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Connecticut Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy ’77, JD ‘80 will give the address at the 2014 Boston College Law School Commencement on May 23 at 10:30 a.m. in Conte Forum.
Since he was elected as governor in 2010, Malloy’s top agenda items have included reinventing the state economy by creating jobs, improving public education and stabilizing Connecticut’s finances. He has been responsible for bringing a number of corporate headquarters to Connecticut, and his “Small Business Express” programs have invested in over 700 small businesses across the state.
In 2012, Malloy signed into law a school reform bill that has provided hundreds of millions of additional dollars to school districts, in exchange for holistic changes that will prepare students to compete in the 21st century economy. He has helped champion further investment in the University of Connecticut as well as in programs to support careers in bioscience and digital media, and has funded the creation of a new Office of Early Childhood to ensure that Connecticut children have access to a quality early childhood learning experience.
Malloy has also focused on fiscal responsibility through reduction in state employees and agencies and a focus on technology to improve efficiency.
Following the Newtown shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Malloy signed what some have called the most comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation in the country.
“Governor Malloy has shown remarkable leadership during his many years in public service,” said BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau. “I’m very pleased he has agreed to speak at Commencement. His experience as mayor and later as governor — his leadership through tragedy, his fiscal and education reforms, among many other initiatives — should make for a very interesting speech to our graduates.”
Malloy was born in Stamford, Conn., the same town where he would later serve as mayor. After graduating from BC and BC Law, Malloy was an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn for four years before joining the Stamford law firm Abate and Fox as a partner, where he remained until 1995. That year, he ran for mayor of Stamford and defeated the two-term incumbent and went on to become the city’s longest serving mayor, holding the office until 2009, when he began his run for governor.
More information on the Law School Commencement is available at www.bc.edu/lawcommencement.