1. Jack Markell had served the United States ambassador both to Italy and to San Marino.
37 Facts About Jack Markell
1. 2.
Jack Markell had served as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
3.
Jack Markell previously served as the 73rd governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2017.
4.
On May 12,2023, President Joe Biden nominated Jack Markell to serve as the United States ambassador to Italy and San Marino.
5.
Jack Markell was confirmed by the Senate on July 27,2023.
6.
Jack Markell was born and raised in Newark, Delaware, the son of Elaine "Leni", a social worker, and William Jack Markell, who taught accounting at the University of Delaware.
7.
Jack Markell graduated from Brown University earning his Bachelor of Arts in economics and development studies, and went on to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, earning his Master of Business Administration.
8.
Jack Markell began his business career in 1982, working as a banker at First Chicago Corporation.
9.
Jack Markell was first elected state treasurer of Delaware in 1998, unseating four-term Republican incumbent Janet Rzewnicki, and was re-elected in 2002 and 2006.
10.
Jack Markell created the "Delaware Money School", which offers free classes to Delaware residents on topics such as saving for college and retirement planning.
11.
Jack Markell started the "Delaware Bank at School Program" which takes banks and financial education to schools.
12.
Jack Markell partnered with the University of Delaware, Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, as well as several Delaware banks, to teach young people the basics of money and savings.
13.
Jack Markell led the "Health Rewards" initiative, which offers Delaware state government employees comprehensive physical assessments, detailed statistics about how their health compares with their peers across the country, and recommendations about how they can improve their health.
14.
On June 6,2007, Jack Markell officially launched his candidacy for governor of Delaware, setting up a primary with lieutenant governor John Carney.
15.
Early, Jack Markell was far behind in polls and endorsements; the Young Democrats Movement and other organizations allowed Jack Markell to gain early momentum, but these efforts were offset by the endorsement of Carney by the Delaware Democratic Party.
16.
Jack Markell closed in the polls slowly until election day when Carney still held a small lead.
17.
Jack Markell won a second term on November 6,2012, defeating Republican challenger Jeff Cragg by nearly 40 points.
18.
Jack Markell entered office with an unprecedented budget challenge, facing a deficit of almost $800,000,000.
19.
Jack Markell announced his plan to balance the budget in March 2009.
20.
Jack Markell creates a new recycling program which would require both public and private waste collectors to offer curbside recycling pickups at least once every other week and provide containers.
21.
On May 11,2011, Jack Markell signed a civil union bill, which became effective on January 1,2012.
22.
Jack Markell proposed and signed major educational reform initiatives, including abolishing the controversial Delaware Student Testing Program, establishing a pilot program to reward improving schools, and passing legislation to improve transparency and autonomy within school districts.
23.
In 2010, when Valero announced that they were closing their Delaware City Refinery, Jack Markell aided in the negotiations with Valero, allowing PBF Energy to purchase the refinery.
24.
Jack Markell expects to hire as many as 1,500 Delawareans over the next five years.
25.
In June 2010, Jack Markell signed into law the Business Finder's Fee Tax Credit or "BFF", which provides incentives for companies that bring new jobs to the state.
26.
Jack Markell signed bills extending the tax rates in March 2013 and a full budget on July 1,2013.
27.
Jack Markell's budget called for increases in taxes on LLC formation and the state's minimum corporate franchise tax.
28.
On May 7,2013, Jack Markell signed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in Delaware, making Delaware the eleventh state in the nation to expand marriage rights to same-sex couples.
29.
Not all of Jack Markell's proposals passed the state legislature during the 2013 session.
30.
In March 2014, Jack Markell proposed an $800-million effort to clean Delaware's long-neglected waterways.
31.
In recognition of this accomplishment and of his support for world language and culture learning, Jack Markell received the Foreign Language Advocacy Award from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in 2013.
32.
On June 23,2021, President Joe Biden nominated Jack Markell to serve as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
33.
On December 18,2021, Jack Markell was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development via voice vote.
34.
Jack Markell was sworn in on January 14,2022, and presented his credentials to OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann on February 11,2022.
35.
On May 12,2023, President Biden nominated Jack Markell to be the US ambassador to Italy and San Marino.
36.
Jack Markell presented his credentials to the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella on September 23,2023.
37.
Jack Markell is married to Carla Smathers, with whom he has two children.