The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the President of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States,and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.
Alexis Margaret Herman formerly served as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton;she was the first African-American to hold the position. Prior to serving as Secretary,she was Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia (1972–1997) as a member of the Democratic Party.
Hilda Lucia Solis is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013,as part of the administration of President Barack Obama. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009,representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician who served as the 21st United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services,Sebelius was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Before becoming secretary,she served as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009,the second woman to hold that office. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Sebelius was the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address and is chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association. She is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington,D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987,it was an affiliate of Georgetown University,initially named the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University. The center conducts policy studies and strategic analyses of political,economic and security issues throughout the world,with a focus on issues concerning international relations,trade,technology,finance,energy and geostrategy.
Federico Fabian Peña is an American politician and attorney who served as the 12th United States secretary of transportation from 1993 to 1997 and the 8th United States secretary of energy from 1997 to 1998,during the presidency of Bill Clinton. He previously served as the 41st mayor of Denver from 1983 to 1991.
Elisabeth Dee DeVos is an American politician,philanthropist,and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her conservative political activism,and particularly her support for school choice,school voucher programs,and charter schools. She was Republican national committeewoman for Michigan from 1992 to 1997 and served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 1996 to 2000,and again from 2003 to 2005. She has advocated for the Detroit charter school system and she is a former member of the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. She has served as chair of the board of the Alliance for School Choice and the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC.
Maria Echaveste is a former U.S. presidential advisor to Bill Clinton and White House Deputy Chief of Staff during the second Clinton administration. She is one of the highest-ranking Latinas to have served in a presidential administration. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a co-founder of the Nueva Vista Group,a policy,legislative strategy and advocacy group working with non-profit and corporate clients.
American Rights at Work (ARAW) was a U.S. self-described nonpartisan,nonprofit organization that advocates for workers and their right to form unions without interference.
Thomas Edward Perez is an American politician and attorney currently serving as senior advisor to the president of the United States and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs,holding both positions since June 2023. Perez previously served as the United States Secretary of Labor (2013–2017),the chair of the Democratic National Committee (2017–2021),and United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights (2009–2013).
The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4,2008,and became the president-elect. Obama was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15,2008. The results were certified by a joint session of Congress on January 8,2009,and the transition ended when Obama was inaugurated at noon EST on January 20,2009.
Christopher P. Lu is a Chinese American political advisor who serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform. He is also an alternative representative to the United Nations General Assembly during his tenure as Representative for Management and Reform. In the Obama administration,Lu served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Labor from 2014 to 2017,the White House Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to the President from 2009 to 2013,and the co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Lu graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and from Harvard Law School,where he was a classmate of Obama's.
Morrell John Berry is an American former government official who was named President of the American Australian Association in 2016. Berry was director of the United States Office of Personnel Management from 2009 to 2013 and United States Ambassador to Australia from 2013 to 2016.
The first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency began on January 20,2009,the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. The first 100 days of a presidential term took on symbolic significance during Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term in office,and the period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. The 100th day of his presidency ended at noon on April 30,2009. Obama stated that he should not be judged just by his first hundred days:"The first hundred days is going to be important,but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference." Obama began to formally create his presidential footprint during his first 100 days. Obama quickly began attempting to foster support for his economic stimulus package,American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The bill passed in the House on January 28,2009,by a 244–188 vote,and it passed in the Senate on February 10 by a 61–37 margin.
Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States on January 20,2009,and his term ended on January 20,2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Maria Contreras-Sweet is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as the 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. She was the executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmérica Bank,a commercial bank focusing on small to mid-sized businesses with a specialty in the Latino community. Born in Guadalajara,Mexico,Contreras-Sweet immigrated to Los Angeles,California and has since been involved in both the private sector founding a private equity firm and in public service as the California Secretary of Business,Transportation,and Housing under Governor Gray Davis.
Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Phillips is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Danielle Gray is the former Assistant to the President,Cabinet Secretary,and a Senior Advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama. Previously,Gray served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Gray is currently executive vice president and global chief legal officer of Walgreen Boots Alliance.
Rebecca A. Hare Cokley is an American disability rights activist and public speaker who is currently the first U.S. Disability Rights Program Officer for the Ford Foundation. Prior to joining Ford,Cokley was the founding director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress. During the Obama administration,Cokley served as the executive director of the National Council on Disability.
