Deval Patrick: podcast appearances and interviews

Deval Laurdine Patrick, born on July 31, 1956, is an American politician known for serving as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African-American governor of the state and the first Democratic governor since Michael Dukakis left office in 1991. Patrick previously served from 1994 to 1997 as the United States assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division under President Bill Clinton, where he worked on issues including racial profiling and police misconduct. He was raised on the South Side of Chicago and earned a scholarship to Milton Academy in Massachusetts during eighth grade. He attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and his career in law included practicing with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund before joining a Boston law firm, where he was later named a partner. Patrick's political career includes his election as governor succeeding Mitt Romney in 2006; he was reelected in 2010. During his tenure, he oversaw the implementation of Massachusetts health care reform, increased funding for education and life sciences, secured a federal Race to the Top education grant, and enacted an overhaul of the state's transportation governance by creating the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. His administration also increased the state sales tax, raised the minimum wage, and planned the introduction of casinos. Massachusetts joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative under his leadership. After his governorship, Patrick served as managing director at Bain Capital, chaired the board for Our Generation Speaks, and worked on the board of telehealth company American Well. Although encouraged to run for president in 2020, he decided against it, entered the race in November 2019, and withdrew three months later.