Office of the Secretary

John McHugh was named acting cabinet secretary for the Department of Administration effective August 1, 2024. Prior to this role, he served as deputy cabinet secretary since May 2022, where he assisted the cabinet secretary with planning, organizing, and directing the programs, functions and activities of the department. Since February 2023, he has also served as the director of the General Services Division. In this role, he oversees the operations and maintenance of state facilities and the management of various state construction projects.

In addition to these roles, McHugh previously served as director o​f the Real Estate Division, general counsel for the West Virginia Military Authority, chief of the Legal Section for the Highways’ Right of Way Division, and as disciplinary counsel for the West Virginia Board of Medicine. He also has an extensive background as an attorney in the private sector.​

McHugh is a graduate of the WVU College of Law and the United States Army War College, where he earned a master’s degree in strategic studies. In 2017, McHugh retired from the West Virginia Army National Guard, after more than 30 years of military service, having attained the rank of Colonel. While in the National Guard, he served as Battalion Commander for the 771st Battalion Troop Command, Brigade Commander for 77th Brigade Troop Command, and State Army Aviation Officer. McHugh is qualified in multiple Army aircraft including both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, where he was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious service as a Medevac helicopter pilot.​

Effective November 7, 2017, Sarah Long was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer for the State of West Virginia and Assistant Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Administration. A Certified Public Accountant, Long has spent many years in the public sector. A native Charlestonian, she went to Charleston Catholic High School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Marietta College in 1993, double majoring in Accounting and Management.

Upon graduation, Long worked in the private sector at a national "Big Four" accounting firm specializing in auditing governmental agencies, including the overall audit of the State of West Virginia. She began her public service career as a financial consultant for the Finance Division where she served as Interim Chief Financial Officer for the Public Employees Insurance Agency. She then became Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer for the Board of Risk and Insurance Management. Prior to her current appointment, she was Deputy Treasurer for the State Treasurer, overseeing the cash management function for the State of West Virginia.

Samantha Knapp has served as the Director of Communication for the Department of Administration since November 1, 2018. In this role, she handles all media inquiries, drafts press releases, manages updates to the Department's website, serves as editor of the Department's monthly newsletter, and more.

Knapp also currently serves as the Assistant Director for the West Virginia Purchasing Division, where she oversees the Communication and Technical Services Section. Prior to this position, she managed communication and training for the Cancer Prevention and Control Division within the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University.

An employee of state government for nearly 18 years, 14 of those with the Purchasing Division, Mrs. Knapp holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from West Virginia University (WVU) and a master's degree in public administration, also from WVU. She has been recognized by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) as a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) and by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) as a Certified Professional Purchaser (CPP). 

Robert Paulson was appointed General Counsel for the Department of Administration in September 2009. Prior to his appointment, he was an attorney in private practice at a prominent firm in Charleston, WV, and served as Assistant General Counsel for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

Mr. Paulson is a native of Washington, D.C.   He received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia in 1989 and a master’s degree from Georgetown University in 1994. He received the degree of Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2002, Order of the Barristers. 

Mr. Paulson was admitted to practice law by the West Virginia State Bar in September 2002, and is admitted to practice before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Misty Peal was appointed Deputy General Counsel & Legislative Liaison of the Department of Administration on June 8, 2019. Ms. Peal came to the Department of Administration from the West Virginia Department of Revenue's State Tax Department, where she worked as a staff attorney and federal government liaison. In this position, she also served as the privacy officer for all agencies under the Department of Revenue.

In 2001, Ms. Peal began her legal career as the staff attorney overseeing statewide programs and services for the Family Court Division of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Subsequently, she managed the government relations division for a large statewide professional association from 2006 until 2015.

A native of Princeton, West Virginia, Ms. Peal earned a Juris Doctor degree from the West Virginia University College of Law and a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from Concord College.

Shelley Whitehill joined the Department of Administration as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary on January 11, 2021.

Prior to this role, Ms. Whitehill served as an executive assistant for a national foster care company and as a project administrator for a global telecommunication corporation. She has also worked in retail, holding the positions of store manager, allocation specialist, and logistics manager for several big box retailers, before coming to work for state government. 

Born in Rockville, Maryland, Ms. Whitehill moved to West Virginia in 1979. She attended West Virginia University and is a 1990 graduate of Fairmont State University with a bachelor's degree in business management.