Harrison County Natives Hutson, Reynolds Re-elected as Chair, Vice Chair of WVU Board of Governors
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on July 19, 2026
During the June 19 meeting of the West Virginia University Board of Governors, two Harrison County natives were re-elected to board offices for 2026-27.
Robert “Rusty” Hutson Jr., a native of Shinnston, will continue to serve as chair. Robert “Bob” Reynolds will continue in his position as vice chair.
Huston is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Diversified Energy Company located in Birmingham, AL He is the fourth generation of Hutson’s to work in the oil and gas industry, with family roots dating back to the early 1900s. He spent many summers working alongside his father in the oil and gas fields of West Virginia. As the first in his family to pursue higher education, he graduated from Fairmont State University with a degree in accounting. Following graduation, he embarked on a 13-year career in banking, ultimately becoming CFO of Compass Financial Services after holding leadership roles at Bank One and Compass Bank.
Building on his experiences in both the oil and gas industry and the financial services sector, Hutson, a graduate of Lincoln High School, founded Diversified Energy in 2001, establishing a cash flow model supported by mature, predictable long-life assets. After years of refining this strategy, he and his team quietly took the company public in 2017 on the AIM growth market of the London Stock Exchange. Since then, Diversified has significantly expanded, acquiring nearly $2.7 billion in upstream and midstream assets, with daily production across nine states totaling approximately 150,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Under Hutson’s leadership, Diversified Energy swiftly rose to a premium listing on the London Exchange and joined the FTSE 250 index in 2020. In 2023, the company launched its dual listing on the New York Stock Exchange, further broadening its global presence and becoming a member of the Russell 2000 index. Hutson remains committed to driving operational excellence, maintaining financial discipline, and creating shareholder value.
In recognition of his transformative leadership and contributions to the industry, Hutson was named the 2019 West Virginia Oil and Gas Man of the Year. His strategic vision, commitment to excellence and focused philanthropy in the Mountain State also earned him a place in the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame in 2023, celebrating his profound impact on the state’s economic landscape. Hutson resides in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife, Kimberly. They have four children: Hannah and Conner (who reside in West Virginia), Parker, and Tanner.
Reynolds is the President and CEO, Putnam Investments, in Boston, MA. With over 30 years in the financial services industry, Reynolds has reinvigorated Putnam through consistent investment performance, innovative product offerings for modern market challenges and thought leadership on the future of retirement and workplace savings. Widely respected as an industry statesman, he is recognized as a
leader in both institutional and retail financial services innovation.
leader in both institutional and retail financial services innovation.
Beyond his work at Putnam, Reynolds is Chair of Great-West Lifeco U.S., a leading provider of retirement savings products, life insurance, annuities and executive benefits. Prior to joining Putnam in 2008, he served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Fidelity Investments.
Reynolds, a native of Clarksburg, has received numerous industry honors, including Fund Leader of the Year at the 2010 Mutual Fund Industry Awards for his transformative leadership at Putnam. Under his guidance, Putnam was named Retirement Leader of the Year in 2011 for its initiatives in workplace savings. Additionally, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from PLANSPONSOR magazine for his work in popularizing employer-sponsored 401(k) plans.
Reynolds, a Washington Irving graduate, serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Concord Museum, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation. He also chairs the Boston Advisory Board of the American Ireland Fund and is the National Council Co-Chair of the American Enterprise Institute. His other affiliations include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, Chair of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, the Chief Executives Club of Boston, the Massachusetts General Hospital President’s Council, Director and former Chair of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, former Chair of the WVU Foundation and former Executive Committee Member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus in Finance from WVU, where he also received an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration and a Distinguished Alumni Award. His additional honors include the Boston College President’s Medal of Excellence, an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science from Bentley University and the De La Salle Medal from Manhattan College.
Editor's Note: Top photo is of Rusty Hutson, while Robert Reynolds is shown below.
.jpg)
