Governor Bob Taft (1999 – 2007)

Former Ohio Governor Bob Taft teaches Legislative Politics and Education Policy at the University of Dayton and oversees the Statehouse Civic Scholars internship program. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, Hamilton County commissioner, and Ohio’s Secretary of State. During his two terms as governor, Taft was a staunch advocate for the Great Lakes and negotiated a multi-state compact to protect the Great Lakes’ waters. Governor Taft is also passionate about education; he helped implement a Student Success agenda that created rigorous academic standards, improved student assessments, and generated accountability for schools. His OhioReads program, designed to help every child read at grade level by the end of the fourth grade, recruited more than 45,000 volunteer tutors. In 2017, Gov. Taft and wife, Hope, were inducted into the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Hall of Fame.