First Lady Cathy Justice Appointed To State Board Of Education

A portion of a man in a dark suit can be seen, primarily his hand, arm and leg, seated to the left of frame. In center of frame is an English bulldog perched on a chair. Next to the dog sits a woman wearing a white blazer over maroon pants and a maroon floral print blouse. She looks to the right of frame. Behind them, on a short stage, are visible brown lounge chairs.

West Virginia’s first lady, Cathy Justice, has been appointed to the state Board of Education. 

Gov. Jim Justice announced the appointment of his wife to the board that oversees the state’s elementary and secondary schools during his regular media briefing Thursday morning.

Cathy Justice holds a degree in secondary education from Marshall University and has previously worked as a substitute teacher in Raleigh County schools. The governor also cited her work expanding the Communities in Schools (CIS) program, designed to connect struggling students to caring adults and community resources. 

“I couldn’t possibly, there’s no way that I could find someone, no matter where they are, that’s more qualified than Cathy Justice for this job,” Gov. Justice said. “So I think she’ll do great.”

The First Lady has made CIS her primary initiative since 2018. According to the West Virginia Department of Education, CIS supports supports 272 schools and 114,000 students

The appointment fills the vacancy left after the five year term of Dr. Daniel Snavely expired this month. The governor said several times during the briefing that he had to convince Cathy Justice to take the position.

“In the beginning, I couldn’t get Cathy across the finish line on this and everything, but I think she’ll do an amazing job,” Gov. Justice said. “She’s fired up now and ready to go and do the job.”

Later in the press briefing Gov. Justice was asked if he had any comment on the appearance of nepotism in the appointment. The governor said he could not hear the question and an aide running the briefing said they were having technical difficulties before turning the floor back to Gov. Justice for closing remarks.

“All I can say is Cathy’s super qualified,” he said. “For crying out loud, you know, there’s no point in, no point in beating up Cathy. She’s given everything she could possibly give, you know. And, and, like I said, I had to, I had to really, really work hard to talk her into this.”

The West Virginia Board of Education will next meet on Wednesday morning, Nov. 13.

Author: Chris Schulz

Chris is WVPB's North Central/Morgantown Reporter and covers the education beat. Chris spent two years as the digital media editor at The Dominion Post newspaper in Morgantown. Before coming to West Virginia, he worked in immigration advocacy and education in the Washington, D.C. region. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and received a Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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