Douglas J. Leech was honored as the recipient of the 24th Outstanding Alumnus Award of Penn State Fayette on Oct. 16. The award was presented by Penn State Fayette Chancellor Emmanuel I. Osagie at a special meeting and ceremony of the campus’ Advisory Board.
The Outstanding Alumnus of Penn State Fayette award was established in 1985 and honors former students of the campus whose subsequent professional achievement warrants special recognition by their alma mater. The recipients of the award possess the qualities that truly epitomize the phrase, "Penn State proud."
Leech is founder, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Centra Financial Holdings Inc. and Centra Bank Inc. in Morgantown, W.Va.
Osagie says Leech's public service in the regional community and his generosity in creating the newly-funded Centra Bank Trustee Scholarship at Penn State Fayette illustrates how Leech gets involved in ways that can make a difference. "Douglas Leech is, obviously, a good businessman. He also is a good community citizen. He is actively involved in making his community a better place to live and work, and his foresight to help students who will become our future leaders, business people and community members is exemplary. I am pleased to add Douglas to this honored group of Penn State Fayette Outstanding Alumnus."
Leech is an honors graduate of Penn State. He started at Penn State Fayette in 1973 and graduated from University Park with a bachelor of science in accounting in 1977. He has been a member of the Schreyer Honors College Advisory Board since 2003.
Centra Bank, founded by Leech, is a billion-dollar banking company with offices in Fayette County. Centra Bank has been identified as the fastest-growing bank in West Virginia, and has achieved a national ranking of third for growth and success of all banks started in the United States since 1999. Leech and the company he founded received national attention in 2007 and 2008, when both Entrepreneur and Inc. magazines ranked Centra Bank as a top performer in their respective lists of the nation's fastest growing companies.
Leech was the former president and chief executive officer of Huntington Banks West Virginia, and prior to that served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for One Valley Bank’s Northern Division. He began his career as a certified public accountant with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. in Pittsburgh in 1976, and entered the West Virginia banking industry in 1980.
Leech has held leadership positions in more than 30 organizations and has been recognized many times for his contributions and accomplishments. In 2007, Leech was recognized with the Milan Puskar Award, Greater Morgantown's highest honor for exemplary community service.