Several women's organizations expressed concern that President-elect Obama did not appoint enough women to serve in his cabinet. Even so, females will assume positions of substantial power in key federal departments and agencies, on Capitol Hill and in the White House. In the January 2 edition of the Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (WE Inc.) Weekly Journal, I provide a run down of these positions and who will fill them:
U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator: Karen Gordon Mills, a Maine business leader hailing from the world of private equity, was nominated by President-elect Obama to serve as the new Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mills is founding partner of the New York-based equity firm Solera Capital and the chairwoman of the Maine Governor's Council on Competitiveness and the Economy. She also serves as president of the MMP Group in Brunswick, Maine.
On Capitol Hill: Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La) will chair the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship in the 111th Congress. In a letter to President-elect Obama, Senator Landrieu outlined her priorities for the committee, which include her support for elevating the SBA to cabinet-level status, ensuring that small businesses have opportunities to secure contracts as part of the infrastructure push in the next stimulus package, and small business workforce development issues relating to education, training and health coverage.
Senator Landrieu said she will also review regulatory burdens on small business. As noted in her letter to Obama, she writes: "I plan on reviewing the impact of federal regulations on small business growth, including last-minute regulations currently being enacted."
The House Small Business Committee will continue to be chaired by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. The chairwoman has effectively led the committee -- focusing on the wide range of issues impacting small businesses, and hosting a steady stream of hearings on timely and critical matters affecting women entrepreneurs.
Federal Departments and Agencies: Over at the U.S. Department of Labor, Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) is Obama's choice to lead this important agency. In a recent Workforce Week story about the nomination, Rep. Solis "promised to bolster unions, workforce training and the agency's enforcement of pay rules when she was introduced at a Chicago press conference on Friday, December 19."
At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Obama has selected Lisa Jackson, the former head of the New Jersey agency that oversees the environment. Like the Labor Department, the EPA is responsible for making sure business complies with a range of regulations and laws, and it is anticipated that there will be an up tick in enforcement activity as well as new regulations issued.
Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) has been nominated as Homeland Security Secretary (See USA Today, December 2, 2008). In addition to protecting our nation and borders from outside threats, the agency is highly engaged in immigration law enforcement, and recently pushed for the finalization of new regulations requiring that federal government contractors use the federal e-verify program to make sure the workforce of contractors are legally okay to work in the U.S.
Mary Schapiro has been chosen to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which continues to struggle and find a final solution to implementing Sarbanes-Oxley rules for small firms. It is likely the agency will see a substantial increase in its workload given the Madoff scandal, as well as other issues surrounding the meltdown of the U.S. financial industry. She has also served as an SEC commissioner in the past, and was former chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Dr. Jane Lubchenco has been nominated for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator. This agency is within the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The White House: Of course, being close to the President and his inner circle of advisors is critically important with respect to the influence that an individual carries. Here is a list of some (though not all) recent appointments that Obama has made regarding his White House team:
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor
Carol Browner, "Energy Czar" (Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change)
Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Nancy Sutley, Director of Council of Environmental Quality
Christina D. Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors
Melody C. Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Heather A. Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Dr. Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Health Reform
Ellen Moran, Director of Communications
Christina Tchen White House Director of Public Liaison
Cassandra Q. Butts, Deputy White House Counsel
Cecilia Munoz, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Alyssa Mastromonaco, Director of Scheduling and Advance
Mona Sutphen, Deputy Chief of Staff
Although the work of Senator Hillary Clinton (chosen as Secretary of State), and Susan E. Rice as ambassador to the United Nations has less of an impact (per se) on U.S.-based business, their roles are incredibly important in helping to bring certainty and stability to world affairs, which is important to the overall business climate (as global commerce is so interdependent). In addition, these women will also bring an "economic agenda" to the world stage and individual countries as they help nations develop economic strategies as a coounter-offensive to social and political unrest and inequities that may exist.
Vice President-elect Biden has also named women to key positions on his staff. For more information, or to follow appointments as they happen, visit: http://www.change.gov/.
Karen Kerrigan
President & CEO
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