A Texas native, Gabriel Peña has been a resident of Fayetteville, West Virginia since 2009 and has served as Deputy Resource Coordinator for the Fayette County Commission since 2015. As a grant writer and project manager in Southern West Virginia, Gabriel works on community and economic development initiatives focused on blight mitigation, solid waste management, and tourism development. The Fayette County municipalities of Montgomery and Smithers have been particularly hard hit by the progressive downturn of West Virginia's Coal Industry evident in the prevalence of vacant houses and shuttered businesses in each community. Through strong partnerships with municipal leadership, Mr. Peña has been able to leverage nearly $250,000 of federal resources through the Appalachian Regionial Commission and Environmental Protection Agency as part of efforts to foster a culture of health and facilitate economic transition in the rural coalfield communities of Montgomery and Smithers.