LEADERSHIP TEAM

Don is originally from East Bank, West Virginia and attended Marshall University. He currently teaches social studies at Cabell Midland High School in Ona. When not teaching, he is a fan of running, good coffee, and all manner of books. Don and a number of his co-workers helped form Future of 55 in the wake of the 2018 Strike in an effort to promote the interests of teachers and attempt to positively influence education policy in the Mountain State.

Matt grew up in Williamstown, WV, attended Marshall University and now resides in Barboursville, WV. Matt and his wife, Whitney, are both teachers in Cabell County and enjoy traveling, Marshall sports, concerts and spending time with their 3 children. Matt believed teachers and other education professionals & support personnel needed to be more involved in West Virginia politics and helped start Future of 55 to do just that.

Cade grew up in one of the many coal towns in Lincoln County, WV; to get there you just keep driving up the road until it starts going down again, then you take the driveway that is still going up. He attended Marshall University and earned a degree in English, then afterwards did the obligatory English-major stint working as a barista. He met his future wife, Anna, a nurse practitioner who suggested he try teaching, and Cade has worked at Huntington High School ever since. Cade was voted as Huntington High’s Teacher of the Year in 2019, and currently teaches junior and senior co-taught English. His vantage point from teaching in special education co-taught classes gives him a special concern for the “difficult” kids, and the kids who sometimes are forgotten in educational policy discussions. He is also an identical twin, and readily uses that novelty during demonstrations at the Capitol.

Billy, the son of a coal miner, grew up in the rural coalfields of Mingo County. He attended Marshall University and has been teaching in Cabell County since 2004. He currently resides in Milton with his wife and two daughters and teaches social studies at Cabell Midland High School. During the 2018 Strike, Billy realized that ignoring the shenanigans of our state legislature was no longer a sound strategy. Therefore, he decided to join with several of his co-workers to found Future of 55.

Jay is originally from Ripley, West Virginia but currently lives in Huntington. He attended Marshall University where he completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in secondary education. He currently teaches at Cabell Midland High School, where his wife Elizabeth teaches Spanish. Together, they have twin boys, Peter and Ezra.