Derek Schmidt was elected the 44th attorney general of Kansas and took office January 10, 2011. Before being elected attorney general, Schmidt served 10 years as a Kansas State Senator representing the 15th district in Southeast Kansas. The last six years, he served as majority leader for the Senate Republican Caucus. He also worked in the private practice of law with the Independence firm Scovel Emert Heasty & Chubb. Before being elected to the Senate, Schmidt served as special counsel and legislative liaison to Governor Bill Graves. Prior to that he served as an assistant Kansas attorney general for consumer protection, as legislative assistant to Senate Nancy Landon Kassebaum, and as legislative director and general counsel to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel. Schmidt is a graduate of Independence High School and studied at Independence Community College. He earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas, his master's degree in international politics from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Schmidt is a Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership with the Aspen Institute. Schmidt and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of two young daughters.