Steven L. Beshear served as the 61st Governor of Kentucky from 2007-2015. He also served as Attorney General from 1979-1983, and Lieutenant Governor from 1983-1987 and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1973-1979. 

As Governor, he expanded the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act and launched the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, benefiting over 500,000 Kentuckians. These actions together reduced the state’s uninsured rate from over 20% to 8% and ensured that for the first time in history every Kentuckian would have access to affordable health insurance. Beshear also successfully brought Kentucky through the historic recession by making Kentucky a leader in job creation. The economic turnaround culminated in 2014 and 2015 by Kentucky winning Site Selection magazine’s coveted Governor’s Cup. 

Governor Beshear holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.  He is the author of People Over Politics and served as a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2017. He currently is a senior member of Stites & Harbison, PLLC.   

Fellowship Dates: October 3-5, 2017