Two Minutes with Austin Caperton, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
How long have you been Cabinet Secretary? What’s your best experience thus far?
Five months. Realizing what an amazing staff we have at the DEP and meeting the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
How has being a member of ECOS benefitted you?
It has greatly accelerated my learning curve. The contacts with my counterparts have been invaluable.
What is the best management advice you’ve received?
There are two types of people: Simplifiers and Complicators. Hire and work with only the former.
Tell us about your morning ritual.
Coffee, a banana, and hit the road.
What was your childhood dream job?
Naval aviator. My uncle was a B-52 pilot at the height of the Cold War.
What’s your favorite moment of your career so far?
I had a transaction-based practice since 1989. Before that as an industry manager I loved transactions. Every closing was a great moment. But sitting on the steps of the Capitol on June 16, 2017 and getting this job was my favorite moment.
What leader do you most admire?
Abraham Lincoln.
What was your first real job?
Rodman on a survey crew, summer 1969.
Guilty Pleasure: What can you not live without?
People.
If Hollywood made a movie of your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Robert Redford.
