Week in Review 12-23-2020
Submitted by holliswein on Wed, 12/23/2020 - 5:24pm
The women that President-Elect Joe Biden has nominated have a diverse range of life-experiences and careers that make them especially equipped to lead with kindness and compassion. This week, we celebrate the women that will shape American policy for far longer than the next four years.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield - U.N. Ambassador Linda was raised by parents who never made it past middle school in segregated Louisiana with a heavy KKK presence.
Katherine Tai - U.S. Trade Representative The daughter of immigrant parents from Taiwan, Katherine will be the first woman of color to serve as the U.S. Trade Representative and pledges to bring a racial justice focus to trade policy.
Susan Rice - Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Susan's maternal grandparents were Jamaican immigrants and her paternal grandparents were descendants of slaves from Carolina.
Janet Yellen - Treasury Secretary Janet will be the first woman to lead the treasury in its 231-year history after being the first woman to lead a major central bank anywhere in the world.
Avril Haines - Director of National Intelligence Avril will be the first woman to lead the intelligence community. She worked as a mechanic throughout college and owned an independent bookstore before a storied intelligence career.
Marcia Fudge - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia will bring a civil rights focus back to HUD and promote affordable housing programs that the Trump administration tried to undermine.
Neera Tanden - Director of the Office of Management and Budget Neera will be the first woman of color, and the first Asian American, to lead the OMB. She was raised by a single immigrant mother on welfare, which motivated her to enter politics.
Jennifer M. Granholm - Secretary of Energy In the 1980s, Jennifer spent time in France and helped smuggle clothing and medical supplies to Jews in the Soviet Union.
Gina McCarthy - White House Climate Coordinator Gina credits her degree in anthropology and women's studies as "the best education I could have for working in government."
Deb Haaland - Secretary of the Interior Deb is the first Native American appointed to Cabinet Secretary in American history. A member of the Pueblo Laguna, she is a single mother who raised her child while on food stamps and put herself through law school.
