CHARLESTON — Gov. Patrick Morrisey continued to round out his cabinet Thursday, making new appointments and also proposing mergers for existing departments.

During a press conference Thursday from the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol Building, Morrisey announced new appointments for the Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation, and Department of Health.

“It takes a very talented team to make West Virginia that shining state in the mountains, and that’s why we have a number of just outstanding people that I’m going to mention today for other cabinet nominations,” Morrisey said.

Matt Herridge, the chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, will become the new cabinet secretary of the Department of Commerce. Herridge, a Vienna businessman, has served as state GOP chairman since January 2024. Prior to his business careers, Herridge spent years working in the field of clinical psychology at the Charleston Area Medical Center and as a member of the faculty at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

“Matt has a deep history as a business owner, and he’s been wildly successful for the last 25 years,” Morrisey said. “He’ll be coming in as the secretary of Commerce, obviously pending consent with the Senate.”

Nicholas Preservati, the acting secretary of the Department of Commerce under previous governor Jim Justice, will be deputy secretary of Commerce under Herridge. Preservati has served in the Department of Commerce as the director of the West Virginia Office of Energy and the executive director of the West Virginia Public Energy Authority.

Morrisey also announced that the Department of Economic Development will re-merge with the Department of Commerce pending legislative approval. House Bill 2019, passed by the Legislature in 2021 at the behest of Justice, removed the West Virginia Development Office from the Department of Commerce and renamed it the Department of Economic Development, elevating it to a cabinet-level department.

HB 2019 also removed the Division of Tourism from the Department of Commerce in 2021, changing it to the Department of Tourism. Its cabinet secretary, Chelsea Ruby, will retain her position. But the Department of Arts, Culture and History – formerly the Department of Education and the Arts before Justice changed its name during his first term – will now merge with the Department of Tourism pending legislative approval.

“I think many people have said so many incredible things about her, the work she’s done to put West Virginia tourism on the map,” Morrisey said. “I think she’s done an outstanding job and that warrants her reappointment.”

Morrisey announced Thursday that Stephen Todd Rumbaugh will become the cabinet secretary of the Department of Transportation and the commissioner of the Division of Highways. Rumbaugh has more than 30 years of experience in WVDOT and most recently served as a chief engineer. He succeeds WVDOT cabinet secretary Jimmy Wriston.

“His career has spanned the gamut,” Morrisey said. “He’s actually been a designer, a construction inspector, an area supervisor, a staff engineer, a regional construction engineer, director of contract administration, chief engineer of construction…I have great faith that Todd is going to be a terrific secretary for Transportation.”

Michael DeMers will serve as deputy secretary for WVDOT. DeMers is a director at North Highland, a transportation consulting company. He brings 17 years of experience in transportation planning and policy.

Dr. Arvin Singh will serve as secretary for the Department of Health, succeeding Dr. Sherri Young. Singh served as vice president of strategy and communications for the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health and the CEO for Odyssey House Louisiana, a behavioral health network. Additional experience includes Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Dr. Arvin Singh brings extensive experience in health care leadership and also has done a lot of work in acute care and behavioral ambulatory care,” Morrisey said.

Morrisey said there could be additional department consolidations beyond re-merging the departments of Commerce and Economic Development or merging the Department of Arts, Culture and History with the Department of Tourism.

“These are not going to be the end of the consolidation proposals,” Morrisey said. “You should expect that there will be a number of additional proposals in this area in the upcoming weeks. And this is a sign of the type of efficiencies that we’re looking to bring to bear in the management of state government.”

Remaining cabinet secretary appointments include the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health Facilities, and the Department of Veterans Assistance.