Howard Dean to Deliver Vermont Law School Commencement Address
January 22, 2010
Former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean will deliver Vermont Law School's 2010 commencement address.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, M.D., was announced Thursday as the speaker for Vermont Law School's 2010 graduation ceremony.
Dean, a national leader on environmental and health care issues, served as Vermont's governor from 1991 to 2003, making him the second longest-serving governor in Vermont's history.
Dean's selection as the VLS commencement speaker was made public at the Class 2010 rally by Sarah Buxton, 3L, who worked for Dean during his gubernatorial tenure and presidential campaign.
"Howard Dean has been a thought leader in Vermont, in the nation and in the world for 20 years," said VLS Dean Jeff Shields. "He was the first choice of our graduating class to be their commencement speaker and we're thrilled he's accepted."
Vermont Law School's graduation ceremony will be at 10 a.m., May 22 on the South Royalton Town Green.
Dean's political career started with a 1981 campaign to build a local bike path. In 1982 he was elected to the Vermont House and in 1986 he won a campaign for lieutenant governor. In 1991, while examining a patient, he got word that the governor had died and he immediately assumed the state's top elected post.
Dean was the first governor in the United States to sign civil unions legislation into law. He also expanded health care services for Vermonters and fought to protect the environment.
He became a leading 2004 presidential contender when he delivered a March 2003 speech criticizing Democrats for supporting the Iraq War. He led Democrats in early 2004 with a fundraising campaign that generated $25 million in small donations over the Internet.
Dean served as chairman of the Democratic Party from 2005 to 2009. He was lead strategist, spokesman and fundraiser for DNC and is credited with pioneering an energetic 50-state strategy that lifted Democrats to Congressional control in 2006 and 2008. He also helped propel support for the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. He continues to be an influential leader in the movement to implement universal healthcare.
Dean has been a long-time leader on environmental issues. In 1982, his support for the Burlington bike path and his determination to protect the city's waterfront from aggressive development helped him win a seat in the Vermont State House. He fought to strengthen clean air and water standards, supported including environmental standards in free trade agreements, promoted the use of renewable energy sources, conserved thousands of acres of open spaces and worked to eliminate mercury release into the environment.
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