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Governor
Mark R. Warner has worked hard to restore Virginia's fiscal
integrity and is building the foundation for a stronger economy,
improved education, and a better quality of life for all
Virginians. His administration has been marked by a commitment to
bipartisanship, inclusiveness, and simple accountability.
New
Directions for Government
Since
his inauguration in January 2002, Governor Mark R. Warner has
taken a business-like approach to reforming government services
and spending, navigating Virginia through a $6 billion revenue
shortfall, and making choices and investments in education from
pre-school to graduate school to create a Commonwealth of
opportunity for all. From day one, Governor Warner has led the
most diverse administration in history with an energetic
commitment to accountability and "straight talk."
Governor
Warner has delivered balanced budgets on time and without partisan
rancor or gridlock, while preserving funds for critical priorities
such as K-12 public education, law enforcement and homeland
security, and social services for the most vulnerable Virginians.
Under Governor Warner's leadership, Virginia was one of a handful
of states in the nation that actually increased funding for
schools this year.
Education
a Top Priority
Another
indication of his tremendous commitment to public education can be
seen in the
“Education for a Lifetime” initiative. It is a life-long
learning program that will help Virginia students from pre-school
through grad school and beyond, preparing Virginia’s workforce
to compete in a changing economy.
Student
performance on Virginia's Standards of Learning tests continues to
rise in schools across the Commonwealth - and accountability
deadlines are looming for rising seniors and schools. The
Governor's nationally recognized Partnership
for Achieving Successful Schools, or PASS program, leverages
the most successful programs and personnel in Virginia schools to
help make some real progress for the Commonwealth's academically
challenged schools. The PASS initiative was recognized as a model
for improving student achievement and the quality of the workforce
by the National Alliance of Business, which gave Virginia and
Governor Warner a Distinguished Program Award for leadership in
advancing the quality of education and training.
Governor
Warner launched Project Graduation in June, funding four
intervention models to help high school seniors across the state
who will not receive a diploma without meeting 2004 SOL testing
standards. The project marked the Governor's commitment to not
retreat from the accountability component of the SOLs and to
"walk the extra mile" with the first class of students
to face the diploma deadline.
Governor
Warner also serves as Chairman of the Education
Commission of the States, a national nonpartisan policy
organization.
Focusing
on Core Needs and Services
In
2003, the Governor and the General Assembly worked in a bipartisan
way to enact his government reform agenda, which has been
described as the most sweeping reform of state government in a
generation. The plan brings long overdue changes in the way the
state delivers mental health, workforce development, and veterans
care services. It requires more discipline in state budgets and
efficiency in service delivery, and it better protects the
Commonwealth from the threat of terrorism. Governor Warner has
also brought common sense business principles to the way the state
purchases goods and services, manages its vehicle fleet and real
estate holdings, and maintains information technology functions,
with an appropriate emphasis on including those who own small,
women- and minority-owned businesses.
Governor
Warner is working hard to build a foundation to bring economic
prosperity to all corners of Virginia. Economic development and
job creation are top priorities for Governor Warner. Since January
2002, during difficult economic times, he has announced more than
41,000 new jobs and more than $4.7 billion in private investment
in the Commonwealth.
In the fall of 2002, Governor Warner led a bipartisan, statewide
campaign to secure more than $1 billion in bonds for long-overdue
investments in higher education, cultural facilities, and state
parks and recreation areas. The Governor sold the first bonds this
year at the lowest interest rates in decades.
A
Virginia for All Virginians
Before
he became governor, Governor Warner had a successful business
career in venture capital, funding innovative ideas, and creating
jobs and prosperity throughout Virginia and the nation. He helped
found the Virginia
Health Care Foundation, which has provided health care to more
than 476,000 underserved Virginians in rural and urban areas.
Recognizing
the crucial need to help bridge the digital divide, Governor
Warner started TechRiders, an innovative program that teaches
basic computer skills to those who are not exposed to them in
their schools and homes. TechRiders has been hosted in more than
480 houses of worship and a dozen public libraries across Virginia
reaching more than 16,000 participants. In 1997, he developed the Virginia
High-Tech Partnership, which helps students from Virginia's
five Historically Black Colleges and Universities pursue
technology careers through a summer internship and job placement
program.
Governor
Warner is committed to giving everyone in the Commonwealth the
tools and opportunity to compete and thrive in the new economy.
His leadership will help ensure Virginia takes advantage of the
best the Information Age has to offer.
Governor
Warner is married to Lisa Collis and is the father of three
daughters — Madison, Gillian, and Eliza. |
