Hilda Soltis - Secretary of Labor
Hilda Soltis, former US Congresswoman from California, is the new Secretary of Labor in President Obama's administration. Soltis has a BA degree in political science from California State Polytechnic University and a masters degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. Soltis, whose father was a Teamsters organizer in Mexico and the US, was the first person in her family to earn a university degree.
Hilda Soltis' Professional Career
- 1980-1981: Editor-in-Chief, newsletter for Office of Hispanic Affairs
- 1981: Management Analyst, US Office of Management and Budget
- 1985-1991: Member, Board of Trustees, Rio Hondo Community College District
- 1992-1994: Representative, California State Assembly
- 1994-2001: Senator, California State Senate
- 2001-2008: Representative, US House of Representatives
Source
Wikipedia - Hilda Soltis
Department of Labor
The US Department of Labor was first established in 1888 as the Bureau of Labor within the Department of Interior. Next, it became an independent agency that, in 1903, was transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor. Finally, in 1913, it was changed to the Department of Labor and made part of the presidential cabinet.
The Department of Labor is responsible for US workers and labor conditions and labor laws. According to its mission statement, the specific responsibilities of the Department of Labor include:
- improving the working conditions of employees
- protecting workers' health care and retirement benefits
- helping employers find suitable employees
- gathering data on US employment
- enforcing labor safety laws and fair wage laws
Sources
Wikipedia - Department of Labor
Department of Labor
Ken Salazar - Secretary of the Interior
02/02/09 17:51 Filed in: Cabinet | Executive Branch
The new Secretary of the Interior, selected by President Obama, is Ken Salazar. His last position was as a US senator from Colorado.
Salazar, a native of Colorado, has a BA in political science from Colorado College and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. His first position as a lawyer was in private practice.
Ken Salazar's Professional Career
- 1981-1986: Lawyer, private practice
- 1986-1990: Chief Legal Counsel, Governor Roy Romer, Colorado
- 1990-1994: Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
- 1994-1999: Lawyer, private practice
- 1999-2005: Attorney General, Colorado
- 2005-2008: Senator, US Senate
US Senate Committee Assignments
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Finance
- Select Committee on Ethics
- Select Committee on Aging
Sources
Wikipedia - Ken Salazar
U.S. Congress
Department of the Interior
02/02/09 17:47 Filed in: Cabinet | Executive Branch
The US Department of the Interior was established in 1849. It originally included some departments, such as the Department of Agriculture, that eventually became independent departments.
The Department of the Interior is responsible for managing US owned land and for managing and implementing programs for US indigenous populations, such as Native Americans. The department manages 507 million acres of land, 476 dams, 348 reservoirs, 388 national parks, and 544 national wildlife refuges. Divisions of the Department of the Interior include the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Source
Wikipedia - Department of Interior
Steven Chu - Secretary of Energy
Steven Chu, the new Secretary of Energy in the Obama administration, is a Nobel Prize winning physicist. Prior to his new position, he was a professor of physics and biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Chu's undergraduate degree is from the University of Rochester and his doctorate was earned at the University of California, Berkeley. After receiving his doctorate, he continued at Berkeley as a post-doctoral researcher. In 1997, Chu was a co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Steven Chu's Professional Career
- 1978-1987: Scientist, Bell Labs
- 1987-2004: Professor of Physics, Stanford University
- 2004-2008: Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley
- 2004-2008: Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Source
Wikipedia - Steven Chu
Department of Energy
The US Department of Energy, established in 1977, is responsible for the United States' energy policies and for nuclear safety in the country. Divisions within the department and their responsibilities include:
- Energy Information Administration - responsible for collecting, analyzing and publishing data on US energy issues
- National Nuclear Security Administration - responsible for safety, performance and reliability of the United States' nuclear weapons
- Office of Secure Transportation - responsible for the safe transport of nuclear weapons and materials
- Office of Cyber Security - responsible for Internet safety
Sources
Wikipedia - Department of Energy
Tom Vilsack - Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack is the new Secretary of Agriculture in President Obama's administration. Vilsack's last position was as Governor of Iowa, a position he left in 2007. Vilsack made a short run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President from November, 2006 until February, 2007.
Vilsack has an undergraduate degree from Hamilton College in New York and a law degree from Albany Law School. After graduating with his law degree, he and his wife moved to rural Iowa where she was raised. Vilsack's first position was with his father-in-law's law firm.
Tom Vilsack's Political Career
- 1987-1992: Mayor, Mount Pleasant, Iowa
- 1992-1998: Senator, Iowa State Senate
- 1998-2007: Governor, Iowa
Source
Wikipedia - Tom Vilsack
Department of Agriculture
The US Department of Agriculture is responsible for developing and implementing farming, agriculture and food policies for the United States. The department was originally established in 1839 under the jurisdiction of the Patent Office as the Agricultural Division. Ten years later, the entire Patent Office became part of the Department of the Interior. It took another 13 years for the Department of Agriculture to become an independent agency and, finally, in 1889, the department was given cabinet status.
Some of the responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture, included in its mission statement, are to:
- expand international markets for farm products
- provide funding for employment and housing for rural Americans
- improve food safety and provide nutrition education
Sources
Department of Agriculture
Wikipedia - Department of Agriculture
Arne Duncan - Secretary of Education
Barack Obama selected Arne Duncan, the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, as Secretary of Education. Duncan has a long background in the education field, beginning when he was a teenager. He comes from a home environment that encouraged public service in education. His father is a psychology professor and his mother manages a children's center for African-American children on the South Side of Chicago. While in high school and college, Duncan helped at the center, tutoring children and teaching them to play basketball.
Duncan's own education began at the University of Chicago Laboratory School. He attended Harvard University as an undergraduate, earning a degree in sociology. However, Duncan's first job after graduating was not in education or public service but, rather, as a professional basketball player in the Australian National Basketball League (1987-1991).
Duncan became CEO of the Chicago Public Schools in 2001. His accomplishments as CEO include:
- improved teacher quality - the number of master teachers increased from 11 to 1,200
- rewards for teachers and administrators of schools with high levels of student achievement
- closing of failed schools and replacement of staffs
- creation of new charter schools
Arne Duncan's Professional Career
- 1992-1998: Director, Ariel Education Initiative
- 1998: Chicago Public Schools
- 1999-2001: Deputy Chief of Staff to CEO, Chicago Public Schools
- 2001-2008: CEO, Chicago Public Schools
Sources
Chicago Public Schools
Wikipedia - Arne Duncan
Department of Education
The Department of Education was established as an independent department in 1979 but it did not become functional as a separate department until May, 1980. It originally was part of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
The Department of Education is the smallest department in the cabinet in terms of the number of employees (approximately 5,000 in 2006), but it has a budget of 56 billion dollars. The Department of Education is responsible for providing federal funding projects for education and for enforcing US education legislation.
According to the Department of Education's mission statement, its goal is to promote excellence in education by:
- providing federal funds for education
- conducting and disseminating research on US schools
- ensuring equal access to education
Sources
Department of Education
Wikipedia - Department of Education