Joseph R. Yost (born June 9, 1986, in

Pearisburg, Virginia Pearisburg is a town in Giles County, Virginia. The population was 2,786 at the time of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. Pearisburg is part of the Blacksburg– Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Pea ...

) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he was elected to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in 2011. He represented the 12th district from 2012 to 2018. Yost was indicted for embezzlement charges in January 2022.

Early life and education

After graduating from Giles High School in 2004, Yost received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from

Radford University Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs inclu ...

in 2006 and an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 2008, both in

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

Career

Yost became active with the Montgomery County Republican Committee in 2009. He was elected chair of the Roanoke/New River Valley Young Republicans in 2011. The 12th House district incumbent,

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Jim Shuler James Marshall Shuler (born December 31, 1943) is a retired American politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1994–2012, representing the 12th district in the western part of the state. Shuler is a member of the Democratic ...

, did not run for re-election in 2011. Yost defeated Democratic candidate Don S. Langrehr in the general election, 8104–7582. In the 2017 election, he lost in an upset to opponent Chris Hurst for his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Personal life

Yost married Lisa Michelle Robinson in June 2010 and have since divorced. They have one daughter together.

Notes

External links

* * * 1986 births Living people Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Radford University alumni People from Pearisburg, Virginia 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Virginia politicians {{Virginia-politician-stub