The Hon. Ghazala Hashmi, Lieutenant Governor, Virginia

Ghazala F. Hashmi is the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is the first Muslim woman to be elected to any statewide office in the nation, as well as the first South Asian American elected statewide in Virginia. Lieutenant Governor Hashmi spent nearly 30 years in higher education, teaching literature at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College, prior to election in 2019 to her first term in the Virginia State Senate. While in the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Hashmi built a reputation as a thoughtful, effective legislator focused on strengthening public education, expanding access to affordable health care and housing, protecting reproductive freedom, and advancing economic opportunity. During her tenure, she played a key role in securing historic investments in K–12 and higher education, supporting working families, and defending civil rights for all Virginians.