Chaz Beasley (born October 24, 1985) is an American attorney and politician in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. Beasley represented District 92 (part of Mecklenburg County) in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

and was elected to his first term on November 8, 2016.

Early life

Chaz Beasley was born in

Statesville, North Carolina Statesville is a city in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The population was 28,419 at the time of the 2020 census. Statesville was established in 1789 by an act of the North Carolina Legislature. It is part ...

, and grew up in a low-income, single parent home.

Education

Beasley graduated as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

of Newton-Conover High School in 2004, with high honors in economics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 2008, and from

Georgetown Law School Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, with over ...

in 2013, during which time he also coached youth basketball at a small grade school.

Career

Currently an associate with the law firm of Moore & Van Allen, Beasley works in finance, focusing on capital markets transactions, representing financial institutions in corporate and structured debt financing. Before that, Beasley served on the staff of the

United States Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...

and as an employee of the law firm

Alston & Bird Alston & Bird LLP is an American multinational law firm with over 800 lawyers in 13 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the UK, and Asia. The firm provides legal services to both domestic and international clients who conduct business ...

. He also interned for judges on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...

and the

Supreme Court of North Carolina The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

. During the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, he performed risk management in the residential mortgage industry.

Politics

Beasley has been elected twice (in 2016 and 2018) as a member of the

for District 92. In 2019, he announced his candidacy for

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member of ...

in the 2020 election. Beasley tied for third place on March 3, 2020, with 18.86% of the vote. In 2022, Governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

appointed Beasley to the State Board of

Community Colleges A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open en ...

.Press Release: Governor Cooper Announces State Boards and Commissions Appointments
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Personal life

Beasley lives in the Steele Creek area of Charlotte.

Electoral history

2020

2018

2016

References

*Hampton, Lacey
"Jeter, Beasley look to November election”
"The Herald", April 14, 2016. *Myrick, Susan
"The 21 North Carolina Races to Watch in 2016”
"Civitas Institute", January 11, 2016.

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beasley, Chaz Living people 1985 births People from Statesville, North Carolina People from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Georgetown University Law Center alumni Harvard College alumni North Carolina lawyers 21st-century African-American politicians African-American state legislators in North Carolina Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly