Vice President and Senior Diversity Officer,
WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Photo by HQ Publishing.
By Lori Kersey
As Meshea Poore looks back over her life, she finds she’s always cared about people having equal access to information, innovation and opportunity. She believes this access gives people hope.
“While this may seem insignificant to some, it matters to those that need guidance navigating through the challenges of life,” Poore says. “I understood that innovation could provide prosperity and opportunity to lead to generational and geological healing and wealth.”
That focus on equality has guided Poore through her career, from her time working as a public defender, to representing her district in the state House of Delegates, to her current role as vice president and senior diversity officer at West Virginia University’s (WVU) Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Poore is proud to be a Black woman from Appalachia, but she knows most people don’t picture her when they think of the region. Growing up, Poore’s community on the West Side of Charleston surrounded her with love and taught her she could change the narrative of being hidden in plain sight by standing up, speaking out and being seen.
As a child, Poore decided she wanted to be a lawyer after hearing school friends talk about the struggles their families faced when a loved one became involved with the court system. They would talk about bail and how they couldn’t afford the $5,000 retainer necessary to hire an attorney and were forced to settle for a public defender.
“It was at this juncture in my young life that I recognized my desire to become an attorney—not just any attorney—but a public defender who would provide quality legal representation that far exceeds the $5,000 retainer they once discussed, despite a person’s inability to pay,” Poore says.
Poore attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she studied political science and administrative justice. She studied law at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, LA.
After passing the bar, Poore’s first legal job was as a public defender for the Kanawha County Public Defender’s Office. She worked there for five years until she opened her own law firm.
“I discovered that while my tenacity, legal representation, transparency and explanation of the legal system made a difference to the individual and families that I represented, I needed to do more,” Poore says.
At the start of her law career, Poore’s practice focused on juvenile justice. She participated in the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Southern University Law Center and enjoyed the experience. While she represented young people in court, she also introduced families to community resources that helped them develop vocational skills. If she couldn’t find a program, she pushed organizations to develop tailored programs for the kids.
“This extra effort allowed the juveniles to receive guidance on making wiser decisions that often prevented a return to detention and helped many chart a more productive path,” Poore says.
Besides juvenile justice, Poore’s work as an attorney also included representing various clients and serving as guardian ad litem. Her experiences include legal matters from municipal court to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
Throughout her education, Poore looked to her elementary school principal, Mary C. Snow, as a mentor. Snow was Kanawha County’s first Black principal after schools were desegregated. Snow would send her graduation cards with words of encouragement through law school and continuing through Poore’s political career until Snow’s passing in 2011.
In Poore’s legal career, Irene Berger, a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, has been a mentor. Berger was the first Black federal judge for West Virginia. Poore was introduced to Berger while participating in a mock trial field trip when Poore was in middle school and Berger was a Kanawha County Circuit Court judge.
“Witnessing Judge Berger on the bench confirmed my dream of becoming an attorney was not only obtainable, but that I could excel in the legal profession,” Poore says. “Judge Berger has been the only African American judge I have ever presented legal arguments to since being licensed in West Virginia.”
In turn, Poore has been a mentor to early-career attorneys. She’s also mentored and consulted with people as they seek elected office or work with nonprofit organizations.
“In my role as vice president for the WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I have been able to support young professionals as they navigate the work, reach meaningful outcomes and advance in their careers,” she says.
Through it all, Poore credits her faith for having the biggest influence on her success. As she graduated high school and before she went to college, she prayed that whatever her future, she wanted her life’s work to matter by helping others.
“I knew a part of that journey would be becoming an attorney, but I never knew that that same degree would allow me to help others in the various ways it has over the years,” she says.
Poore’s desire to serve took on a new meaning when she was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates, where she served from 2009 to 2014. In that time, she was chair of the House Rule-Making Review Committee and the Region IV Vice Chair and Youth Caucus Vice-Chair for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
“For five years as a vocal and influential legislator, I had the ability to continue my role as an advocate for the many disenfranchised people in my district and throughout West Virginia,” she says.
In 2017, Poore was the first Black woman to be named president of the West Virginia State Bar since it was founded in 1947.
In that role, she led the bar’s offering of professional learning opportunities for lawyers. She also helped better the bar’s communication with courts throughout the state and strengthen relationships between the state’s law school students and practicing attorneys.
Poore became vice president for the WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2018. In this role, she motivates others to recognize the beauty of diversity. A focus on diversity is part of life for WVU, where students come from all over the state and the world.
“We engage in advocacy and policy development to create a more inclusive campus community while collaborating with our campus partners to create a robust schedule of events to broaden perspectives and introduce different customs and cultures,” Poore says. “Through this work, WVU seeks to be a national leader in understanding and addressing oppressions and societal inequalities that affect access for, achievement by and inclusion of marginalized people.”
