This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Limited free parking will be available on a first come, first served basis in the LBJ School parking lot, Lot 39.

Chafee was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 2010 as an Independent. In 2013, Chafee changed his political affiliation to the Democratic Party. Prior to being Governor, Chafee served as a Republican U.S. Senator from 1999 to 2007.

As Governor, Chafee has signed marriage equality into law, spearheaded health care reform and launched green infrastructure initiatives. As a U.S. Senator, Gov. Chafee fought for a middle-class economic agenda and environmental causes, such as protecting air and water quality and addressing climate change pollutants.

Following his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Gov. Chafee spent two years as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies, where he wrote Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President. In his memoir, Gov. Chafee describes his opposition to Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy and gives voice to a progressive vision for the future of the nation.