Published: June 10, 2006 06:59 pm         

Roslyn Clark Artis

Beckley woman meets opportunities head on

Just 11 years into her professional career, Roslyn Clark Artis has worn many hats.

A native of Springfield, Mass., Artis moved to Beckley when she was 2 years old.

After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1988, Artis pursued her college education at West Virginia State College in Institute and when she graduated three years later, moved to Canton, Ohio, and began working for Nationwide Insurance.

“I had a little time to kill to figure out what I wanted to do,” Artis said.

Just how short that “little” amount of time was became clear pretty quickly as Artis stayed only one year in Canton before moving back to West Virginia to attend law school at West Virginia University.

“I always wanted to go to law school,” she said. “Ideally, I was going to get out of school and work for a while, but it just so happened that along with admission, I got a scholarship so I was able to go right away.”

Influenced as many are by TV shows, Artis entered law school planning to pursue a career in criminal law.

“I got over that once I got there and realized there were so many different areas of law,” she said. “I abandoned criminal law pretty quickly and settled with civil litigation.”

During her time at WVU, Artis was also caring for her young son Christopher, who was 16- months-old when she started school.

“He went to more classes than some of my classmates,” she said with a laugh.

When Artis graduated from law school in 1995, she returned to Beckley and began working for Brown and Levicoff.

Although Artis stayed with the firm just 18 months before joining Bill Wooton’s firm to try her hand at plaintiff practice, she says she enjoyed the experience.

“I had the opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court in my first year in practice, which is unheard of for a new lawyer,” she said. “So that was a great opportunity.”

Though her position at the Wooton firm was plenty to keep her busy, Artis soon took on another responsibility and began teaching legal studies part-time at Mountain State University.

Shortly thereafter, the legal studies director position opened and Artis assumed that role as well.

“It was a wonderful, wonderful experience for me,” she said of her time teaching. “I really enjoyed working with the students and we had a wonderful time with that program.”

While content juggling her responsibilities as an attorney and MSU faculty member, another opportunity was on the horizon.

“After a year, (MSU President) Dr. (Charles) Polk asked me when I was going to leave the practice and come work for him full-time,” she explained. “I said, ‘I don’t know. Whadda ya got in mind?’”

What Polk had in mind was for Artis to take over as Senior Academic Officer for Distance Education and after some consideration, Artis packed up her boxes, left her firm and joined the realm of higher education full-time.

In her new position, Artis managed all distance education and online independent study programs, but just as she was getting used to her responsibilities, opportunity knocked again and she was promoted to provost of distance education.

Just before the birth of her second son in 2005, Artis said a friend on campus mentioned an opening in advancement and encouraged her to apply.

Artis, however, was preparing to go on maternity leave and said she never considered applying for a new position.

While she was home with newborn Jayden, the position was filled.

Back at work following maternity leave, opportunity knocked again — a little louder this time — when the same advancement position reopened.

Spurred by another suggestion from Polk, Artis applied, and earlier this year, was appointed to the newly created position of chief advancement officer and was also named president of the MSU Foundation.

The two titles come with two separate sets of responsibilities.

As chief advancement officer, Artis is responsible for corporate fund-raising, alumni development as well as career services and job placement.

Artis says her role as foundation president involves “getting good news out about Mountain State University and hopefully getting resources back in.”

Though she has not yet had the opportunity to jump into her position with both feet, Artis says she is looking forward to it.

“I think development and advancement will be a nice fit for me,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share some of the really good things that happen here.”

------

While it might be difficult to imagine Artis having time for little more than her job and two children, her life consists of much more.

She’s has been involved with several community boards including the United Way of Southern West Virginia and Raleigh General Hospital. She is also currently finishing a term as president of the Beckley Area Foundation, something that should help her as she dives into her role with the MSU Foundation.

Also, Artis and her husband Selby, who lives part-time in Charlotte where he owns his own business, have to balance their relationship as well.

“I’ll get him to move here,” she said. “We’re burning up I-77.”

Artis says she is often questioned as to why she doesn’t just leave the area like many others and join her husband in Charlotte.

Her answer is simple.

“I love Beckley,” she said. “It’s given me some wonderful opportunities.”

— E-mail: mjames@register-herald.com