Candace Nelson is an award-winning marketing professional in Charleston, West Virginia. She has more than 15 years of experience in journalism, public relations, advertising and communications within the fields of higher education, government and nonprofits. 

She is a published researcher, newspaper columnist for The Charleston Gazette-Mail and author of the book “The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll.” In addition, Nelson serves as an adjunct marketing professor at the University of Charleston and on the board of several nonprofits: Capitol Market, West Virginia Farmers Market Association, Generation West Virginia and Metro Valley Society. She is also a member of WELD Charleston, the Junior League of Charleston, Charleston Restaurant Week and Public Relations Society of America.

She has been named a “Young Gun” by West Virginia Executive Magazine and “Generation Next: 40 Under 40” from The State Journal. She is an alum of the Leadership West Virginia Class of 2019. 

In her free time, she writes the blog “Candace Lately” and travels the state in search of good food and beyond.

A native of Wellsburg, West Virginia, Nelson has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a focus on news-editorial and minor in business administration (2011); a Bachelor of English with a concentration in professional writing and editing with a minor in Native American studies (2011); and a Master of Science in Journalism (2013) from West Virginia University.

MARKETING EXPERIENCE

Candace Nelson is the Director of Marketing & Communications for Capitol Market, where she leads marketing and communications strate- gies; integrates advertising and public relations plans; streamlines fundraising and grant-writing efforts; executes 500+ person events; builds branding awareness; manages projects; and leads a team. Prior to this role, she served as the Marketing Director for YWCA Charleston, where she strategically planned and executed signature events that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund for the nonprofit’s programming. Previously, she was the Director of Marketing at the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, where she oversaw public relations, internal communication, event management, promotional materials, marketing campaigns and more. As the Digital Marketing Coordinator at the West Virginia Division of Tourism, she led interactive communication strategies. Before that, Nelson was the Social Media Editor at West Virginia University. She leveraged social media as part of overarching marketing initiatives for the university and implemented goals pertaining to brand perception, active engagement, and creative storytelling that resulted in positioning West Virginia University as a strategic communications leader. During her tenure, West Virginia University significantly increased its follower base and engagement across platforms and reached an audience of approximately 500,000 people. 

Nelson is a recognized leader in the industry and has traveled across the country presenting at dozens of national conferences on storytelling through digital platforms. She is an award-winning marketing professional who has been honored by PRSA, PR News, the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for her development of social engagement campaigns. In 2016, Nelson led the team that won PRSA's "Best in West Virginia" award for the best overall public relations campaign in the state, which pioneered innovative use of Snapchat, social video projects, multimedia, and collaboration on crowd-sourced content.

JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining West Virginia University, Nelson worked as an award-winning newspaper reporter for the The Charleston Daily Mail, The Dominion Post and The Daily Athenaeum. Her work has also appeared in publications across the state, including: The Beckley Register-Herald, the Moorefield Examiner, the Pocahontas Times, and The Journal in Martinsburg, Weelunk in Wheeling, as well as West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Magazine experience includes West Virginia Living Magazine, Prerogative Magazine, Savor WV Magazine, The Bluegrass Standard, Taste of the South, The Local Palate, Spotlight WV Magazine, Taste WV Magazine, WVU Magazine and West Virginia Executive Magazine. Internships include USA Today, West Virginia Radio Corporation, West Virginia University Business Incubator, the West Virginia University Writing Center, the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism and West Virginia University Press.

FOOD EXPERIENCE

Nelson authors a food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail where she explores the Appalachian food community and works to help tell West Virginia's story. Her work has appeared in publications across West Virginia, in addition to The New York Times, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, NPR, Food & Wine, The Huffington Post, CBS Sunday Morning, USA Today and more. Her nonfiction book, The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll, documents the history of the regional West Virginia snack was published in 2017. She writes a blog that focuses on food culture in West Virginia, Candace Lately, which can be found at www.CandaceLately.com. She is also an active board member for The WV Farmers Market Association, Charleston Restaurant Week and Capitol Market. 

CandaceRNelson@gmail.com