Karen L. Bowling

Karen Bowling before serving as vice president of care delivery and transformation for WVU Medicine, Bowling was cabinet secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) under Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. Before taking the helm of DHHR, she held a variety of direct care and leadership positions in the health care and education arena. After beginning her career started as an emergency room nurse in a small rural hospital, she joined the Wyoming County Board of Education to develop the School Health Program. In 1990, she began working in hospital administration and became the CEO of Raleigh General Hospital, in Beckley, West Virginia, in 2001.
She has served in various leadership roles, including as chair, at the West Virginia Hospital Association. She was a board member of many nonprofit organizations, including the Raleigh County Community Action Association, YMCA of Beckley, and the Beckley Healthright Clinic. She also served as chair of the Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce. Bowling holds an associate degree in nursing from Bluefield State College and a bachelor’s degree in nursing and master’s degree in primary health care nursing from West Virginia University. She also holds a master’s degree higher education from Capella University.