The West Virginia Municipal League (WVML) has announced Misty Hill, City Manager of Lewisburg, as the recipient of the 2025 Tom Oxley Heart of the Community Award. The award was presented during the WVML Summer Conference, and honors a city manager whose leadership, character, and dedication reflect the legacy of the late Tom Oxley.
The award is named for Tom Oxley, former city manager of Oak Hill and a longtime supporter of the municipal league. It includes a $2,500 donation from The Thrasher Group to a nonprofit organization of the recipient’s choice, reflecting Oxley’s commitment to public service and philanthropy. Hill chose the recipient to be Communities in Schools, who have already received the funds.
“Tom was the former City Manager of the City of Oak Hill and later became part of our Thrasher family,” explained Heidi Handley, Director of Marketing and Business Development for The Thrasher Group, who presented the award at the conference. “He was the kind of person who just got people. He smiled constantly, remembered your name, asked about your kids, your dog, your water line extension… and somehow, he actually cared about all three equally. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of municipal government and this uncanny ability to make a stranger feel like a lifelong friend. Tom was smart, warm, quick-witted, and deeply committed to this League. He didn’t just show up – he belonged here. He was part of the soul of this conference.”
Handley said that Thrasher members don’t have a say in who wins this award, “But if we did… this year’s recipient would have had my full endorsement, in pen, underlined, and possibly in glitter,” she said. “This person is a roll-up-your-sleeves, find-a-way, make-it-happen kind of leader. Creative. Driven. Not afraid to get their hands dirty- and absolutely respected by everyone who works with them.”
Hill said she was honored to have won the award, and said she is the first woman to ever receive it. “Many tears were shed,” she said. Hill has served as City Manager for the City of Lewisburg since 2020.
