Posted: April 13th, 2009 | By: Lisa Snedeker
Former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. (JD ’82) is the speaker for the Wake Forest University School of Law Hooding Ceremony on Sunday, May 17.
The ceremony will be held at 1:45 p.m. in Wait Chapel, followed by the Dean’s Hooding Reception at 3 p.m. in the Bridger Field House at BB&T Field.
Graduation exercises are scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday, May 18, at Hearn Plaza. Tickets are required for guests. Learn more about hooding and graduation here.
Ehrlich was Maryland’s 60th governor, serving from 2003-07. Ehrlich was elected to lead Maryland after promising to restore fiscal responsibility to state government and bring needed change to a political monopoly that had dominated Annapolis for decades, according to his biography. As governor, Ehrlich made good on his promises, turning $4 billion in deficits into a $2.4 billion surplus and appointing the most politically diverse and qualified cabinet in Maryland’s history.
After graduating from Princeton University in 1979, Ehrlich entered the Wake Forest University School of Law, where he worked as an graduate assistant football coach to earn extra money while attending classes. After graduating from law school in 1982, he moved back to Maryland to work for the Baltimore law firm of Ober, Kaler, Grimes, and Shriver, where he practiced for more than a decade.
In 1994, Ehrlich was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. While serving in Congress, he helped craft the first balanced budget in a generation, sponsored legislation to protect innocent spouses from IRS abuse, authored legislation to help blind and disabled citizens return to the workplace, and led efforts to stiffen penalties on criminals convicted of gun violence. Congressman Ehrlich was a leading advocate for small business owners and helped provide record tax relief to the American people, his biography states.
