Top L-R Gayle Manchin, Robert Plymale, Thomas Campbell
Bottom L-R Larry Williams, Jenny Phillips, Jay Cole
Challenge West Virginia's annual Fall Conference "A Community Conversation," will be held Friday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Covenant House, 600 Shrewsbury Street in Charleston.
The registration fee is $10 which includes lunch, payable at the conference. Please make your reservation no later than October 14 by contacting Challenge WV Coordinator, Linda Martin at 304-744-5916 or LBM94@aol.com
First Lady Gayle Manchin will be an honored guest at this year's conference. In addition to her current duties as West Virginia's First Lady, she serves by appointment for the National Education Commission of the States and the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service.
Among other appointments and duties Gayle is the Chair of the Governor's Healthy Lifestyles Coalition, Vice Chair of the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Families, Citizens Advisory Council and a Co-Chair on the Governor's 21st Century Jobs Cabinet.
She is a partner on the WV Partnership to Promote Community Well Being Commission, and serves as the Nominating Chair on the executive board of The Education Alliance. She became the West Virginia Director of the AmeriCorps Promise Fellow Program. Gayle, under the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts, implemented the WV PASS (West Virginia Partnerships to Assure Student Success) initiative.
Conference panel members will be Senator Robert H. Plymale, Senate Education Committee Chair. Senator Plymale is a member of 7 Senate and 14 Interim committees.
Delegate Thomas W. Campbell, House Education Committee Chair. Campbell is the assistant Majority Whip, and is a member of 2 House and 7 Interim committees.
Delegate Larry A. Williams, House Education Committee Vice Chair, and the assistant Majority Whip. Delegate Williams is a member of 4 House and 11 Interim committees.
Jenny N. Phillips, State Board of Education Member. Phillips was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Education in June 2005 by Governor Joe Manchin III. Included in Ms. Phillips' work experience is time with the White House Office of Public Liaison, Office of Import Administration, and the United States Department of Commerce.
Jay Cole Director of Education Policy, Office of the Governor. Cole has served as Deputy Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts since 2001. He previously worked as an education researcher with the RAND Corporation, a research associate with the National Center for Postsecondary Improvement, a policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Education and a coordinator of service-learning programs.
Challenge WV Fellows and Coordinator, Linda Martin as well as attendees will have an opportunity to participate in the "community conversation" with panel members.
Challenge WV is an organization committed to maintaining and improving small community schools.
Challenge WV's goal is to reform education in the Mountain State so that citizens have a voice in policy decisions and every child has the opportunity to receive a first-class education and promise of a bright future.
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