Roger Hanshaw is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 62. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026. Hanshaw became speaker of the state House on Aug. 29, 2018. Hanshaw was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1980. He received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from West Virginia University in 2002 and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 2006. In 2006, Hanshaw started working as a special assistant to the West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture. During that time, Hanshaw said, “It became clear to me that if one wants to make an impact in public policy in America, one of the tools by which to do that is to combine some form of technical training with training as an attorney, or at least developing a better, more fully developed understanding of the lawmaking process.” From 2008 to 2012, Hanshaw worked as the associate director of West Virginia University Extension Service while attending law school part-time. Hanshaw completed his legal studies in 2012 and started working as an attorney at Bowles Rice LLP. According to the firm’s website, Hanshaw “concentrates his legal practice on the environmental and technical issues that arise in business transactions, as well as regulatory compliance matters and litigation.” While working at the firm, Hanshaw served as chief of staff and general counsel to then-state Sen. Mike Hall from 2013 to 2014.