Marshall Elected Chair of Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission

Wesley G. Marshall has been elected to a three-year term as chairman of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWC), effective July 1, 2024.

He succeeds Commissioner Robert A. Rapaport, whose term ended June 30, 2024.

Marshall, of Richmond, was appointed to the commission in 2012. He also served a term as chairman from 2015-2018.

From 1988 to 2012, he was an attorney in private practice, primarily representing plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, employment matters, and other civil litigation. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Marshall serves on the executive committee of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA), the board of directors of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) and the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ), and was a founding member of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation American Inn of Court. In 2015, he was inducted as a fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

The Commission

The VWCC, established in 1918, is an independent judicial and administrative state agency that oversees the workers’ compensation system for employees, employers, and insurers. VWC interprets and applies the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act and resolves claims through hearings and mediation.

The commission, with a staff of 292, is led by a senior leadership team consisting of three commissioners, an executive director and a chief deputy commissioner. Commissioners are selected by the General Assembly and serve six-year terms. Marshall, R. Ferrell Newman and Robert A. Rapaport currently serve as commissioners. The commissioners elect a chairman to serve a three-year term. Evelyn V. McGill is the executive director and James J. Szablewicz is the commission’s chief deputy commissioner.

Topics Workers' Compensation Talent Virginia