Michael Steele is a Faculty Fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. Prior to his time at Brown, he held a number of senior positions in politics and state government, including chairman of the Republican National Committee and Lt. Governor of Maryland.

When he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003, Michael Steele made history as the first African American elected to statewide office and again with his subsequent chairmanship of the RNC in 2009. As chairman of the RNC, he raised over $198 million during the 2010 Congressional cycle. His commitment to grassroots organization and party building at the state and local levels produced 12 governorships and the greatest share of state legislative seats since 1928 (over 600 seats).

As Lt. Governor of Maryland, Mr. Steele’s priorities included reforming the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program, improving the quality of Maryland’s public education system (he championed the State’s historic Charter School law), expanding economic development in the state and fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations to help those in need.

Born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Mr. Steele was raised in Washington, DC. Upon graduating Johns Hopkins University (‘81), he entered the Order of St. Augustine where studied for the priesthood. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law Center (’91), an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership and a University of Chicago Institute of Politics Fellow.