Collins graduated from Greenbrier East High School and attended West Virginia University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a public relations emphasis, and then her master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications. During her time in Morgantown, she worked for WVU Sports Communications, which she credits with laying the foundation for her career path.

Collins is only the fourth director in the state fair’s 100-year history. “I had a lot to prove and a lot to learn,” she says. “It’s been a fun ride getting to where I am.” Just a year after becoming CEO, Collins and her husband, Zack, had their first daughter, Lou. She appreciates her coworkers for their support in keeping the fair on track as her family later welcomed twins, Laine and Cooper.

Since 2015, the CEO has not only successfully balanced her work and home lives, but she has also led the state fair through a global pandemic and inflation. “It’s the people that keep us going. We’re a place for people to come have fun—to focus on time with friends and family, to see a livestock show or attend a live concert,” says Collins. “It’s still my favorite 10 days of the year. Even if I do have a bad day, just hearing kids talk about the fair and what it means to them, that’s my motivation to keep going.”

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.