Gov. Doyle: Governor Doyle Appoints Stephen Bablitch to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board

Contact:

Jessica Erickson, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156

Governor Jim Doyle announced the appointment today of
Stephen Bablitch to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.

“Steve Bablitch has broad experience in both government and
the private sector. As a former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of
Corrections, he was respected by members of both parties as an effective
leader,” Governor Doyle said. “Steve’s experience as the CEO and Chairman
of Cobalt Corporation will make him a very valuable member of the State of
Wisconsin Investment Board. I have known Steve for many years. He is a
person of integrity, and he brings with him the experience of having run a
large publicly traded company.”

“The State of Wisconsin Investment Board is an important
citizen board, and I am honored that the Governor has appointed me to serve
on it,” Bablitch said. “I believe strongly in public service, and I am
looking forward to bringing my private sector and government experience to
this position.”

Steve Bablitch, 50, is the former Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer of Cobalt Corporation, an Insurance Holding Company
and its subsidiary companies, including its largest affiliate BlueCross &
BlueShield United of Wisconsin. He previously was a partner in the Madison
law firm of DeWitt, Ross & Stevens, and served as Secretary of the Wisconsin
Department of Corrections under Governor Tommy Thompson. He is also a
former Deputy District Attorney in the Dane County District Attorney’s
Office. A 1979 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, he
received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison
in 1976. Bablitch, a Stevens Point native, currently lives in Whitefish Bay
with his wife and daughter.