Charles Duane 'Charlie' Baker Jr., born November 13, 1956, in Elmira, New York, moved to Massachusetts at age three and grew up in Needham. He attended the Belmont Hill School, earned an A.B. magna cum laude in English from Harvard College in 1979, and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1981. Baker began his career in finance at State Street Bank and Arthur Andersen before entering public service as budget director under Governor William Weld (1991-1994), then Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors Paul Cellucci (1999-2001) and Mitt Romney (2003-2006). He later served as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (1998-2009), turning around the nonprofit health insurer. Baker entered statewide politics with a narrow loss in the 2010 gubernatorial election but won convincingly in 2014 and 2018 as a moderate Republican, governing alongside Democrat Karyn Polito as lieutenant governor. He served as Governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023. His administration focused on economic growth, education reform, infrastructure, and crisis management including the COVID-19 pandemic, earning high approval ratings. A fiscal conservative and social moderate, Baker vetoed bills on issues like assault weapons bans and supported regional cooperation on climate and transportation. Post-governorship, he has been active in business and policy discussions, including a potential presidential run that did not materialize.