The Honorable Michael N. Castle

The Honorable Michael N. Castle

First appointed by Gov. Jack Markell in mid-2012 to succeed Dr. Calvin T. Wilson whose six-year term expired.

Mr. Castle is a former two-term Delaware governor (1985-1992) and a nine-term U.S. Congressman (1993-2011) representing the First State. He has also served as lieutenant governor (1981-1985), state senator (1968-1976) and state representative (1966-1967). During his state Senate years, he was the minority leader from 1975-1976. In total, Mr. Castle served as an elected public servant for 40 years.

As a Congressman, Mr. Castle served as the chair of the House Subcommittee on Education Reform, in which he played a major role in shaping the No Child Left Behind legislation signed into law by President George Bush. He also forged enacted legislation designed to improve the quality and relevance of education research through new standards of scientific rigor.

An attorney and member of the Delaware Bar and the Washington D.C. Bar, Mr. Castle is currently a partner of DLA Piper, a government affairs practice that maintains offices in Wilmington, New York City and Washington, D.C.  During his legal practice years, he was an associate attorney and later a partner of the Wilmington law firm of Connelly, Bove and Lodge from 1964-1975. He also served from 1965 to 1966 as a Delaware deputy attorney general.

Mr. Castle has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center of Washington, D.C.

He was born and raised in Wilmington, Del., where he currently lives with his wife Jane.