Jack Allen Markell

• Updated from U.S. Public Records Index by SmartCopy: Nov 27 2014, 1:19:45 UTC

Jack A. Markell (born November 26, 1960) is an American politician who is the 73rd and current Governor of Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party, Markell was first elected Governor in 2008 and was sworn in on January 20, 2009.

Born in Newark, Delaware, Markell is the graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago. He entered a career in business, working as a banker, consultant and senior manager for First Chicago Corporation, McKinsey & Company and Comcast Corporation. He also worked for Nextel Communications - a name that Markell coined - as the Senior Vice President for Corporate Development from 1989 to 1995.

Entering a career in politics, Markell served three terms as the State Treasurer of Delaware from 1999 to 2009. After term-limited Governor Ruth Ann Minner was prevented from running for reelection, Markell announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor. Markell defeated Lieutenant Governor of Delaware John Carney with 51% of the vote in the Democratic primary, and defeated Republican nominee, formerDelaware Superior Court Judge William Swain Lee, with 67% of the vote in the general election; becoming Delaware's first Jewish governor. Markell was then elected to a second term, defeating Republican businessmanJeff Cragg in 2012, winning by a margin of over 40%, the largest margin in any race for governor in Delaware's history.

As Governor, Markell served as the Chairperson to both the Democratic Governors Association, from 2010 to 2011, and the National Governors Association, from 2012 to 2013. His national profile as chair of both the DGA and the NGA, along with his landslide re-election bid and speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, have led some to believe he may seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.

Personal life Markell was born and raised in Newark, Delaware, the son of Elaine "Leni", a social worker, and William Markell, who taught accounting at the University of Delaware. He graduated from Newark High School. As a child, he attended Camp Galil, a summer camp in the Labor Zionist youth movement, Habonim Dror.[4] He graduated from Brown University earning his Bachelor of Arts in economics and development studies, and went on to the University of Chicago, earning his MBA.

Markell began his business career in 1982, working as a banker at First Chicago Corporation. He then became a consultant at McKinsey & Company in 1986. Markell joined Fleet Call - later known as Nextel Communications (a name that Markell coined) - where he served as the Senior Vice President for Corporate Development from 1989 to 1995. Becoming the company's 13th employee, Markell joined Nextel when the company was in a nascent stage; helping lead Nextel to nationwide success during the wireless telecommunications revolution of the 1990s. After leaving Nextel, Markell worked as a senior manager at Comcast Corporation from 1996 to 1998.

Markell is married to Carla Smathers, with whom he has two children.

Treasurer of Delaware Markell was first elected State Treasurer of Delaware in 1998, unseating four-term Republican incumbent Janet C. Rzewnicki, and was re-elected in 2002 and 2006. As Treasurer, he led the development of several educational efforts in personal financial management, known collectively as "the Financial Literacy initiatives". He created the "Delaware Money School", which offers free classes to Delaware residents on topics such as saving for college and retirement planning. He also started the "Delaware Bank at School Program" which takes banks and financial education to schools. He partnered with the University of Delaware, Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, as well as several Delaware banks, to teach young people the basics of money and savings.

In 2001, Governor Ruth Ann Minner chose Markell to chair the Information Services Task Force, which developed and implemented recommendations to modify the state's management of information technology. In 2002, he led an effort to streamline and coordinate the procurement of goods and services while using state-of-the-art purchasing techniques. He also led the "Health Rewards" initiative, which offers Delaware state government employees comprehensive physical assessments, detailed statistics about how their health compares with their peers across the country, and recommendations about how they can improve their health.

Governor of Delaware 2008

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2008 On June 6, 2007, Markell officially launched his candidacy for Governor of Delaware, setting up a primary with Lieutenant Governor John Carney. Markell won a come-from-behind victory over Carney, with 51.2% of the vote in the Democratic primary Markell faced 2004 Republican Nominee for Governor and former Judge, William Swain Lee. Markell won the election with 67% of the vote.

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2012 The 2012 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012 Incumbent Democratic Governor Jack Markell won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican challenger Jeff Cragg.

Presidential politics After being elected by a large margin in 2008, Markell served as Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and the National Governor's Association, before being re-elected by an even larger margin of over 40%. This record setting margin and his overall national profile has led some of believe that he may end up seeking the Democratic nomination in 2016. Although Markell has expressed interest, he has also said that he would support Joe Biden if he were to run.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Markell

• Religion: Judaism
• Ethnicity: Jewish people
• Residence: Centerville
• Residence: Governor's House
  • Reference: Biographical Summaries of Notable People - SmartCopy: Oct 13 2020, 3:05:26 UTC