Arkansas Business

Shane Broadway

At 27, Shane Broadway not only has been chosen to become the youngest Speaker of the House of Representatives in state history. He’s the youngest speaker of any general assembly in the nation — a distinction he won’t lose even when he turns 28 on Aug. 30.

Broadway, a marketing consultant in Bryant, originally wanted to be the voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks. His voice already carries beyond the state’s borders. This summer, he was picked to chair the education committee of the Southern Legislative Conference.

“It wasn’t my original goal in life. But I was always intrigued by politics,” Broadway said. “I went to Boys’ State, which I think probably fueled the fire even more. If you’re a political junkie, Boys’ State is a little piece of heaven.”

Broadway earned a political science degree from Arkansas State University and interned in the Washington, D.C., office of former U.S. Sen. David Pryor. Following stints with the campaigns of former state Sen. Charlie Cole Chaffin, D-Benton, and U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, Broadway won his first political campaign in 1996, when he was elected to succeed friend and fellow First Baptist Church member Larry Mitchell.