Casey was an English and journalism double major at Shepherd, but his path from high school to Shepherd was not a direct one.
Casey says his story was common. “When I graduated from high school in Charleston, West Virginia, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so I packed my stuff into a cheap, old car and drove across the country,” he said.
He ended up in southern California and spent some months working at the Newport Beach Blockbuster Video. After realizing that he desired more and knowing that it would be much easier to obtain with a college education, Casey returned to West Virginia and spent time researching what he would like to do, stumbling upon Shepherd.
“It [Shepherd] was the perfect blend of work-life balance for me,” said Casey.
Shepherd’s appeal for Casey was its small town location within an easy drive to Washington D.C., its smaller class sizes that allowed for more interaction with faculty to spark his intellectual interest, and its distance from his home to give him more independence.
For more than 12 years, Casey has been a practicing attorney in West Virginia. He has worked in private practice where, for a time, he was appointed as a mental hygiene commissioner in Kanawha County. He has served as an attorney for the West Virginia Legislature and as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General.
As of January 1, 2024, Casey was selected as the clerk of court for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia and the Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He is now the sixteenth person to server as the clerk of the Supreme Court of Appeals since West Virginia was founded in 1863, and only the second clerk of the Intermediate Court of Appeals since it was founded in 2022.
Casey has enjoyed hiking, skiing, and traveling to places like Europe, China, and South America but, these days, his hobbies are tailored more to life with his kids. He does a lot of arts-and-crafts with his eight-year-old son Caden and nine-year-old daughter Nora. An avid reader, Casey reads with his children every night and they are currently into the Harry Potter series.
Casey still makes time for exercise, though, having completed an Ironman 70.3 and the Marine Corps Marathon in 2024.
“The Marine Corps Marathon held some sentimental value for me,” said Casey. “My father ran it in 1997 and went as a spectator to watch me. It was a great moment in my life to cross the finish line knowing he was there.”
The Shepherd University Alumni Association is cheering on Casey and his accomplishments. Shepherd Students Succeed!