Former Gov. Doyle to teach class in La Follette School

December 2nd 2014 Simon Kuran
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Doyle Doyle

Former Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will teach a class on the politics of state policy issues next semester in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs.

"We look forward to Gov. Doyle sharing his insights with our students," says La Follette director Susan Yackee, adding that another former governor (Tommy Thompson) delivered the Paul Offner Lecture in October.

"He is a great, dedicated public servant who is recognized as a national leader in health care, energy, natural resources, biotechnology and other areas. We are absolutely thrilled that he is sharing his insights with our graduate students."

Doyle says he expects to focus on four or five substantive areas of state policy — for example, health care, pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education, higher education, the environment, corrections or job creation.

"I plan to cover not only the major substantive issues involved, but also the practical political considerations," Doyle says. "How do the politics line up? What are the interest groups involved? What are the budgetary choices? How, if at all, does it play out as a campaign issue? I hope that the students can get some sense of how you actually try to implement policy in a very difficult political climate."

Doyle served two terms as Wisconsin’s 44th governor and left office in 2011 after deciding to not run for a third term.

Doyle is a health-care attorney with Foley & Lardner, where he provides strategic advice and counsel to clients regarding policy and regulatory issues in health care, energy and other highly regulated industries. In fall 2012, Doyle was a fellow at the Institute for Politics at Harvard University. This fall, at Harvard's School of Public Health, Doyle is teaching a class on how states are making health policy with implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Doyle has worked closely with the White House, high-ranking administration officials and other governors. Prior to his election as governor, Doyle served 12 years as Wisconsin's attorney general. Prior to that, he was the Dane County district attorney and a lawyer in private practice.

Story by La Follette School of Public Affairs