John Kitzhaber was born in Colfax, Washington, on March 5, 1947. He moved with his family to Oregon at age 11, and graduated from South Eugene High School in 1965. In 1994, and again in 1998, Oregonians elected John Kitzhaber as their governor. While leading state government, Governor Kitzhaber presided over eight years of significant economic growth. Before he left office, Governor Kitzhaber helped launch the Oregon Business Plan, a bipartisan strategic framework developed collaboratively among business leaders, community leaders and elected officials. Until this time, Oregon had lacked a comprehensive plan to create jobs and grow its economy.

After two terms, John Kitzhaber continued his work to improve access to cost-effective health care, becoming one of the nation's most respected voices on health care reform. Concerned about the impact of the fiscal crisis on Oregonians, and seeing the opportunity through that crisis to create true systemic change, Kitzhaber ran for Governor again in 2010 and won election to an unprecedented third term. [Full Bio]