Senator Ghazala Hashmi, PhD, serves in the Virginia General Assembly and represents the 15th Senatorial District which includes parts of Richmond City and Chesterfield County. After nearly 30 years in higher education, she first ran for office in 2019 and won her second term to the Virginia Senate in November 2023. Senator Hashmi serves as Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. She also sits on the following Senate Committees: Finance and Appropriations; Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; Transportation; and Rules. Senator Hashmi has also been appointed, for the past four years, to numerous boards and commissions. She serves as the Vice Chair of the Joint Commission on Health Care and the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. Additionally, she was elected in 2025 to serve as Chair for the Education Committee of the Council of State Governments – Southern Region. Prior to her first election in November 2019, Senator Hashmi taught literature at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. She was also the founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Reynolds.
