Board of Directors
Senator John D. Rockefeller IV
Chairman of the Board of Directors
In 1964, Jay Rockefeller came to West Virginia as a VISTA volunteer serving the small mining community of Emmons. His experience there ignited his interest in public service, and West Virginia became his home where he and his wife, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, would live and raise their four children.
In 1984, after serving two terms as governor, Rockefeller was elected to the United States Senate. He currently serves as ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care, with jurisdiction over Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care policies. He is also the most senior member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, responsible for oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care system, the largest in the country.
Rockefeller has been one of the Senate's strongest advocates for comprehensive health care reform. In the late 1980s, he served as chairman of the Bipartisan Commission on Comprehensive Health Care and the National Commission on Children. He has led efforts that reformed the way physicians are paid under Medicare, rescued health benefits for retired coal miners and their widows,and prohibited companies from denying insurance coverage based on pre‑existing conditions. In recent years, Rockefeller has led efforts to improve the flawed Medicare prescription drug law, successfully fought for greater consumer access to lower-cost generic drugs,authored legislation toprovide statesmore federal dollars forthe Children’s Health Insurance Program(CHIP), and successfully pushed for greater access to long-term care services for seniors in rural areas.
Following the death of his mother in 1992 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, Rockefeller spearheaded the effort to build the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, where the world’s top scientists are seeking to unlock the mysteries associated with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other cognitive disorders.
Rockefeller has repeatedly been recognized for his efforts to provide Americans with access to quality, affordable health care. In early 2001, he was presented with the prestigious Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind. In May of that year, the West Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer's Association presented Rockefeller with their “Stand By Me” award for his support of research and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. In 2004, he was recognized by the National Conference of State Legislatures with their “Restoring the Balance” award for his leadership on state fiscal assistance. In 2006, he received the “Ray of Hope” award from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship for his efforts to improve health care outcomes for cancer survivors.