On January 15, 2025, Eric Nelson was appointed by Governor Patrick Morrisey to the position of Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Revenue.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Nelson had served in the West Virginia State Senate since 2020, representing the 17th District encompassing the majority of Kanawha County and the capitol city, Charleston. He was a member of the Finance, Energy, Banking and Insurance, Economic Development, Government Organization, Flood, and Workforce Committees. He chaired the Senate Pension and Majority Caucus Committees. Previously, he represented a majority of Kanawha County in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2011 – 2020, where he served as Chairman of the House Finance Committee from 2015 – 2018.
Secretary Nelson is President of Nelson Enterprises, Inc., a diversified investment company focusing on real estate, natural resources, money management, and entrepreneurial activity in the Appalachian region.
Prior to this, Nelson was a co-founding General Partner of Mountaineer Capital, LP, a venture capital/private equity fund; Treasurer of City Holding Company, and was a Director in the Investment Banking Division of SunTrust Bank (Truist) in Richmond, Virginia.
Mr. Nelson obtained a BS in Business Administration and Accounting from Washington and Lee University and is a member of the Board of Directors of Wesbanco Bank, Inc., the Clay Center, and the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. He is also a past member of the Board of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority.
Eric is a native of and currently resides in Charleston, WV, with his wife, Pam, who are parents of Heather, Tripp, and Sydney.