1980
1983 Enlisted in the WV
Army National Guard
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
1985 Hired as a clerk for the
WV House of Delegates
1988 Graduated the Special
Operations Qualification
Course as a Green Beret
1989 Promoted to captain
1994 Named commander of
Detachment 1, 2nd Battalion,
19th Special Forces Group
2000 Named commander,
35th Civil Support Team, WMD
2004 Graduated from the
U.S. Army War College
2005 Deployed to Iraq
with the Joint Interagency
Task Force HVI
2007 Promoted to
brigadier general
2010
2009 Received the U.S.
Department of Defense Identify
Management Certificate
2011 Appointed as the adjutant
general of the state of WV
2013 Spearheaded
Mountaineer ChalleNGe
Academy’s Pathways Program
2015
2015 Graduated from
Leadership WV
2016 Elected chairman
of the National Guard
Association of the U.S.
2018 Appointed by Governor
Justice to oversee Rise WV
2020
“Nobody ... thought Jim Hoyer
would be a general, but I took
advantage of the opportunities
that came my way, and that
has brought me far.”
In 1983, Hoyer graduated from Uni-
versity of Charleston (UC) and joined
the West Virginia National Guard as
a cavalry officer. It was while he was
studying for a master’s degree in public
administration in 1985 that he accepted
his first job. What began as a clerk posi-
tion for the West Virginia Legislature’s
60-day session led to his becoming the
executive assistant to the speaker of the
House.
“Some people ask me what the best
training is I received to become the ad-
jutant general, and I tell them it was the
nine and a half years I worked in the state
Legislature for the House speaker because
I came to know as much if not more than
most people about state government and
how it operates,” he says.
After attending the Special Forces
Officer Qualification course in 1988,
Hoyer went on to spend more than 14
years with the 2nd Battalion, 19th Spe-
cial Forces Group. In February 2011, he
assumed the duties of West Virginia’s
adjutant general. In this role, he provides
command guidance and vision to more
than 6,500 citizen soldiers and airmen
in the West Virginia National Guard.
Based in Charleston, he oversees day-to-
day operations and management of the
agency’s resources. With an eye always
on the future, he also focuses on recruit-
ing as well as mentoring others.
“If the organization is going to be
exceptional at what it does, you have to
be looking out for the next generation of
talent,” he says. “I would like to think I
am one of the most productive recruiters
we have, and I kind of have to be because
it would be ridiculous for me to challenge
people to recruit others for this organiza-
tion if I’m not doing it as well.”
Hoyer’s efforts to create a better state
extend beyond the military base and into
the community. Though he has little spare
time, he makes it a priority to give back
to the institutions that made him who he
is today. A product of Charleston Cath-
olic High School, he returns to his alma
mater every year to talk to the junior class
about the importance of service. He also
dedicates time and energy to UC’s board
of trustees, offering guidance for growth
opportunities. As the adjutant general, he
is the past chair of the National Guard
Association of the U.S. and co-chair of
the strategic engagement committee for
the Adjutants General Association of the
U.S. He also invests a great deal of time
and energy off the clock in the Moun-
taineer ChalleNGe Academy, a National
Guard program that mentors at-risk
youth and helps them obtain their high
school diplomas.
Hoyer has had a remarkable career
doing what he loves for the people he
loves in the state he loves. The advice he
offers to the next generation for finding
success is pretty straightforward. “Don’t
think you have to accomplish everything
all at once, don’t rush to get to where
you are going, and make sure you take
advantage of the opportunities that come
your way,” he says. “Nobody in my high
school class—or my mom or grandmother
for that matter—thought Jim Hoyer
would be a general, but I took advantage
of the opportunities that came my way,
and that has brought me far.”
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