Stephen S. Hershey Jr.

Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (born May 2, 1964) is an American Republican politician currently serving in his 2nd term in the Maryland State Senate, representing Legislative District 36, Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore which includes Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties.

Steve Hershey
Minority Leader of the Maryland Senate
Assumed office
January 11, 2023
Preceded byBryan Simonaire
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 36th district
Assumed office
August 12, 2013
Appointed byMartin O'Malley
Preceded byE.J. Pipkin
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 36th district
In office
January 12, 2011 – September 18, 2013
Preceded byRichard A. Sossi
Succeeded bySteven J. Arentz
Personal details
Born (1964-05-02) May 2, 1964
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationJames Madison University
Catholic University (BS)
George Washington University (MBA)
Signature

Hershey served as the Senate Minority Whip from 2015 until 2020. He was replaced as Senate Minority Whip by Michael Hough. Before being appointed to the Senate in 2013, he served 2 years in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Early life

Hershey grew up in Bowie, Maryland and attended Bowie High School. He went on to James Madison University for two years and then transferred to Catholic University of America. He earned his B.C.E. in Civil Engineering from the Catholic University in 1987. In 2002, he received his MBA from George Washington University.[1]

Career

Steve Hershey was elected to the Maryland State House of Delegates in 2010 representing District 36.[2] He was a member of the House Environmental Matters Committee where he served on the Banking, Economic development, Science and Technology Subcommittee. He was also a member of the Business Climate Work Group.[3]

On September 18, 2013, he was appointed to the Maryland State Senate by Governor Martin O'Malley following the retirement of the Senator E. J. Pipkin. He was sworn into the Senate on October 1, 2013[4]

In the Senate, Hershey serves on the Senate Finance Committee, where he sits on the Health Policy Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, Legislative Policy Committee and the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics. Senator Hershey is also on the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission and is a member of the Strategic Energy Investment Advisory Board and the Maryland Offshore Wind Business Development Advisory Committee.

In 2015, Hershey was elected by his peers to serve as Minority Whip in the Senate Republican Caucus, a position he held until 2020.[5][6]

Under Governor Robert Ehrlich’s Administration, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Assistant Secretary of the Department of Planning.

Republican Party activity

In 2014, Hershey served as a member on Governor-elect Larry Hogan’s Transition Team and was a 2012 Delegate at the Republican National Convention. He served as President of Queen Anne's County Republican Club, 2002–04 and Chair of the Queen Anne's County Tricentennial Celebration Committee, 2004.[3]

In November 2022, Hershey was selected to be the State Senate minority leader, replacing Bryan Simonaire of Anne Arundel County.[7]

Other career

Prior to serving in the Maryland General Assembly, Hershey was Vice President of Project and Development Services at Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate services company and The Staubach Company.[8]

He also held executive management positions for Trammell Crow Company, Planet Hollywood International and Prime Retail.[8] Since 2015 he is the owner of a marine construction company based in Ocean City, Maryland.

Awards and honors

Senator Hershey was recently recognized with the Maryland Association of Counties Legislator of the Year award for his work defending local Highway User Revenues.[9]

References
  1. "Stephen Hershey, Jr. - Ballotpedia". Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  2. Elections, Maryland State Board of. "2010 Primary Election Results". www.elections.state.md.us. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  3. "Stephen S. Hershey, Jr., Maryland State Senator". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  4. "GAM-Senator Hershey Main". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  5. "Maryland Senate Republicans Re-Elect Caucus Leadership". Maryland Senate Republican Caucus. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  6. Wood, Pamela. "Maryland GOP senators elect new, more conservative leaders". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. Sears, Bryan P. (November 28, 2022). "Maryland Senate Republicans choose Hershey as new leader". The Daily Record. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  8. "2016 Emerging Leaders". GOPAC. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  9. Schultze, Kaley (November 15, 2016). "Congratulations to MACo's 2016 Recognition Award Winners". Conduit Street. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
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