PERSONNEL FILE: Steptoe attorney named to Investment Management Board

CHARLESTON - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin recently appointed G. Kurt Dettinger, a Member of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, to serve a six-year term as Trustee of the West Virginia Investment Management Board. Dettinger will also serve as the Chair of the WVIMB’s Legal Committee.

”I am pleased that Kurt has agreed to devote a portion of his energy, leadership and intellect to the advancement of our common goal of moving West Virginia forward. Having worked closely with him in the formative stages of my administration, I know that the WVIMB will benefit from his efforts,” Tomblin said.

Dettinger joined Steptoe & Johnson in August after serving as General Counsel to Tomblin. During his time in the public sector, Dettinger advised the governor on a wide range of legal and policy issues, such as Tomblin’s transition from the President of the Senate to the Governor’s office, state debt issuances and the governor’s key legislative initiatives, which included Marcellus shale regulations, mine safety reforms, substance abuse initiatives and Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) reforms.

In a speech at Steptoe & Johnson’s Bridgeport office, the governor stated that Dettinger was the driving force behind the Marcellus shale legislation and credited him for guiding the bill through the legislature.

The WVIMB is a professional, apolitical financial management organization created by the legislature in 1997. It serves as the entity that oversees the investment and management of approximately $14 billion of state assets and pension funds.

Dettinger is a Charleston native and earned his Bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and his J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law. While at WVU, Dettinger served as associate editor of the West Virginia Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif.

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a U.S. energy firm with core strengths in energy, labor & employment, litigation and transactional law. In 2013, Steptoe & Johnson celebrates 100 years of helping clients reach their goals. Visit www.steptoe-johnson.com/