Gayle Conelly Manchin

Gayle Conelly Manchin is a West Virginia educator. She previously served as Cabinet Secretary for the West Virginia Office of Education and the Arts and as a member of the State Board of Education, serving her last two years as President. Gayle is currently the Chair of the Board for Reconnecting McDowell, Inc.

Gayle Conelly Manchin attended West Virginia University, attaining her Bachelor of Arts in Language Arts and Education and a Master of Arts in Reading, and a second master’s specialization in Educational Technology Leadership from Salem International University. 

As a West Virginia educator, Gayle worked in Marion County Schools, served on the faculty of Fairmont State University, and was the Director of the university’s first Community Service Learning Program. From 2000-2004, she directed the AmeriCorps Promise Fellows in West Virginia and implemented a statewide initiative, WVPASS (WV Partnerships to Assure Student Success). 

From January 2005 until November 2010, Gayle served as West Virginia’s First Lady. She was appointed to serve as a member of the State Board of Education, serving her last two years as President. She is the Chair of the Board for Reconnecting McDowell, Inc., an AFT initiative serving rural West Virginia, is a past president of the Vandalia Rotary Club of Charleston, and as an Emeritus Member of The Education Alliance. She also served as Cabinet Secretary for the West Virginia Office of Education and the Arts.

On the national level, Gayle is a Past-President of the National State Boards of Education (NASBE). She was appointed by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan to the FIPSE (Federal Improvement for Post-Secondary Education) Board in 2010; is a member of the Spouses of the Senate, and the International Friendship Club. In addition, Gayle serves on the Board of Trustees of The Ford Theatre in Washington, DC. 

In 2018, she was appointed by Senator Chuck Schumer to serve as one of nine Commissioners on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); she was reappointed in 2020 and currently serves as chair. 

While at West Virginia University, Gayle met and married Joe Manchin, III, elected as U.S. Senator from West Virginia, to fill the unexpired term of Senator Robert C. Byrd in 2010, and re-elected in 2012, and 2018 for full terms. Joe and Gayle have been married for 53 years and have three children and ten grandchildren.