CHARLESTON, WV— Today, Governor-elect Jim Justice announced that Kanawha County Commissioner Dave Hardy will serve as his secretary of the Department of Revenue.
Commissioner Hardy is a practicing attorney and a Certified Public Accountant who has years of experience balancing the budget for state’s largest county, Kanawha County. He’s taught college courses in accounting and public policy at WVU Tech, University of Charleston, and WV State University. Hardy is currently teaching public budgeting at WVSU as part of a master’s program.
Hardy was elected to the Charleston City Council in 1995 and then elected to the Kanawha County Commission for the first time in 2002. He is a native of Pratt, WV and currently lives in Charleston, WV.
During his tenure in local government, Dave Hardy has passed twenty-one balanced budgets, for Kanawha County and the City of Charleston. Hardy will resign from the Kanawha County Commission effective midnight January 19, 2017, and will officially start his new post in the Justice Administration the following day to avoid any overlap.
“Dave Hardy has the experience to help my administration conquer the budget crisis,” said Governor-elect Jim Justice. “Dave Hardy is a real asset for our team because he knows how to pass a responsible budget. Our state finances are a mess and require a watchful eye over every penny. We will not achieve greatness until we get out of the financial hole.”
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve Governor-elect Jim Justice and the taxpayers of West Virginia,” said Commissioner Dave Hardy. “I welcome the challenge of digging into the books and solving West Virginia’s budget crisis. This isn’t impossible; it will take innovative ideas and creativity.”
Dave Hardy earned a B.A. in history and government and a B.S. in accounting from WVU Tech. He went to law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Upon graduation, Dave entered the field of energy law in 1988 and was named a partner in the Jackson Kelly law firm in 1993. In 2012, he formed the Hardy Pence firm, which specializes in mining and energy law. He serves on the boards of the Clay Center and the Charleston Area Alliance.
Dave Hardy and his wife, Nadia, have been married thirty-one years and are the proud parents of Scott, a graduate of Virginia Tech and the William and Mary College of Law and Kristen, a graduate of the University of Southern California and a medical student at WVU.