Outgoing West Virginia Board of Education president Nancy White hands over her gavel following Wednesday’s monthly board meeting to Paul Hardesty, who will once again serve as state board president. (Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Department of Education)

CHARLESTON — Wednesday’s regular monthly meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education saw a changing of the guard, as members voted in Paul Hardesty for a second stint as state board president.

Hardesty was voted in unanimously to the role of president of the West Virginia Board of Education, a role he had from July 2022 to July 2024.

“I am humbled by the support and confidence that my fellow board members have placed in me,” Hardesty said in a statement following Wednesday’s vote. “This board faces many challenges this upcoming year. We will face those challenges head on, with the purposes of doing what is in the best interests of our 241,000 students across the state.”

He was appointed by former governor Jim Justice to the state board to an unexpired term in December 2021, with his term ending in November 2029.

Hardesty, a long-time lobbyist, was appointed by Justice in 2019 as a Democratic member of the West Virginia Senate, filling the remaining four-year term of former Logan County state senator Richard Ojeda. Hardesty declined to run for election to the seat in 2020. Hardesty was also a former elected member of the Logan County Board of Education, serving as the board president until his appointment to the state Senate.

State board member Nancy White was elected to serve as president last July for a two-year term, with Hardesty moving into a new role as legislative liaison for the board. But she announced Wednesday that she had decided to step down.

“After deep reflection and heartfelt gratitude, I’ve decided not to seek re-election as president of the West Virginia Board of Education,” White said prior to Wednesday’s vote for board officers. “It’s been one of my greatest honors of my professional life to serve this esteemed institution and to work alongside such dedicated educators, leaders, and public servants.

“During my tenure, I have witnessed firsthand the unwavering commitment to excellence in education across our great state,” White continued. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made together, advancing policies that prioritize achievement, supporting our administrators, teachers, and service personnel, and strengthening the foundation of public education in West Virginia.”

White, a native of Grafton and resident of Bridgeport, was first appointed to the state Board of Education by Gov. Jim Justice in 2018. She filled an unexpired nine-year term ending in November 2022 and was reappointed to a full nine-year term beginning Jan. 2, 2023.

She is a retired county school finance professional with 36 years of experience in Taylor, Lewis, Jefferson, and Morgan counties. During that time, she served as President of the West Virginia Association of School Business Officials and the Southeastern Association of School Business Officials.

The position of state Board of Education president traditionally rotates every two years among the nine-member board, with the vice president succeeding the president. White was elected to serve as finance officer, while board member Victor Gabriel was elected to remain as vice president and Scott Rotruck was elected to remain as secretary.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.