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NEW MONTHLY FEATURE!
AFT-WV is proud to announce the addition of the Local of the Month feature to our website. Each month, one AFT-WV local will shine as we spotlight their leaders, members, achievements and upcoming events.
Our first Local of the Month designation goes to.....Kanawha County!
AFT-Kanawha, Local 4444, is one of the older locals within AFT-WV, having been chartered in 1986. The organization has come a LONG way from a membership that was small enough to meet in the basement of the old Sterling Restaurant in Charleston, to a large and active membership of over 1400 teachers!
Meet The Local Leadership
 AFT-Kanawha President Fred Albert
The president of AFT-Kanawha is Fred Albert, a math teacher at DuPont Middle School. Fred is very active in his school and community, serving as a track coach at his school, and is a member of his church choir. Fred is a certified ER & D trainer for AFT, and his Thinking Math classes are always very popular at the AFT-WV Summer School! Fred is very active in his profession, and represents his union on many committees and workgroups on the local, state and national level. Fred is a member of the AFT-WV Executive Board.
Vice-president is Cynthia Phillips, a teacher at Capitall High, who also serves as the vice-president of the state AFT. Cynthia also serves on the AFT's national Program & Policy Council for K-12 education.
Liz Riggall, a teacher at Sissionville High, serves as secretary of the local and Steve Shamblin (George Washington High) is the treasurer.
AFT-Kanawha also boasts a large and diverse executive board, many of whom serve on numerous committees and councils representing the AFT in their county. Executive board members include Jennifer Cavender-McNeil (Riverside High,) Patty Akers (Piedmont Elementary,) Greg Dodd (George Washington High,) Marci Wandling (Ruffner Elementary,) Ellen Shapiro (Stonewall Jackson Middle,) Pam Woods (Cedar Grove Middle School,) Gene Petry (George Washington High, ) Lisa Brown (Grandview Elementary, ) Sarah Kendall (Captial High,) Belinda Roberts (BOE Office,) and Danielle Dexter (Herbert Hoover High.)
Local Advocacy
The AFT-Kanawha executive board meets monthly to discuss the issues facing Kanawha educators and students and plan their course of action in addressing the issues. They also hold a regular monthly meeting with Superintendent Ron Duerring to talk about issues and ways to resolve them.
AFT-Kanawha is also very active in issues that affect the qualtiy of education available to the children of Kanawha County. The local has been instrumental in the passage of school levies that provide additional funding for our schools and help enhance the salaries and benefits of county school employees. The union has also been successful in electing some school board members who will be open-minded in listening to the concerns of school employees.
AFT-Kanawha has dealt with some serious issues in the past year, including employee drug testing, book banning, pushing for employee raises on the local level, and attendance policies for employees. The local was successful in gaining a $500 local raise for employees last year. AFT-Kanawha is truly the WATCHDOG along the Kanawha!
Professional Opportunities
One of the most exciting achievements for AFT-Kanawha was the implementation of the Thinking Math program in Kanawha County Schools. AFT-Kanawha members, who are certified ER & D trainers, travel from school to school, assisting classroom teachers in improving the math achievment of their students. This has been a phenomenally successful program and a source of tremendous pride for both the local and state AFT affiliates.
AFT-Kanawha members are very active on the state and national level, attending many events such as the AFT-WV convention, the national AFT convention, national ER & D training programs, the AFT QuEST conference, and more.
Photo Gallery (Check out some of the photos from years ago!)
 
Fred Albert at a rally in Morgantown in 2006 Kanawha's Lisa Brown (left) was a "Rookie of the Year" at the 2007 AFT-WV Summer School.
 
Cynthia Phillips welcomes the crowd to the 2006 convention. Kanawha particpants at the 2007 Summer School in Morgantown.
 
Gene Petry at a pay raise rally (Late 1990's) Denise White at the same late 1990's rally in front of the Kanawha BOE.
 
US Congressman Alan Mollohan with Fred Albert AFT-Kanawha leaders and staff with former AFT national president Ed McElroy
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