Secretary of State Betty Ireland

Betty Ireland is West Virginia’s 28th Secretary of State, and the first woman ever to be elected to the state’s executive branch of government.

A Charleston native, Secretary Ireland is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she serves on the Alumni Association’s Board of Governors. Secretary Ireland taught for several years in the West Virginia public school system, then entered the private sector as a small business owner and executive in the pension business.

She has served on the City of Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals, and was an At-Large representative on the Charleston City Council. Secretary Ireland became the state’s first Certified Pension Specialist, and served as Executive Director for the West Virginia consolidated Public Retirement Board.

Prior to her election as Secretary of State in 2004, Secretary Ireland was President and CEO of Jackson Kelly Solutions, LLC. The recipient of two presidential appointments, she has served 4 years on the Executive Board of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Secretary Ireland was named one of America’s ‘Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers’ by Government Technology magazine in recognition of outstanding initiatives, through the use of technology, that make government more accessible to the people. She was also selected as a member of the Council of Pacesetters, by the Stennis Center for Public Service, and was honored at its annual Southern Women in Public Service conference.

Secretary Ireland is a founding member of the Vandalia Rotary Club of Charleston, a member of the Inaugural Class of graduates of the West Virginia Diversity Leadership Academy, and named 2008 Hero of the Year by the Charleston Public Safety Council for initiating the Address Confidentiality Program for victims of domestic violence.

Secretary Ireland is married to Sam Haddad, a Whitesville native, and they are the parents of four children, and have three grandchildren.

For further information please contact:

Cathy Hart Price
Deputy Secretary of State for Public Affairs
Office of the Secretary of State
(304) 558-6000
  

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