West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 18

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Young
Guns
“I enjoy traveling through our beautiful state
while educating a wide variety of people on
the importance of being energy independent
with the abundant, reliable and clean fuel
source of natural gas in West Virginia.”
Jason Harshbarger
When Jason Harshbarger was selected
for the Young Guns Class of 2018, one
attribute that made him stand out from
other nominees was his pride for the
Mountain State. A native of Parkersburg,
he considers it an honor to live and work
in West Virginia, and there is nowhere
else he would rather be.
Harshbarger’s reputation for hard work,
determination and grit—fueled by his
commitment to the Mountain State—
inspired him in his work as a natural gas
storage technical specialist III for Dominion
Energy Transmission and a member of the
West Virginia House of Delegates, and
he is still committed to using that pride
to make West Virginia’s future brighter
today. In August 2019, Harshbarger was
selected to become the new state policy
director for Dominion Energy.
“In my new role, I’m responsible for
overseeing stakeholder engagement and
relationship development with state, local
and municipal elected officials; government
agencies; community organizations;
and business groups for all of Dominion
Energy’s business operations in West
Virginia,” he says.
When he accepted this new job title,
Harshbarger had to step down from his
role with the West Virginia House of
Delegates before his term was complete,
and he is grateful for the support he
received during the transition.
“It was a difficult decision having to
resign before my term was complete,”
he says. “Most people have been very
understanding about the fact that when
a career opportunity presents itself, you
must take it, and my constituents have
shown a great deal of appreciation for
the time I did serve and represent them.”
Another challenge Harshbarger has
faced during this transition has been
adhering to the West Virginia Governmental
Ethics Act, which prohibits him
from registering as a lobbyist within one
year of ending his public service.
“The rule preventing me from lobbying
for a year has been a tough one since part
of my new job is to lobby on behalf of
Dominion Energy,” he says. “For me, it’s
not about sitting out a year from lobbying
but missing my colleagues I served with
who have the passion to make a difference
in our state.”
Even though this position is new for
Harshbarger, his experience with Dominion
Energy has prepared him to excel as
the state policy director.
“When I was first hired by Dominion
Energy 14 years ago, I began my career
in the environmental department,” he
says. “Along with my service in the West
Virginia Legislature, it provided me a
well-rounded background in Dominion
Energy’s operations and the knowledge of
the legislative process. In order to represent
the company as the state policy director,
you must have a very diverse background
of the company operations along with
technical knowledge to explain topics to
lawmakers and citizens.”
As state policy director, Harshbarger is
dedicated to moving the Mountain State
forward in the energy sector through
education and job growth.
“I enjoy traveling through our beautiful
state while educating a wide variety of
people on the importance of being energy
independent with the abundant, reliable
and clean fuel source of natural gas in West
Virginia,” he says. “I also look forward to
expanding our economic development while
building out the existing infrastructure.
This potential growth will attract businesses
to the state.”
Harshbarger is also able to add philanthropy
work to his list of job responsibilities
since he now oversees the Dominion
Energy Charitable Foundation. Through
this organization, nonprofits can apply
for grants in four areas: human needs,
environmental stewardship, education
and community vitality.
“It has been very rewarding to interact
with nonprofits and take part in philanthropy
work in West Virginia,” he says.
“Through the foundation, we can contribute
financial assistance to many programs
in the state in the areas in which
we operate and see the positive impact
our contributions have made.” •
MAGGIE HATFIELD
TRACY A. TOLER PHOTOGRAPHY
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE