Sen. Shane Massey (S.C. District 25) will be the featured speaker for the University of South Carolina Aiken’s commencement ceremony at 6 p.m. on May 1 at the USCA Convocation Center.
“We are honored to have Sen. Shane Massey as our commencement speaker. His dedication to public service and commitment to our community and region exemplifies USCA’s values. He has provided leadership on our state’s most pressing issues with exemplary character and fairness. We look forward to his insights and inspiration for our graduates as they continue in their own journey of professional growth and character development,” said USCA Chancellor Daniel Heimmermann.
Massey is the South Carolina state senator for District 25, which includes Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda Counties. First elected in a 2007 special election, Massey ran for the senate with a promise to disrupt the status quo in Columbia. His hosting of 130 town hall meetings across the district has exemplified that commitment, providing weekly legislative updates and combating outdated practices and policies in his speeches and votes.
Included among his efforts to hold state government accountable is his joining of a group of select senators that advocated for recorded votes on all legislation since 2011, push for a new law to require voters to show their photo ID at the polls, public dialogue on stopping deficit spending at several state government agencies, and demand for regulatory reform.
"I am honored to be part of USCA's graduation program and look forward to celebrating with these young men and women who lead South Carolina into the future,” Massey said.
Massey chairs the Senate Rules Committee and serves on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Legislative Oversight Committee, and the Labor Commerce and Industry Committee. In April 2016, he was unanimously elected to serve as Senate Majority Leader.
Committed to improving his community, he has served as chair of Edgefield County’s First Steps Board and as a mentor and tutor at Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle School. He and his wife, Blair, are attorney coaches for the award-winning mock trial team at Strom Thurmond High School. Additionally, he is an active member of the Aiken SERTOMA Club, the Edgefield Lions Club, the Edgefield County United Way, the Johnston Development Board, and the Upper Savannah Council of Government’s Board of Directors.
Massey was selected as a Rodel Fellow in 2015 and Liberty Fellow in 2009. In 2014, the Washington Post named Massey one of the top 40 rising stars among state-level elected officials nationwide under 40.
A graduate of Strom Thurmond High School, Clemson University, and the USC School of Law, Massey works as an attorney in Edgefield, where he lives with his wife and two children.
For more information, contact Christen Engel - christen.engel@usca.edu