The West Virginia Public Education Collaborative (WVPEC) is a non-partisan collaborative of diverse state and national leaders championing awareness and support of public schools through outreach, innovation, and convening of stakeholders to foster productive dialogue and respond rapidly to emerging issues P-20 in West Virginia and beyond.

The WVPEC was founded by West Virginia University (WVU) President Gordon Gee and former Shepherd University President Suzanne Shipley in 2015. Membership is representative of all sectors involved in public education, and the group is currently pursuing actionable applied research and educational partnerships to shape policy and drive educational innovation on a state and national level. The collaborative is headquartered in WVU’s Office of the Provost to ensure a neutral viewpoint and cross-disciplinary collaboration, and to facilitate flexibility.

To date, the WVPEC has sponsored three main events and initiatives, the annual Legislators’ Forum, Focus Forward: Preparing Today for the West Virginia of Tomorrow, and Academic Spotlight, which have initiated a dialogue interweaving numerous views on education in our state while bringing together many different groups, including teachers, lawmakers, and the general public. The WVPEC is also spearheading initiatives to create an inventory of STEM activities in West Virginia, establish a West Virginia K-12 Speakers’ Bureau that will connect educators and students with members of the workforce, and create and protect educational opportunities for girls and women across the state. Support for WVPEC activities is provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and WVU, along with other generous donors.