Senate President Blair swore in Owens Brown and Hannah Geffert into the Senate on October 10, 2021. The two were appointed by Governor Justice to the seats vacated by the resignations of Senator Ihlenfeld and Senator Unger.
Owens Brown now represents West Virginia’s 1st Senate district. The Wheeling resident is the first Black man to serve in the West Virginia Senate. Senator Brown serves as the WV NAACP President, a role he has held since 2015. He also worked with the Education Association for 28 years. He also has experience working with grassroots organizations and served as a Special Delegate for the United Nations. He said his past roles have kept him involved in government and prepared him for this opportunity.
Senator Brown was accompanied by his sisters, his nephew, and members of the WV Democratic Association.
Hannah Geffert now represents West Virginia’s 16th Senate district. The Martinsburg resident is a recently retired political science professor. She was teaching at Shepard University. She decided to accept this role after her students reminded her of something she taught them as freshmen. She said that if you want a great state, a great country, or a great world, it is your personal responsibility to get involved. When this opportunity was presented to her, it seemed like the responsible thing to do.
Senator Geffert was accompanied by her husband, her children, and her children’s spouses.
