Judy Hale has been president of AFT-West Virginia since 1991. As a 22-year veteran of teaching, she has worked to professionalize teaching.  She was trained as a Mentor Teacher, a program that grew out of the 1990 education reform in West Virginia.

    As a teacher, she was a member of the Superintendent's Advisory Senate, chaired the Language Arts Textbook Selection Committee, represented her county in the West Virginia Teachers' Forum, and served on the Governor's Basic Skills Computer Panel.  As a result of the work of that panel, four computers were provided to each classroom in West Virginia.  She also served as a member of the WVDE Policy Revision and Consolidation Committee (Policy 2000) and the Task Force on Preparation of Educational Administrators and the Board of Directors for Highland Hospital and served on the Governor's Labor-Management Council.

    Since becoming president of AFT-WV in 1991, Judy has helped spearhead campaigns that have resulted in landmark legislation. These include legislation on inclusion, safe schools, and pension reform.

At the national level, Judy was elected as a national vice-president in 2006 and again in 2008. She also has served on the Program and Policy Council and currently chairs the Member Benefits Committee and co-chairs the State Federation Advisory Committee. She is also a member of AFT’s Organizing Committee.