West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appointed his spouse to the state faculty board a couple of day after a decisive victory in a U.S. Senate race towards his Democratic opponent.
The 73-year-old Republican governor introduced First Girl Cathy Justice’s appointment to the West Virginia State Board of Training throughout a press briefing on Thursday, after submitting a letter notifying the Secretary of State’s workplace 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 time period on the board, taking on the seat of Dr. Daniel Snavely, a Huntington heart specialist whose time period expired this week. Justice stated his spouse wasn’t initially positive in regards to the place however that after some convincing, “she’s fired up now and ready to go and do the job.”
When requested by a reporter about whether or not nepotism performed a task within the appointment, Justice insisted Cathy Justice is greater than certified.
“How may you probably assume that Cathy is not only lined up with {qualifications}?” he requested.
Justice cited the work of his spouse, who earned a level in secondary schooling at Marshall College, inside the state’s Communities In Colleges program. As first girl, Cathy Justice helped the nonprofit faculty dropout prevention program launch in 2018 and increase to 285 colleges in the entire state’s 55 counties.
In accordance with the governor’s workplace, West Virginia is the one state within the nation to have this system working in each county.
Cathy Justice additionally spearheaded the Pals With Paws program, which places licensed remedy canine in colleges to offer consolation and companionship to college students. Greater than 40 such canine have been positioned all through 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 instructed reporters.
Cathy Justice has taught instead instructor in Raleigh County colleges and is concerned in a elementary faculty program affiliated with an area church. She beforehand served as president of Comer Electrical, Inc., a enterprise began by her father and mom. She additionally served on the board of administrators for First Nationwide Financial institution in Ronceverte for 5 years.
In 2007, former Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin—whose seat Justice is taking on within the Senate—appointed his spouse Gayle Manchin to the state faculty board. Gayle Manchin, a former Marion County public faculty instructor was later elected the board’s president for a two-year time period.
In January, Justice might be going to Washington, D.C., to start out a six-year time period as a U.S. senator after simply besting Democrat Glenn Elliott.
A businessman whose household owns dozens of corporations and the historic resort The Greenbrier, Justice has prior to now donated his $150,000 a yr wage as governor to the Communities In Colleges program.
