- Pritzker Fellows
- Former Fellows
- Jack Markell
Jack Markell
Former Democratic Governor of Delaware
Biography
Jack Markell served as Governor of Delaware from 2009-2017.
Leading Delaware’s Economic Turnaround:
During his tenure, according to Gallup, Delaware progressed “from one of the lowest-ranking states (in terms of job creation) in 2008 and 2009 to one of the top-ranking in 2013 and 2014. Delaware holds the distinction of being the only state anywhere along the Eastern seaboard to be in the top 10.” Employment in Delaware increased by more than 60,000 during the same time period, best in the region and one of the best in the country.
Positioning Delaware’s Students and Workforce for Success:
In 2010, Delaware won first place in President Obama’s “Race to the Top” competition. Since that time, Delaware has adopted higher learning standards, improved its teacher preparation programs, invested in early childhood education, created a statewide world language immersion program, built the nation’s best college access program for low-income youth and created a new “Pathways to Prosperity” program, enabling thousands of high school students to earn industry-recognized credentials in a wide array of fields.
The results are impressive: thousands more low-income students enrolled in the best early childhood centers, record-high graduation rates (84.4% vs. 79.6% in 2012), more than quadrupling the number of students (to 2600) taking college-level courses in high school and doubling the number of students taking and passing Advanced Placement tests.
During 2016, Markell was named “Policy Leader of the Year” by the National Association of State Boards of Education.
Running Government Efficiently:
Markell ran state government efficiently and effectively, having reduced headcount by 4.5% since taking office and keeping average annual budget growth below zero when taking into account inflation and population.
Under his leadership, Delaware took major steps to ease regulatory burdens on businesses and to increase investment in improving the state’s roads and bridges. Markell also led an effort to move Delaware’s health care system from a fee for service model to one focused on achieving high-quality and lower-cost.
Markell promoted quality of life initiatives that include major investments in libraries and bicycle and walking paths. Delaware moved from 31st to 3rd in the annual rankings of bicycle-friendly states by the League of American Bicyclists. Thanks to his statewide recycling initiative, Delaware has nearly doubled its recycling rate since 2006. The state also reduced dirty air emissions faster than any other state, serving as a national model for improving the environment through efforts that also boost the economy.
Markell launched a public-private partnership with Upstream USA called Delaware Contraceptive Access Now to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in Delaware.
Taking on National and Local Leadership Roles:
Markell served as Chair of both the Democratic Governors Association and the National Governors Association. In that latter role he chose as his Chair’s initiative A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities. Markell also served as President of the Council of State Governments.
He was also elected to serve for three years as Chair of the National Board of Directors of Jobs for America’s Graduates. Previously, he served as co-chair of the Common Core Standards Initiative and chair of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. He serves on the boards of Delaware State University, Annie E. Casey Foundation and Upstream USA. He also chairs the Aspen Institute Future of Work Advisory Council.
Prior to being elected Governor, Markell was elected three times as Delaware’s State Treasurer.
Building a Strong Private Sector Career:
Markell serves on the boards of Graham Holdings (GHCO, Symbiont.io and FS Credit Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. He also consults to a number of clients.
Prior to public service, Markell served as Senior Vice President for Corporate Development at Nextel (a name he coined). His other business experience includes a senior management position at Comcast Corporation. He also worked as an associate at McKinsey and Company.
Markell was born in 1960 and raised in Newark, Delaware and graduated from high school with his wife, Carla. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics and development studies from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Markell is a Henry Crown Fellow and a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He and Carla reside in Wilmington Delaware. Their two children, Molly and Michael, are in their 20s. The family has two mixed-breed dogs, Rue and Lily.
Seminars
“Governing from a World View”
How do effective governors and other executive branch leaders think about their roles? I have a strong view that these leaders must have a very clear “world view” about how the world around us is changing, what those changes mean for the people we serve and what we need to do differently as a result. In these seminars, I will ask the students to present their own “world view” which would then be used to develop a narrative to drive the administration as well as specific policy proposals, narratives and advocacy efforts to make the leader’s vision real.
On the campaign trail, candidates articulate what they expect to accomplish while serving in office. We will discuss what drives candidates to run and serve, and students will assume the role of candidate and think about how they would argue for their vision. But what happens once you’re elected? On Day 1, a new Governor must transition from the campaign to governing – we’ll talk about what the first weeks in office are like as a new Governor moves from ideas to action.
A Governor’s world view drives everything and is key to running an effective executive branch. As Governor, my world view was very much about the effects of globalization and automation on the job market and economy of Delaware. We’ll talk about how to develop a world view – including defining the problems you think need to be solved and how mine drove me to emphasize skill development and connecting the world economy through exports and attracting foreign direct investment.
A new governor must set an agenda, pick a set of priorities and figure out how to develop legislation or executive action to make that agenda real. Key to their success is developing a compelling narrative for that agenda. Executive branch leaders really do have a bully pulpit. How do they maximize its value? How do they choose their audiences? How much do they deliver different messages to different audiences? How do they figure out which narrative will be most compelling? How do they think about using fear vs. aspiration in their appeals? In a world where local media is very much diminished, how do leaders communicate through other channels?
Special Guest: Don Baer, Chairman, Burson Cohn & Wolfe & former White House Director of Strategic Planning and Communications, 1994-98
Both President Obama and President Trump have focused significantly on executive action when they were unable to move Congress. Both were criticized for that as well. How should we think about these issues? What is an executive branch leader to do when their legislature won’t go along at all? Students will offer their perspectives about how leaders should deal with these issues.
Special Guest: Cecilia Munoz, VP, New America & former Director of the Domestic Policy Council for President Obama
One of my biggest learnings as Governor was how important it is to develop a strong “outside game” of advocates to influence legislators. I learned that legislators are much more interested in hearing from those who can vote for them than they are in hearing from Governors. The question is how to develop that outside game. We will consider specific examples, including how we created legal protections and passed hate crimes legislation for transgender Delawareans.
Special Guest: Sarah McBride, National Press Secretary, Human Rights Campaign
How does a new governor set an agenda, pick a set of priorities and figure out how to develop legislation or executive action to make that agenda real. In my case, how did we decide to place a heavy focus on promoting long acting reversible contraceptives? Students will offer their own practical suggestions to make a broader policy vision real.
Special Guest: Mark Edwards, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, Upstream USA
How do leaders position themselves after four years of service? How do they deal with legislators of the other party when they may need those legislators to work with them on future initiatives? Do they campaign against them to help elect more legislators from their own party?
Pundits and casual observers begin to label executive branch leaders as lame ducks just around the time the leaders are sworn in for their last term in office. But there are plenty of tools available for governors and others to continue to be effective until their last moments in office. We will explore successful strategies that counter the narrative of a lame duck term.