Todd Johnston, head of WV energy development and competitiveness, exits Morrisey administration

Todd Johnston is no longer with the Morrisey administration. He had served under the governor in two roles: deputy chief of staff and director of the state’s energy, infrastructure and competitiveness.

Johnston confirmed his exit on Thursday in a phone interview, saying he was proud of the work he accomplished while with the governor since January 2025. 

“We’ve ushered in historic private sector investment of over $96 billion. We’ve implemented policies that put over $5 billion in infrastructure in terms of broadband, water infrastructure and transportation, and we spearheaded the state’s first comprehensive energy policy,” Johnston said. “These are tremendous achievements, and I’ve kind of done what I came to the state to do.”

Johnston, 53, is a Washington, D.C., resident who has split his time between the nation’s capital with his family and West Virginia for the job. 

Tapped by Gov. Patrick Morrisey for the job, Johnston made a two-year commitment to the administration. He is leaving early, he said, due to taking a new job in Washington, D.C. 

“Now seems like the right time. It’s a good transition period,” Johnston said. “It’s been a fantastic ride, and I thank Gov. Morrisey for the opportunity. If given the same opportunity again, I would jump at it in a heartbeat.”

Morrisey’s communications office also confirmed Johnston’s departure in an email on Thursday afternoon. 

“We appreciate Todd’s service and respect the fact that he wants to spend more time with his family. We are grateful for his service and wish him well in his next endeavor,” said Lars Dalseide, communications director for the governor. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced at the start of last year that Johnston would step into the role as West Virginia’s energy, infrastructure and competitiveness director. 

Johnston was tasked with marketing West Virginia as an energy powerhouse and working with cabinet secretaries in commerce, environmental protection, transportation and more to attract businesses to West Virginia. Part of those efforts focused on reducing red tape and regulations. 

“I will say it is a Herculean task because it involves managing three different agencies: (Department of Environmental Protection), Department of Transportation and Commerce,” Johnston said. “It was quite an investment of time, and (it) is very tough to do everything at once.”

Johnston noted that he was glad to have led the governor’s “50 by 50” energy generation plan. The strategy relies heavily on the state’s coal and natural gas to increase the state’s energy capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2050. 

He also helped craft and implement the state’s hallmark data center legislation — House Bill 2014 — with the hope of incentivizing data center development.

“We’ve done a number of other things that are just kind of in the vein of good governance that, quite frankly, hadn’t been addressed in over the course of a number of administrations,” Johnston said. 

Johnston’s exit comes about a week after Morrisey administration announced that the state would opt out of consideration by federal officials to be a nuclear development hub. The governor’s heel spin on the federal application came after the Charleston-Gazette Mail and MetroNews reported that states were required to have a plan for handling nuclear energy from beginning to ending, including spent fuel and radioactive waste. 

Morrisey vowed that West Virginia wouldn’t be a dumping ground for nuclear waste and withdrew from federal consideration for the massive project. The programs could generate as much as $10 billion in state and local tax revenue, according to federal officials.

Johnston told West Virginia Watch his departure was completely unrelated from the recent nuclear hub circumstances.

His resume included more than a decade in federal and state government where he served in leadership positions on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Johnston’s departure follows a number of high profile exits in the Morrisey administration, including Dr. Stephen Loyd, who recently resigned as director of the state’s Office of Drug Control Policy. Bureau for Family Assistance Commissioner Janie Cole exited last week, and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby resigned in July after five years in the role.