UVA Wise Announces Alumnus Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia as Commencement Speaker

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) is pleased to announce that Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia Charles H. “Chuck” Slemp III will serve as the College’s keynote speaker at its Commencement Ceremony on May 11, 2024. 

Slemp is a 2003 graduate of UVA Wise, and grew up in Lee County. He will make his remarks to graduates at the May 11 ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. at the David J. Prior Convocation Center. 

“We are so excited for Chuck to share his perspectives with the Class of 2024. His experience as a UVA Wise alumnus and as an ambassador for our region have well prepared him to guide our upcoming graduates,” said Chancellor Donna P. Henry. “UVA Wise prides itself on giving students access to educational opportunities and Chuck has not only embodied that spirit, but has fostered the success of a few UVA Wise graduates himself.” 

Before serving as Chief Deputy Attorney General starting in 2022, Slemp was the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Wise County and the City of Norton from 2016 through 2022. Prior to that, Slemp worked as the Commissioner of Accounts for the Circuit Court of Wise County, the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Office of Attorney General. For five years, he owned his own practice, where he hosted UVA Wise interns. 

“This will be deeply personal for me. When I came to UVA Wise, I was just a kid from a farm down the road in Lee County. The people here at the college invested in me and my future. My response has been, ‘I’m going to invest in the students,’” said Slemp, who has previously served the college as a lecturer, Constitution Day speaker and intern supervisor. 

While at UVA Wise himself, Slemp served on the Student Government Association, volunteered in community projects, and participated in service with Baptist Campus Ministries. He prepared for his professional pursuits by completing an internship with the Commonwealth’s Attorney, which was held at the time by UVA Wise alumnus Joey Carico, and by competing in Mock Trial at the national level. Now, he greets delegations of UVA Wise students visiting Richmond during their advocacy trips.

“Because of the experiences I received at UVA Wise and being involved in everything I could as a student, the door was opened to public service work in Virginia and now I work for my fourth attorney general. I get to travel the Commonwealth and the country and endeavor to make others’ lives better, and it’s all thanks to UVA Wise,” Slemp said. 

He was also able to serve as the College’s student representative for a bond referendum that General Assembly crafted to assist colleges and universities in the Commonwealth. In that role, Slemp traveled the state and promoted the referendum, making vital contacts for his future career. 

Slemp holds a Juris Doctor and a master’s degree in government, law and public policy from Regent University. He completed postgraduate study at Hertford College at Oxford University in Anglo-American constitutional studies, and his bachelor of arts degree from UVA Wise focused on business administration. 

Slemp has published in the Appalachian Journal of Law and Regent Journal of Law & Public Policy.  In 2021, he was named a Leader in Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly and received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UVA Wise’s National Society for Leadership and Success. In 2020, he was recognized as a Leadership Institute Awardee by the Appalachian Regional Commission. And, in 2018, he was named Young Lawyer of the Year by the Virginia State Bar while also receiving the Youth and Family Services Award from Lonesome Pine Office on Youth. 

Slemp’s teaching career includes not only contributions to UVA Wise but teaching posts at colleges and universities throughout Virginia, and he has also directed a legal education series for the Office of the Attorney General and contributed to the Virginia Bar Examiners Law Reader Program. 

He is a member of the Board of Governors for the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia Crime Commission and the Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Rapha Foundation and the United Way of Southwest Virginia. 

Slemp has given numerous presentations at national conferences and meetings, including at the National Association of Attorneys General Chief Deputies Conference, the National Forensic Science Symposium and the National Academy of Sciences Forum for Children's Well-Being. 

He has served as a subject matter expert for local, regional and state-wide media outlets, including national contributions to the “Canary” podcast by The Washington Post Investigates and National Public Radio’s “The Uncertain Hour Podcast.”