Monday, April 22, 2024
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Leung Conference Room (110), Stephen Robert '62 Hall, 280 Brook Street, Providence RI
Join Professor Wendy Schiller, Brown faculty, guest speakers, and the Taubman Center for American Politics & Policy for lunchtime discussions on American politics.
Our guest this Monday is Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi. Speaker Shekarchi will come and speak with students about that are pressing in the Rhode Island General Assembly. Come join us for a discussion on the politics happening not only in Providence, but the state of Rhode Island!
Open to all Brown Students.
Politics and Policy Lunches
K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) was first elected Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives in January 2021; he was re-elected as Speaker in January 2023.
From November 2016 through 2020, he served as House Majority Leader; previously, he was Chairman of the House Labor Committee. He has served the residents of District 23 in Warwick since first being elected in November 2012 and has been a strong proponent of economic development.
Upon his election as Speaker, Shekarchi pledged to make housing issues the cornerstone of his legislative initiatives. In three years as Speaker, he has shepherded 30 bills into law that are designed to tackle the state's housing crisis from multiple angles. Coupled with historic budget investments, his legislation addresses the long-lagging housing production rates, catalyzes expanded housing supply, and mitigates upward pressure on rents and home purchase prices.
He is a graduate of Mount St. Charles Academy, Class of 1980, and graduated from Suffolk University in 1984. He returned to Suffolk to earn his law degree in 1990. In addition to his duties as a legislator, Speaker Shekarchi is a successful attorney in private practice for over 30 years. He has been the legal counsel to the Warwick Housing Authority for over 25 years and is a former Warwick solicitor. Speaker Shekarchi is a lifelong Warwick resident.
