MORGANTOWN — Malene Davis, former president and CEO of Arthurdale-based hospice organization WV Caring and its former partner organization, Capital Caring, resigned Aug. 10 from the WVU Alumni Association board of directors.
Davis has also resigned from the board of for-profit California-based The Ensign Group, whose affiliated healthcare entities include home health and hospice.
The Alumni Association issued this statement Friday: “The WVU Alumni Board of Directors on Friday accepted the resignation of Malene Davis after five years of unwavering dedication and service. In her tenure on the board, Malene has been a leader in countless initiatives that have strengthened the WVU Alumni Association and the alumni community at-large. We are grateful for the support and commitment that Malene has demonstrated throughout her term.”
The Dominion Post ran a two-part series July 29 and 30 reporting Davis had stepped down from the two hospice companies following allegations she bullied employees and spent company money lavishly on herself and her leadership circle.
The announcement of her resignations came two days before the publication of the series, on the heels of several months of investigation and interviews, including three phone calls and 15 email exchanges with the public relations firm Capital Caring engaged to field the newspaper’s questions.
Friday’s announcement came following a Thursday evening, after-hours email inquiry to the Alumni Association regarding Davis’ status. At that time, her full profile, including her employment at Capital Caring, and status as immediate past president, still appeared on the board’s web page.
WVU acknowledged receipt of the email Friday morning. Davis’ bio was edited to indicate she was former president and CEO of Capital Caring.
After the statement was issued Friday afternoon, her name, picture and bio had been removed from the web page.
Davis resigned from The Ensign Group board Aug. 4. The company’s SEC filing said: “The decision of Ms. Davis to resign was based on her desire to pursue her other interests and obligations, and was not the result of any disagreement with the company on an matter relating to the operations, policies or practices of the company.”
Davis was appointed to the board on Nov. 2, 2017, to fill a vacancy. The company’s April 12 notice of its May 31 annual stockholders meeting named Davis as one of three candidates for election to the board. She was to serve a one-year term.
Board members are compensated. For Fiscal Year 2017, according to the notice, Davis earned $6,333, owing to her short time on the board, and held 1,500 shares of company stock. By comparison, the board chair received $100,000 and owns 1.03 million stock shares.
Davis served on the board’s Quality Assurance and Compliance Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. A search is under way for her replacement.
