Steve Beshear

Steve Beshear served as the 61st Governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. Before his governorship, he had an extensive career in public service, serving as Attorney General from 1979 to 1983, Lieutenant Governor from 1983 to 1987, and as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1979.

During his tenure as Governor, Beshear significantly expanded the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and launched the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, initiatives that provided coverage to over 500,000 Kentuckians and reduced the state’s uninsured rate from over 20% to 8%. His administration also led Kentucky through the historic recession, positioning the state as a leader in job creation. Under his leadership, Kentucky’s unemployment rate dropped from 10.7% to 4.9%, with the state setting export records four years in a row and announcing almost 2,300 new and expansion projects.

Beshear's contributions to education were notable, raising Kentucky’s dropout age from 16 to 18 and improving the state’s high school graduation rates to place it among the top ten in the nation. The college/career readiness rate also rose from 32% to 64% during his tenure. For these efforts, he was named the Education Governor of the Year by the National Education Association. Beshear is the author of "People Over Politics", a book focused on improving government functionality. After his governorship, he continued to contribute to public service education, serving as a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and as a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics in 2017.