photo by: Steven Allen Adams

First Lady Cathy Justice, Gov. Jim Justice, and Babydog celebrate Tuesday night at the Greenbrier Resort following Gov. Justice’s U.S. Senate victory.

CHARLESTON — Saying she was “covered up in qualifications,” Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday that he had appointed his wife, first lady Cathy Justice, to the West Virginia Board of Education.

“I had to do a whole lot of selling and talking to Cathy about this,” Justice said Thursday during his weekly administration briefing from the State Capitol Building. “I’m honored to announce the appointment of our first lady, Cathy Justice, to the West Virginia Board of Education. She will do an amazing job. Really and truly, Cathy loves kids beyond good sense.”

Cathy Justice is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Raleigh County in 1970, where she met Gov. Justice. Both went to Marshall University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She also worked as a substitute teacher in the Raleigh County School system.

As first lady, Cathy Justice has become the face of the Communities in Schools program, which works to connect at-risk students and their families to resources, such as academic assistance and tutoring; basic needs, such as clothing and food; behavior intervention and modification; career preparation; community service, crisis intervention, life skills, mental health services, and more.

According to the state Department of Education, Communities in Schools was first introduced in Greenbrier County in 2004, but the program began expansion in 2018 during Justice’s two four-year terms as governor. Now, the program serves all 55 counties, with 298 site coordinators between 285 schools, benefiting more than 117,000 students. Through Communities in Schools, Cathy Justice has also placed 42 therapy dogs in schools.

“They work that they’ve done with Communities in Schools in all 55 of our counties and all the good stuff that Cathy has done, it’s amazing,” Justice said. “She has surely earned her stripes as far as the good stuff she is doing for kids. I’m really proud. In the beginning, I couldn’t get Cathy across the finish line on this, but I think she will do an amazing job. She’s fired up now and ready to go and to do the job.”

Cathy Justice will succeed Dr. Daniel Snively, whose term expired on Monday. Snively, the director of the Heart Center at Huntington Internal Medicine Group, was appointed by Gov. Justice in 2019 to fill the remaining term of Elkins attorney Joseph Wallace, whom the governor appointed in 2017.

This is not the first time a governor has appointed their spouse to the state Board of Education. Then-governor Joe Manchin appointed first lady Gayle Manchin to the state board in 2007. She continued to serve after Manchin won election to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2012, serving twice in the rotating position of state board president before resigning in 2015.

Now the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, Gayle Manchin has education bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and Salem International University. She taught school in Marion County and was on the faculty of Fairmont State University.

Nine of the 11 members of the state Board of Education are appointed by the governor. Appointed members serve overlapping nine-year terms and no more than five of the appointed members can belong to the same political party.

Addressing questions about her qualifications and whether the appointment represented nepotism, Justice said First Lady Justice was more than qualified. Gov. Justice – who is wrapping up the final two months of his second and final four-year term — won election to the U.S. Senate Tuesday night.

“How could you possibly think that Cathy is not just covered up in qualifications,” Justice said. “The job she has done is off the chart. She’s very, very qualified. She has a secondary (education) degree from Marshall University. There is no way I could find someone no matter where they are who is more qualified than Cathy Justice for this job. I think she will do great.”

First Lady Cathy Justice will likely soon join the state school board following an appointment this week from her husband, Gov. Jim Justice.

Cathy Justice’s appointment will still need to be confirmed by the state Senate. If approved, she will serve a nine-year term as she fills the seat recently vacated by Dr. Daniel Snavely, whose term expired this month.

Jim Justice announced his wife’s appointment during his weekly news briefing on Thursday. The story was first reported by The Real WV, a Greenbrier County-based news site, on Wednesday. 

During Thursday’s briefing, the governor said Cathy Justice once worked as a substitute teacher in Raleigh County “a long, long, long time ago.” He said it took some convincing for her to accept his appointment to the state school board. 

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

Charleston Gazette-Mail reporter Sierra Marling asked the governor during his briefing what he would say to any “inevitable accusations of nepotism” regarding him appointing his wife to the state school board. 

Jim Justice said he had trouble hearing the question and C.J. Harvey, his director of communications, said there may have been technical difficulties. 

The governor then, however, did seem to offer a response.

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

Cathy Justice is a lifelong West Virginia resident and a 1975 graduate of Marshall University, where she studied secondary education. Professionally, she previously served as the president of Comer Electric, Inc., a company founded by her parents, according to her official biography.

“I am honored to take on this role and to continue working to support our wonderful students, teachers, and families,” Cathy Justice said in a Thursday news release. “Every child in West Virginia deserves a safe, welcoming environment where they can thrive. I look forward to contributing to the Board and helping our education system grow stronger for everyone.”

The first lady currently serves as the president of the state advisory council for Communities In Schools, a national nonprofit program focused on drop-out prevention that provides students in schools with resources they need to be successful. Through Communities In Schools, Cathy Justice helps head the Friends With Paws program, which has so far placed more than 40 therapy dogs in schools throughout the state.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appointed his wife to the state school board about a day after a decisive victory in a U.S. Senate race against his Democratic opponent.

The 73-year-old Republican governor announced First Lady Cathy Justice’s appointment to the West Virginia State Board of Education during a press briefing on Thursday, after submitting a letter notifying the Secretary of State’s office Wednesday.

“She’ll do an amazing job,” Justice said. “And really, truly, Cathy loves kids beyond good sense.”

Cathy Justice, 71, will serve a nine-year term on the board, taking over the seat of Dr. Daniel Snavely, a Huntington cardiologist whose term expired this week. Justice said his wife wasn’t initially sure about the position but that after some convincing, “she’s fired up now and ready to go and do the job.”

When asked by a reporter about whether nepotism played a role in the appointment, Justice insisted Cathy Justice is more than qualified.

“How could you possibly think that Cathy is not just covered up with qualifications?” he asked.

Justice cited the work of his wife, who earned a degree in secondary education at Marshall University, within the state’s Communities In Schools program. As first lady, Cathy Justice helped the nonprofit school dropout prevention program launch in 2018 and expand to 285 schools in all of the state’s 55 counties.

According to the governor’s office, West Virginia is the only state in the nation to have the program operating in every county.

Cathy Justice also spearheaded the Friends With Paws program, which puts certified therapy dogs in schools to provide comfort and companionship to students. More than 40 such dogs have been placed throughout the state.

“There’s no way that I could find someone — no matter where they are — that’s more qualified than Cathy Justice for this job,” Justice told reporters.

Cathy Justice has taught as a substitute teacher in Raleigh County schools and is involved in a elementary school program affiliated with a local church. She previously served as president of Comer Electric, Inc., a business started by her father and mother. She also served on the board of directors for First National Bank in Ronceverte for five years.

In 2007, former Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin — whose seat Justice is taking over in the Senate — appointed his wife Gayle Manchin to the state school board. Gayle Manchin, a former Marion County public school teacher, was later elected the board’s president for a two-year term.

In January, Justice will be going to Washington, D.C., to start a six-year term as a U.S. senator after easily besting Democrat Glenn Elliott.

A businessman whose family owns dozens of companies and the historic resort The Greenbrier, Justice has in the past donated his $150,000 a year salary as governor to the Communities In Schools program.