An honor student, JoEllen Lambert Blackwood graduated from Morris Harvey College with a Bachelor’s in Biology and teaching certification. She earned a Master’s in Journalism from Ohio University and a Doctorate in Curriculum Instruction from Virginia Tech. She and her husband Theneale, professors at the University of Charleston, have two sons: Dr. Andrew Blackwood, Executive Director of The National Youth Science Camp, and Dr. Matthew Blackwood, Homeland Security Coordinator, WV Department of Agriculture. Their six grandchildren – Catherine, Evan, Molly, Madelene, Ellen and Elliott are in church with them every Sunday. Jo attributes her parenting style to the positive modeling by her mother who she said always put other’s needs before her own. In 2004, Jo received The Christa McAuliffe Lifetime Achievement Award for her service to education.
