Board of Governors

The Park City Center for Public Policy’s Governors Board is a growing group of former governors from around the nation who work with the Center on developing timely solutions to public policy challenges and participate in Center meetings and forums.

The Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of Idaho
1971 - 1977 and 1987 - 1995

CECIL D. ANDRUS was born in Hood River, Oregon. He attended Oregon State University and served in Korea in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. After the war, he moved to Orofino, Idaho, where he worked as a lumberjack and managed a sawmill. He was elected to the first of four terms in the Idaho State Senate in 1960 at age 29. He first served as Governor of Idaho in 1971-1974; then served again as governor from 1974 - 1977 and 1987 - 1995, becoming Idaho’s only four-term governor. During his time as governor he championed education and smart growth. From 1977 to 1981, he served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, where he advanced smart wilderness preservation.

The Honorable Michael Castle
Governor of Delaware
1985 - 1993

MICHAEL NEWBOLD CASTLE was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. He received a bachelor's degree from Hamilton College in 1961 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1964. He served as Delaware's deputy attorney general from 1965 to 1966. Castle was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1966 and served until 1969. From 1969 to 1977 he was a state senator, serving as minority leader in 1976-1977, then was elected lieutenant governor in 1980. In 1984 Castle was elected Governor of Delaware and was reelected in 1988. He served as lead governor on welfare reform for the National Governors’ Association and worked as a liaison with the White House and Congress to win passage of a comprehensive welfare reform package. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 and serves on the financial services, education, and workforce committees.

The Honorable Jim Edgar
Governor of Illinois
1995 - 1999

JIM EDGAR was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, and raised in Charleston, Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Eastern Illinois University, where he served as student body president. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1976 and reelected in 1978. In 1981 he was appointed secretary of state. He was elected to that position in 1982, and was reelected in 1986 by the largest plurality of any candidate in the state's history. He was elected governor in 1990 and was reelected in 1994, carrying 101 of the state's 102 counties. As governor, Jim Edgar made great strides in advancing education and economic growth in his state.

The Honorable John Engler
Governor of Michigan
1991 - 2003

JOHN ENGLER was born in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and grew up in Beal City. He earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from Michigan State University in 1970 and a law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1985. Prior to his first term as governor, he served for 20 years in the state legislature, including seven years as senate majority leader. Improving education was the top priority of his administration, and a focus on high standards, more accountability, and strengthened local control helped student test scores climb to record highs. Governor Engler transformed state government by cutting spending, reducing bureaucracy, reorganizing state government and setting new priorities. State government, excluding public safety personnel, is nearly 23 percent smaller. He is the past chair of the National Education Goals Panel, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, and the Republican Governors’ Association.

The Honorable Jim Geringer
Governor of Wyoming
1995 - 2003

JIM GERINGER was born in Wheatland, Wyoming, and raised on the family farm. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University. He was on active duty with the U.S. Air Force from 1967 to 1977, working on aerospace programs for the Air Force and NASA, including launches of reconnaissance satellites, the NASA Viking Mars Lander, and the beginning of the Global Positioning Satellite System. During this time, he also served as chief of computer programming at a ground receiving station for early-warning satellites. In 1979 he went into farming and cattle feeding full time in rural Wyoming. He was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1983 and had served for six years when he was elected to the state senate. Throughout this period, the Geringers continued to operate their farm, and he participated in the Air Force Reserves. He was first elected governor in 1994. Governor Geringer focused on local communities as central to each government service and action, with the state providing resources and support for local programs. He pushed for higher standards, proper assessment of achievement, and effective use of technology for basic and distance learning. Governor Geringer is a past chairman of the Western Governors' Association and the Education Commission of the States. He served on John Glenn's National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century.

The Honorable Bill Graves
Governor of Kansas
1999 - 2003

BILL GRAVES was the first Republican governor reelected to a second term in Kansas since 1962 (by the largest percentage of votes of any governor in the nation). Prior to his election as governor, he served two terms as Kansas Secretary of State which earned him international recognition for his outstanding service to the businesses his office served. Under his administration, Kansas taxpayers saw the largest tax cut in state history, many state services streamlined and privatized, historic, comprehensive transportation programs signed into law, legislation with restructured the governance of higher education and healthcare delivery reform. He also initiated sweeping campaign finance and ethics reforms.

The Honorable James Hodges
Governor of South Carolina
1999 - 2003

JAMES HODGES was born in Lancaster, South Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of South Carolina in 1979 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from the USC School of Law in 1982, going into private practice as well as serving as Lancaster County Attorney. In 1986, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, serving 11 years, where he led the House Judiciary Committee as chairman from 1992 to 1994 and was elected House Democratic Leader in 1995. He became Governor of South Carolina in January 1999, as the 114th governor of that state.

The Honorable James Hunt Jr.
Governor of North Carolina
1977 - 1985 and 1993 - 2001

JAMES HUNT JR. is a graduate of North Carolina State University, with a B.S. in agricultural education and an M.S. in agricultural economics. In 1964, he received a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Governor Hunt is the only four-term governor in North Carolina history. As governor he instituted sweeping reforms and progressive programs for the environment, education, and juvenile delinquency. Some of his nationally recognized programs include: Smart Start, Excellent Schools Act in 1997, and Juvenile Justice Reform Act. He was the founding chair of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and as a result, North Carolina has more board-certified teachers than any other state. Gov. Hunt continues to provide positive direction in education through his national Educational Leadership and Policy Institute.

The Honorable Angus S. King Jr.
Governor of Maine
1995 - 2003

ANGUS S. KING JR. was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1966 and a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1969. As an aide to Senator William D. Hathaway of Maine from 1972 to 1975, he served as chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics. A practicing attorney from 1975 to 1983, he founded an energy conservation company in 1989 and served as its president until its sale in 1994. As Maine’s governor, Angus King became nationally known for his groundbreaking work in providing state health services. Governor King also provided great leadership in improving the quality of public education in Maine.

The Honorable Richard D. Lamm
Governor of Colorado
1975 - 1987

RICHARD D. LAMM served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and later worked as an accountant and tax clerk with the California Franchise Tax Board. He is both a lawyer (Berkeley 1961) and a Certified Public Accountant, and was associate professor of law at the University of Denver from 1969 to 1974. He was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1966 to 1974 and served as freshman legislator, during which time he drafted and succeeded in passing the nation’s first liberalized abortion law. He was elected Governor of Colorado in 1974, 1979 and 1983 and is the longest-serving governor in Colorado’s history. While governor, Richard Lamm authored or co-authored five books and chaired the Western Governors’ Association. He is currently director of the Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues at the University of Denver.

The Honorable Mike Leavitt Governor of Utah
1993 - 2003

MICHAEL O. LEAVITT was sworn in as the 20th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on January 26, 2005. As secretary, he leads national efforts to protect the health of all Americans and provide essential human services to those in need. Prior to his current service, Leavitt served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was elected Governor of Utah three times. Prior to leaving the statehouse to work in the Bush Administration, he was the nation's longest-serving governor. During his eleven years of service, Utah was recognized six times as one of America's best managed states. He was chosen by his peers as Chairman of the National Governors’ Association, Western Governors’ Association and Republican Governors’ Association because of his ability to solve problems across partisan lines. Sec. Leavitt is widely recognized as a health care innovator and welfare reformer, and his record of achievement in Utah bears this out. In 1994, the Utah legislature passed Gov. Leavitt's "Healthprint," a comprehensive, incremental approach to health care improvement in the state. A decade later, Utah has more than 400,000 additional people with health insurance, marked increases in the number of children with health care coverage, dramatically improved immunization rates and per capita cost of healthcare 25% below the national average.

The Honorable Mike Sullivan
Governor of Wyoming
1987 - 1995

MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in Douglas, Wyoming. He received a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering in 1961 and a law degree from the University of Wyoming in 1964. He practiced law in Casper, Wyoming, with primary emphasis on trial practice associated with the defense of personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. Elected Governor of Wyoming in 1986, he was reelected in 1990. During his tenure, he chaired the Western Governors' Association, the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, and the Alliance for Acid Rain Control; he also was a member of the National Governors' Association Executive Committee. In 1995, after completing his second term as governor, he held a Fellowship at the Institute of Politics, the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. In 1999, he was appointed Ambassador to Ireland by President Bill Clinton.

The Honorable Don Sundquist
Governor of Tennessee
1995 - 2003

DON SUNDQUIST was born in Moline, Illinois. He received a bachelor's degree from Augustana College in 1957 and served in the U.S. Navy until 1959. He has an extensive business background, including management and corporate positions at Jostens Inc. He also started his own printing and advertising firm and was a cofounder of the first Red, Hot and Blue barbeque restaurant. His first elected position was in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served six terms and earned a reputation for being a fiscal conservative. He was elected Governor of Tennessee in November 1994 and was reelected in 1998 by a record margin. In four years, his Families First welfare reform program reduced the number of families on welfare from 70,000 to 30,000. During his tenure, Tennessee became the first state in the nation to offer universal health insurance. Through the ConnecTen project, Tennessee became the first state to connect all of its public schools and libraries to the Internet. Governor Sundquist led Tennessee through seven years of successful economic development, topping $6 billion in capital investment in 2001 and garnering "State of the Year" honors for outstanding job creation and investment efforts.

The Honorable Olene S. Walker
Governor of Utah
2003 - 2005

OLENE S. WALKER was born in Ogden, Utah, and received a bachelor’s degree from BYU, master’s degree from Stanford University, and doctorate from the University of Utah. She served as Lieutenant Governor of Utah for 11 years, where she spearheaded many important initiatives, including education programs, healthcare reforms (CHIP), and the development of the Department of Workforce Services. She also chaired the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors and is the first Lieutenant Governor ever to serve as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Gov. Walker was Utah’s first woman governor, stepping in for Gov. Leavitt when he went to lead the EPA in 2003. As governor, she kept education as the highest funding priority, provided strong financial leadership, and worked tirelessly towards improvements in education and literacy for people of all ages.

The Honorable Christine Whitman
Governor of New Jersey
1994 - 2000

CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN was born in New York City and earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Wheaton College in 1968. She was elected as the first woman governor of New Jersey, serving from 1994 until 2001, when she left to serve in the cabinet of Pres. George W. Bush as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She is currently as president of The Whitman Strategy Group, a management consulting/strategic planning partnership servicing both government and business clients, and she serves on the Board of Directors of S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc., Texas Instruments, United Technologies and The Millennium Challenge Corporation. Governor Whitman is also co-chairman of the National Smart Growth Council, and serves on the Steering Committee of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She is the author of the book It’s My Party Too, published in January 2005.