Jill Upson, MBA

Director of Special Programs, WV Department of Economic Development
Commissioner Jill Upson, Chair

Jill Upson is director of special programs at the West Virginia Department of Economic Development which operates under the WV Department of Commerce. She has served in this role since 2025. Upson is also the acting executive director of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs (HHOMA). She was appointed to this cabinet-level position in December 2018 after serving for four years as a legislator in the West Virginia House of Delegates.  The busy director is also the acting executive director of the West Virginia Women’s Commission. She received her appointment to this position in September 2022. Additionally, Upson serves as chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission.

Having been elected twice to the West Virginia House of Delegates, Upson served as vice chair of Banking, in addition to serving on various committees, caucuses, and commissions. Director Upson is an original member of the HOPE Scholarship Board, and also a member of the West Virginia Women’s Suffragist Memorial Committee. Due to her steadfast leadership in criminal justice reform, Upson was recognized by the West Virginia Human Rights Commission with the Governor's Civil Rights Award in 2017. She was also awarded the Distinguished West Virginian Award in 2024, the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen by the Governor of West Virginia.

Outside of state government, Upson serves on the board of the Jefferson County Development Authority. In addition, Upson is also a member of the board of directors at Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council. She is a longtime member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and a regular volunteer at her home church, Crossroads Church in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Upson has an MBA: Public Administration from Liberty University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Shepherd University. She is currently a doctoral candidate (PhD. ABD) in Public Policy: Education Policy. She is married to retired Navy Commander, Kelvin Upson, who is currently a senior cyber security engineer for a large defense contractor and 24-year professor at the University of Phoenix in the Cyber Security program. She is also the mother of DJ and Chandler.