Sworn in as the 80th Governor of New Hampshire in 2005, John Lynch has worked to bring people together to move New Hampshire forward. Gov. Lynch was re-elected in 2006 and 2008.

Under Governor Lynch’s leadership, the state has made significant progress on some of the critical challenges facing New Hampshire families, including:

• Acting to help more young people graduate from high school
• Expanding the number of children with access to health insurance
• Passing a law to create a more affordable health insurance alternative for small businesses
• Better protecting children from sexual predators;
• Preserving New Hampshire’s environment
• Increasing job training for New Hampshire workers
• Building the economy with tax credits for research and development, and job creation in the North Country
• Creating an effective, realistic transportation improvement plan
• Reforming the state’s retirement system

Under Gov. Lynch, New Hampshire was named the “Most Livable State” in the nation, as well as the “Safest State.” And, as always, New Hampshire maintains a business-friendly tax environment, and an overall high quality of life.

A commitment to putting the interests of people first is an extension of Gov. Lynch’s work as a business and community leader.

As the President and CEO of Knoll, Inc., a national furniture manufacturer, he transformed a company losing  $50 million a year into one making a profit of nearly $240 million. Under his leadership, Knoll created new jobs, gave factory workers annual bonuses, established a scholarship program for the children of employees, created retirement plans for employees who didn’t have any, and gave workers stock in the company.

Gov. Lynch has also served as chair of the University System Board of Trustees, where he worked to keep tuition increases to a minimum; as director of Admissions at the Harvard Business School, where he made ethics one of the criteria for admissions; and as president of the Lynch Group, a business-consulting firm in Manchester.

Long a community leader, John Lynch served on the board of Catholic Medical Center in Manchester and on the board of the Capitol Center for the Arts. He is the past president of the UNH alumni association, and a longtime coach of youth soccer, hockey, softball and baseball.

Gov. Lynch was born in Waltham, Massachusetts on November 25, 1952, the fifth of William and Margaret Lynch’s six children and attended the local public schools. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father ran a local Boys’ Club.

Working his way through college, Gov. Lynch earned his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.