Gaston Caperton

Gaston Caperton was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. He was previously inducted into the College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame in 2004.

A native of Charleston, W.Va., Caperton earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of North Carolina before returning to his home state to lead a small insurance company, eventually becoming president of McDonough Caperton Insurance Group in 1976. He was elected governor of West Virginia in 1988 and re-elected in 1992.

As governor, Caperton prioritized public education, overseeing more than $800 million in school construction and renovation and significantly raising teacher salaries. He established the state’s Center for Professional Development and led the creation of the West Virginia Basic Skills Computer Program, making the state a national leader in classroom technology. In 1996, he received the Computerworld Smithsonian Award for innovation in education.

After his time in office, Caperton served as a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics and later founded the Institute on Education and Government at Columbia University. In 1999, he became president of the College Board, where he expanded access to the SAT and Advanced Placement programs, especially for rural and underserved students. He led the revision of the SAT and advocated for equity in college access.

Caperton received multiple state and national honors for his public service and educational leadership, including ten honorary doctoral degrees and the James Bryant Conant Award from the Education Commission of the States in 2007. He currently serves as vice chairman of Leeds Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on education.