CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Supreme Court has named Deputy Administrative Director Keith Hoover as the new Administrative Director for the state’s unified court system.
Hoover, who currently is one of two deputy administrative directors, will replace Joe Armstrong, who is retiring. Hoover’s promotion takes effect January 1. Armstrong has been in that position since 2019.
“It’s interesting,” Hoover told The West Virginia Record. “When I came to start work for the administrative office in 2019, I don’t think I had an appreciation for the scope of everything this office does. Of course, we oversee the court system. But most importantly, it’s an opportunity to help the state and the people.
“Ultimately, the administrative office serves the public. We’re not the decision makers, but we equip them by giving them what they need. And we will continue to be focused on carrying out that mission.”
Hoover praised Armstrong for his work.
“Joe was here for an interesting time in court history,” Hoover told The Record. “Watching his steady leadership and seeing the court come out on the other side of it has been fun to watch with a front-row seat. It’s been very educational for me.”
Outgoing Chief Justice Tim Armstead praised Armstrong as well.
“My fellow Justices and I appreciate the outstanding work Joe has done as the Administrative Director,” Armstead said. “He began his role at a challenging time for our courts. He helped to shepherd the court system through the COVID crisis and assisted in implementing the Intermediate Court of Appeals. We will miss working with him, and we wish him the very best as he transitions to a much-deserved retirement.”
Armstead also praised Hoover.
“Keith is a respected leader and has shown tremendous initiative in addressing the challenges our court system faces each day,” Armstead said. “In his role of legislative liaison, he has provided key input and worked cooperatively with lawmakers to improve our legal system.
“My fellow Justices and I believe Keith will provide innovative and effective leadership of the Administrative Office and help improve the operations of our judicial system across the state.”
A Hurricane native, Hoover is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia University College of Law. He practiced law for 10 years in Charleston before joining the Administrative Office as counsel in March 2019. He was promoted to co-Deputy Administrative Director in January 2021 and has since served as the judiciary’s liaison with the West Virginia Legislature and the executive branch.
“I am honored by the faith the Court has in me, and I look forward to helping the judicial system continue to provide a fair and impartial court system for the citizens of West Virginia,” Hoover said. “Our mission in this office is to serve the people of West Virginia and inspire their confidence in the judiciary by equipping our judicial officers and staff with the information and resources they need to operate a highly effective, efficient and transparent court system.”
Hoover said he plans to reorganize the administrative office to streamline and improve operations. Instead of all individual divisions reporting to the administrative director, there now will be three groups: the Court Operations Group, Court Services Group and the Policy and Strategic Implementation Group.
Current co-Deputy Administrative Director Evan Lynch will become Chief of Court Services and will supervise the Court Services Group, which will oversee circuit courts, family courts, magistrate courts, probation, grants and special projects.
Current Administrative Office Counsel Bradley Schmalzer will become Chief of Court Operations and will supervise divisions that handle technology, facilities, finance, legal issues, human resources, security and the Law Library.
Hoover will directly oversee the Policy and Strategic Implementation Group, which will handle policy development, legislative affairs, judicial education, statistics and communications.
“We believe these changes will more vertically organize our Office and better focus our operations, improving how we serve the judiciary and public through the Court’s strategic priorities,” Hoover said. “Meanwhile, we will continue to review best practices and find new ways to boost transparency, efficiency and modernization throughout the judicial branch of government.”
Hoover also said he is eager to help the court system better use data.
“I really care about data, and organizations are data driven,” he said. “As a state, we’re struggling with a shortage of attorneys in appointed work, such as guardians ad litem. We are working with State Bar and (the WVU) law school. We’re looking at data to see what we can learn.
“We want to equip judges to have the lawyers they need to do their jobs.”
Other areas of focus for Hoover include making the court system more open and transparent, doing a better job with outreach with schools and the public.
In addition, the state Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals both have a new judge coming aboard. There also are 24 new circuit court judges, 11 new family court judges and 37 new magistrates. That means about 160 new employees as well as figuring out facilities and technology issues for each of them.
There also is a push, led by Justice Beth Walker, to make sure there is a focus on wellness for judicial officers and staff.
“Personally, it’s all very exciting,” Hoover told The Record. “It’s a very unique role. I don’t think a lot of people understand what the administrative office does. I’m looking forward to doing good things.
“I’m a big believer in stewardship. I’m not the first person to be administrative director, and I won’t be the last. I really want to make sure the time I have in this position, I take care of the office and leave it as good or better for the next person for the office and for the state.”