West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has been elected chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board.

Justice was elected at the board's annual meeting Sunday in Atlanta. He will lead the group's 80-member board that includes governors, legislators and state education leaders working to improve public education at every level.

Justice succeeds Delaware Gov. John Carney, who served as chairman the past two years.

WEST VIRGINIA GOV. JIM JUSTICE DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR MINGO COUNTY

Jim Justice

Governor Jim Justice will be the chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board. (Darren Carroll/Getty Images)

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"We’re grateful for Governor Justice’s leadership and commitment to working together to improve education and opportunity for the people of West Virginia and across the 16 states in the SREB region," SREB President Stephen L. Pruitt said in a statement.