By JOSELYN KING

WHEELING — Jessica Rine remembers early in her career walking into a committee meeting ready “to act on what I thought was a really solid idea.”

“I presented it to the committee and they kindly, and unanimously, told me why they didn’t think it would work,” she said. “That committee was assembled of people I respect and I took their feedback seriously.

“Being a good leader doesn’t mean you always have the best ideas in the room,” she continued. “Being a good leader is being able to put your pride aside and listen.”

Rine, 41, serves as associate vice president of foundation and community relations for WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals.

“As the AVP of foundations for the hospitals, I help identify auxiliary needs of our patients and seek the funding to address those needs,” she explained. “I’m currently fundraising for the WVU Medicine Children’s clinic project, which will be a huge blessing to Ohio Valley parents.

“I also lead WVU Medicine’s community involvement in the Northern Panhandle and I oversee the marketing department.”

Rine is a Rotarian with the St. Clairsville Rotary and serves as a board member for Generation West Virginia, Regional Economic Development Partnerships, and the Ohio Valley Energy Association.

“I’m also the volunteer chair for Mountaineer Brewfest and a member of the Wheeling Lightningbirds — an adult women’s hockey team/nonprofit that promotes girls hockey,” she added.

Rine is engaged to James Moore, the president of West Virginia Wesleyan College.She has three children — Bella, 15; Miley, 12; and Jaxson, 10. They also have two dogs, Leeza and Kyla.

“If you want to go into community relations or fundraising specifically, learn about your community, volunteer everywhere you can and network, network, network,” Rine said. “I encourage internships regardless of your career path. My internships gave me a look at a career that I thought I wanted, and shifted my goals in a different direction. They also provided me with mentors and my first look into leadership.”

She sees more and more women working at the hospitals in higher roles.

“Ages ago, doctors were men and nurses were women. That is a dated mentality and now some of the hospital’s key physicians and leaders are women,” Rine explained. “From our director of medical oncology, to our vice president of quality control, to our chief operating officer, I’ve met some of the most brilliant, hardworking and solutions-driven women throughout my career in health care.”

She added that volunteering early on became a key part of her career, and that volunteering is “equal parts self-fulfillment and professional growth.”

“I learned (through volunteering) why networking was key to business development, and that your greatest chance at success would come from the work done outside your office walls,” she said. “I was fortunate to land a career that lets me apply those skill sets to outreach and fundraising for the health of the community where I was raised.

“If you truly want to be involved in your community, the Ohio Valley will welcome you with open arms. Ohio Valley natives or Ohio Valley transplants, male or female, you can make an impact here.”

Her motto is, “Mindset in everything.”

“Life happens and no one is immune to adversity,” Rine said. “If you have a good mindset, you’ll be better equipped to handle that adversity. Attitude controls outcomes. I always say that everyone could use a good therapist. Most of us need help to get out of our own way or to see things from a different angle.”