Candace Nelson

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.