Governor of Penza Oblast Vasily Kuzmich Bochkaryov

Vasily Kuzmich BOCHKARYOV was born on April 29, 1949 in Iva Village in the Nizhnelomovsky District of Penza Oblast.

He graduated from Alatyrsk Forest Industry Technical School in 1968 and from Mariy Polytechnic Institute in 1973. He worked as a forester, district forester-in-chief and head of an automotive enterprise.

In 1994, he graduated from the Department of Economy and Management of Penza State Technical University and in 1999 from Penza State Agriculture Academy.

He has an academic degree in sociology.

Mr. Bochkaryov started his political career in April 1987, when he was elected as a Head of Zheleznodorozhny District of the City of Penza. He headed the district until 1998.

In April 1998, he was elected as Head of the Administration of Penza Oblast (59.53% of total votes), and in June 1998 he became Governor of the Oblast. Governor Bochkaryov is a member of the State Council of Russia since 2000. From 1998-2001 he also served as a member of the Council of Federation of the State Parliament. In April 2002, he was elected as a Governor for his second term (45.46% of total votes). On May 14, 2005, the regional parliament approved his nomination as Governor for the new term.

The Governor has been awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (4th and 3rd degrees), the Order of Honor, decorations of the Russian Orthodox Church, and decorations of the United Muslim Ecclesiastical Administration of the European part of Russia. He is a Member of the International Academy of Informatics and an Honorable Professor of the Modern State University for the Humanities.

Since 2003, Governor Bochkaryov has been President of the Association of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Regions Bolshaya Volga.

Governor Bochkaryov is married to Valentina Mikhailovna and has one daughter, Natalia. He is a fan of motorcycling.