Danny F. Scalise, II
Executive Director, West Virginia State Medical Association
DANNY SCALISE’S background in business
administration, economics and health
policy and his experience in finance and
public administration set the stage for him
to become one of West Virginia’s leading
advocates for public health and health
care access. As the executive director of
the West Virginia State Medical Associ-
ation—the largest physician, patient and
public health advocacy organization in
the state—he helps develop policies and
draft legislation that truly make a dif-
ference in the lives of West Virginians.
“Being in health policy, I get to use the
skills from my professional life to help
people right here in West Virginia,” says
Scalise. “The idea that one person may
live a little longer or get the care they
need because of something I worked on
is a powerful motivator.”
Even though he has degrees in public
health, business administration and man-
agement and is certified in public health
by the National Board of Public Health
Examiners, Scalise still believes his career
was built on trial and error.
“In college, I assumed I would work in
a large corporate setting like a bank,” he
says. “Becoming a health policy expert
was almost an accident and a product of
being in the right place at the right time.
I’d say it was divine intervention.”
Growing up in East Bank, WV, Scalise
looked to his family’s Italian roots for
career inspiration.
“I wanted to run a restaurant like my
family and honestly still think that is
one of the greatest jobs,” he says. “My
grandfather, Frank, knew everyone in
the community because he fed them all.”
The environment in which Scalise was
born and raised and now works planted
in him an inherent desire to care for and
serve others, and it has influenced every
area of his life. “Many of my values come
from the communities of which I am a
part as well as my Catholic faith,” he
says. “We believe God has called us to
participate in the community. That doesn’t
mean just going to church on Sunday—it
means being part of the whole.”
Whether he is managing his lobbying
team, representing the interests of physi-
cians and patients in the Mountain State
or planning a community fundraiser, these
instilled community values are evident.
Scalise serves on the board of trustees for
Thomas Health System, the public health
advisory commission for the West Vir-
ginia Department of Health and Human
Resources and the pastoral council for
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. He
is the secretary for Saint Francis Hospi-
tal, a policy committee member for the
West Virginia Rural Health Association, a
member of the essay review committee for
the Mensa Foundation Scholarship and a
model for the American Cancer Society’s
Real Men Wear Pink fundraiser. Scalise
has also served as the first professional
development chair for the Young Pro-
fessionals Organization, now known as
Generation Charleston, and on the board
of governors for West Virginia Institute
of Technology.
Deeply rooted in his community, he is
quick to point out that every element of
his success is thanks in part to his net-
work of family, friends and colleagues.
“I’m not typically a warm and fuzzy
person,” he says. “I take pride in my abil-
ity to handle adversity, and I learn more
from failure than from success. But the
most important thing I can attribute my
success to is the people I’m surrounded
with. Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie,
Jobs, Musk and Ford all had people that
helped them before they became titans.
They were brilliant, but they knew they
couldn’t do it by themselves.”
At the end of the day, Scalise can’t
imagine living or working anywhere else.
Despite various opportunities to leave the
Mountain State, he remains dedicated to
the people of West Virginia.
“My father’s family came here from
Italy in the early 20th century,” he says.
“They came here for opportunity and left
everything they’d known to make certain
their ancestors would be able to do so
much. I’m proud to call this my home.”
Scalise admires a train
outside of Heritage Station.
“I never considered a difference
of opinion in politics, in religion,
in philosophy, as cause for
withdrawing from a friend.”
– Thomas Jefferson
SAMANTHA CART
TRACY TOLER
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Ice Cream Lemon gelato • Video Game “Madden NFL” • Sports Team New York Yankees • WV Location Fayette County
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FALL 2018
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