Charlene Vaughn
Deputy Attorney General

Charlene A. Vaughan, Deputy Attorney General of the Attorney General’s, (AG), Department of Health and Human Resources, (DHHR), Division, obtained her J.D. degree in 1980 from the WVU College of Law in Morgantown, WV, and her B.S. degree in Political Science from Marshall University in Huntington, WV. Ms. Vaughan is a member of the WV and Mountain State Bars and the WV Trial Lawyers Association, and admitted to practice before all state and federal courts of record in WV, as well as the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. Vaughan serves on several committees of the WV State Bar and is a past-president of the American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys.

Ms. Vaughan joined the AG’s office in April 1991, as an Assistant Attorney General assigned to the DHHR Division in its employment law unit litigating in defense of agency employment actions. She was promoted to Senior Assistant Attorney General in 1993 and served as litigation counsel for the DHHR Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification, (OHFLAC), handling certified nurse aide abuse registry, behavioral health and long term care facilities litigation. She was promoted to Deputy Attorney General in 1995 and in addition to her own caseload, began supervising other Assistant Attorney Generals and support staff within the DHHR Division. From January 2002 to February 2005, Ms. Vaughan served as DHHR General Counsel and assumed the additional responsibilities of overseeing all DHHR litigation and assisting the Secretary and Bureau Commissioners with legal strategy and negotiations on issues in an attempt to prevent litigation while promoting the goals of the DHHR. Ms. Vaughan continues supervision of the DHHR Division and litigates in defense of DHHR statewide actions at bench trials in state and federal courts.