Former Republican National Committee Chair to Speak at Benedictine Wednesday

Editor's note: The following is a press release from Benedictine University.

Michael Steele will share his experiences as Republican National Committee chairman, his expertise on political strategy and other topics related to the heated 2012 presidential election when he speaks at Benedictine University’s Krasa Student Center at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The event, part of the “Presidential Election Series 2012” sponsored by the Center for Civic Leadership, is free and open to the public. However, seating is limited.

Last April, CCL’s “Presidential Election Series 2012” featured Democratic strategist and political adviser David Axelrod. Steele was invited to speak at Benedictine by Jim Ryan, the former Illinois Attorney General who serves as director of CCL.

Adopted at birth and educated at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University School of Law, Steele has worked in both the public and private sectors. He was an associate at a Washington, D.C. law firm and later served as lieutenant governor in Maryland before an unsuccessful run for the U.S. senate in 2006.

Steele served in various capacities in state and national party politics before he was elected RNC chairman in 2009. Since his exit from the chairmanship, Steele consults and writes on law, business and politics. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Politico.com, Townhall.com and The Journal of International Security Affairs.

Established in 2005 under the direction of Ryan, a 1968 Benedictine graduate and Distinguished Fellow at his alma mater, CCL seeks to shape a new generation of public leaders and responsible citizens. Each year, CCL invites prominent public figures to speak about the importance of active citizenship and public service.

In recent years, CCL has hosted then-state Sen. Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R.-Ill.), Washington Post columnists Bob Woodward and David Broder, CNN's Peter Bergen, Children's Defense Fund Director Marian Wright Edelman, University of Chicago legal scholar Cass Sunstein, human rights advocate Paul Rusesabagina and former Illinois Gov. James Edgar.