Patricia Wilson

Patricia A. Wilson is the only Commissioner of the West Virginia Martin Luther King Holiday Commission, who has served continuously on the Commission since its inception in 1985.  West Virginia was one of the first states to create a Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission via an Executive Order by Governor Arch Moore.  Mrs. Wilson serves her community by being an active member of the First Baptist Church of Charleston, WV, life member and member of the Education Committee of the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Treasurer of the North Central Section of the National Association of University Women, HHOMA Advisory Board, member of the Tuesday Morning Group, Life Member of the West Virginia State University Alumni Association, and President of the Washington High Alumni Association.
Mrs. Wilson has one son, Marshall Petty, and is the proud grandmother of six grandchildren.  Her husband, Wayman Wilson, is a retired Kanawha County School administrator.  She has been an educator for fifty years, having served as a teacher and administrator in Kanawha County Schools, Counselor at Marshall University, and since 2000, working in the Education Department at her Alma Mater, West Virginia State University.  She retired from this position on January 5, 2024 after serving as the Education Department Chairman for eight years. 

In her service to the MLK Commission, she has served as Chairman of the Awards Committee for the Poster and Essay Competition and the Living the Dream Awards.  She commends the Wheeling YWCA for its continued service in the Essay and Film Competition.  She is also proud of the continued affiliation of Beta Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., for coordinating the Poster Competition for forty years and annually serving as hostesses for the Awards Luncheon which has been held annually for the winners of the Poster and Essay Competition.