Educational Profiles: President-Elect Obama's Proposed Cabinet

Hillary Clinton: A Life in Politics

Secretary of State

One might think of Hillary Clinton as a ground-breaking presidential candidate, as the Senator from New York, or perhaps still as a former First Lady. Any one of those roles makes her a prominent figure, and they are only part of her long and distinguished career. Long before she became a political celebrity, Hillary Clinton laid the groundwork for her success through outstanding academic achievement.

Ironically, this icon of the Democratic Party started out her political life by volunteering for Republican Barry Goldwater in the presidential campaign of 1964, while still a school girl. She went on to attend Wellesley College, earning a bachelor's degree in political science. Even at this age she broke new ground, becoming the first student at Wellesley ever to be selected as a commencement speaker for her class.

From there, Hillary Clinton earned her Juris Doctor (JD) from Yale Law School, and in a short time she was serving on the legal staff of the House Judiciary Committee during its deliberations over the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Besides that, Hillary Clinton spent much of her early career in public advocacy. At age 30 she was named by President Jimmy Carter to the board of the U.S. Legal Services Corporation.

Beginning in the 1980s, Hillary Clinton put her career on hold for two other key missions: raising her daughter, Chelsea, and supporting her husband Bill's rise to the Governorship of Arkansas and ultimately, two terms as President of the United States. With those missions successfully completed, she turned her attention back to her own career. She has since been elected Senator from New York, was a leading candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, and most recently has been named as Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

Sources:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/about/mom/

Timothy Geithner: A Global Man for a Global Job

Secretary of Treasury

With the U.S. economy more subject to global influences than ever, it is appropriate that Timothy Geithner, Barack Obama's appointment as Secretary of the Treasury, is a man who has made international affairs a subject of his professional and academic careers.

This interest in other nations was evidenced all the way back to Timothy Geithner's undergraduate work at Dartmouth College. He earned a bachelor's degree in government and Asian studies from Dartmouth in 1983. This area of focus continued as Timothy Geithner went on from Dartmouth to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. There, he earned a master's degree in international economics and East Asian studies.

Timothy Geithner joined the Department of Treasury in 1988, serving under three administrations while rising to the post of Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. This led naturally to a position as director of the Policy Development and Review Department of the International Monetary Fund, and in 2003, Timothy Geithner became president and chief executive officer of the New York Federal Reserve Board. As part of that role, he served on the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee, the group which decides U.S. monetary policy under the leadership of the Federal chairman.

Along the way, in addition to these academic and professional achievements, Timothy Geithner has made international understanding part of his personal life, living at various times in East Africa, India, Thailand, China, and Japan. With this combination of global perspective, academic excellence, and economic leadership, Timothy Geithner is acclaimed as a well-qualified choice to serve as Secretary of the Treasury under newly-elected President Barack Obama.

Sources:
http://www.ny.frb.org
http://www.ny.frb.org/aboutthefed/orgchart/geithner.html

Robert Gates: The Security of Experience

Secretary of Defense

The nomination of Dr. Robert M. Gates to continue as Secretary of Defense under the Obama administration is more than just a gesture toward continuity. It is a choice based on exceptional professional and academic credentials.

Indeed, one could view Gates as having had two outstanding careers: one dedicated to national security, and one dedicated to academia. His national security career started in 1966, when he joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). By serving as Director of the CIA from 1991 to 1993, Gates became the only person ever to rise from an entry level job at the CIA to the directorship. During his career, Gates also spent nearly nine years with the White House National Security Council, serving four different presidents. In 2006, he was appointed as Secretary of Defense, and has been asked by president-elect Obama to continue in that capacity.

As impressive as that career has been, Gates has had a parallel career in academia which also demonstrates a high level of success. Gates started by earning a bachelor of arts degree in European history at the College of William and Mary, and went on to earn a master's degree in history from Indiana University, and a PhD in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University.

More recently, Gates served as the interim dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M from 1999 till 2001. In 2002 he became president of Texas A&M, a post he held until being named Secretary of Defense.

They say that those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. With his professional and academic experience, Secretary of Defense Gates should be well protected from that fate.

Sources:
http://www.defense.gov
http://www.defense.gov/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=115

Eric Holder: The Experience to Distinguish the Office of Attorney General

Attorney General

Attorney General nominee Eric Holder is well qualified for the position as the nation's top lawyer. Not only does he have an academic background in law, but his professional career comprises a variety of aspects of the legal system, making for a rich perspective on that system.

Over the course of a 22-year legal career, Holder has been a federal prosecutor, a judge, and a private attorney. He started this career in 1976. His first job after law school was in the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Justice Department, under President Jimmy Carter. Another President, Ronald Reagan, later tapped Holder to serve as an associate Superior Court Judge. Holder continued to attract favorable attention at the highest levels five years later, when President Bill Clinton chose him to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He later went moved to private practice, and at the time of his nomination Holder was a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm, Covington & Burling.

Holder began his path toward these successes by earning his bachelor's degree in history from Columbia University. He subsequently got his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia law school. In the subsequent 30+ years, he has been selected by presidents of both parties to serve the country's legal system. Now he has been selected once again, to serve as the top attorney in that system.

Sources:
http://cnn.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/18/eric.holder/index.html

General Eric Shinseki: A Veteran's Perspective

Secretary of Veterans' Affairs

As a U.S. Army veteran, General Eric Shinseki has the first-hand experience and perspective necessary to serve as U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He also has the academic and administrative experience to back up this perspective.

His academic career began with a bachelor's of science in engineering from the United States Military Academy. He complemented this technical, West Point background nicely by subsequently earning an M.A. in English literature from Duke University. He has maintained a link to academia by serving as an advisory board member to the Harvard University JFK School of Government.

Shinseki has spent most of his life in the United States Army. In 38 years with the Army, he held a number of important leadership positions, such as Commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, and Commander of the NATO Peace Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ultimately, he rose to Army Chief of Staff in June of 1999, a position he held for four years prior to his retirement from the Army in 2003.

Shinseki's efforts on behalf of the U.S. Army earned him a number of military decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.

In Shinseki's time with the Army, he put a special emphasis on preparing for the future. He developed and helped implement a plan to prepare the Army for the challenges of the 21st Century. He also developed a Strategic Leadership Program to identify and prepare the next generation of Army leaders. Now, Shinseki can combine his vision for the future with his past experience in the Army, in his new role as U.S. Secretary for Veteran's Affairs.

Sources:
http://ericshinseki.org
http://ericshinseki.org/about/

Janet Napolitano: Bringing Legal and Executive Experience to Homeland Security

Secretary of Homeland Security

Janet Napolitano has been an attorney in the U.S. legal system. As governor of a border state, she has executive experience in dealing with security issues. These are an ideal set of qualifications for her to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

Napolitano started out by preparing for a career in law. She attended Santa Clara University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. Napolitano subsequently earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School.

With her law degree in hand, Napolitano embarked on a legal career that saw her rise to U.S. Attorney for Arizona, and then to Attorney General for the State of Arizona. Shifting gears from a legal to an executive position, Napolitano was elected as the 21st governor of Arizona. In this capacity, her blend of common sense and innovation earned her recognition by Time Magazine as one of America's top five governors.

In her time as governor of Arizona, Napolitano tackled a wide variety of issues, including education, health care, and economic development. However, the issue that most directly prepared her for the role of Secretary of Homeland Security was immigration. As governor of Arizona, Napolitano had to deal with border security on the state level and interface with federal authorities on a regular basis. This first-hand experience with security, combined with her success as a state executive and government attorney, should serve Napolitano well in her new role.

Sources:
http://azgovernor.gov
http://azgovernor.gov/BioJN.asp

Rahm Emanuel: A Proven Politician for Chief of Staff

White House Chief of Staff

Rahm Emanuel's career has been distinguished by two things: service to ordinary citizens and success as a political operative. This sense of public mission combined with the ability to get things done should serve Emanuel well in his new role as Barack Obama's Chief of Staff.

It all started with a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Subsequently, Emanuel earned a master's degree in speech and communication from Northwestern University. Before graduating from Northwestern, Emanuel got his first taste of politics, helping Paul Simon of Illinois get elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984.

Emanuel's early career also includes time with the consumer rights organization, Illinois Public Action, which helped build the orientation toward public advocacy that continues to influence his career. Primarily, though, it was Emanuel's political acumen that distinguished him, leading him to become a senior advisor for prominent politicians such as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and President Bill Clinton.

In 2002, Emanuel used his political skills for a campaign of his own. As a result he was sworn in as a U.S. Congressman from Chicago in 2003. He continued to serve in Congress up until his appointment as Chief of Staff, and along the way established himself as a congressional and Democratic Party leader. He has served on the House Ways and Means Committee and as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. When the Democrats won a majority in the House, he was elected to serve as Democratic Caucus Chair.

With a foundation in advocacy and an insider's knowledge of how to get things done, Rahm Emanuel should be well suited to his new role as White House Chief of Staff.

Sources:
http://www.house.gov
http://www.house.gov/emanuel/biography.pdf

Peter Orszag: Economic Insights for the Office of Management and Budget

Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Peter Orszag brings an outstanding range of professional and academic experiences to the role of director of the Office of Management and Budget. Orszag's academic experience includes a bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University, where he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa and won the John Glover Wilson Memorial Prize in Economics. Orszag went on to the prestigious London School of Economics, where he earned a master's and a PhD in economics.

His career in government work began not in the U.S., but in Russia, where he was a research officer and economic advisor to the Russian government. He later worked in the Clinton administration as a senior advisor to the Council of Economic Advisors and as a special assistant to the president for economic policy as part of the National Economic Council.

Subsequently, Orszag held a variety of consulting and academic positions, including stints with McKinsey & Company, the University of California at Berkeley, Georgetown University, and the Brookings Institute. Most recently, he was named director of the Congressional Budget Office in 2007. This high-level budget experience should make for a smooth transition as Orszag moves into the role of director of the Office of Management and Budget.

In addition to his various government, private sector, and academic experiences, Orszag has collaborated on six different books and dozens of academic and policy papers, most of which focus on economic and budgetary subjects.

Sources:
http://www.cbo.gov
http://www.cbo.gov/aboutcbo/organization/peterorszag_longbio.pdf

Susan Rice: A Career in Diplomacy

Ambassador to the United Nations

Susan Rice's academic and professional careers have focused largely on diplomacy and international affairs, so her new role as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations is a natural one for her.

The academic background which pointed Rice in this direction includes a bachelor's degree in history from Stanford University in 1986. After Stanford, Rice attended Oxford University, where she earned a master of philosophy degree in 1988, and a doctor of philosophy degree in 1990.

Armed with these outstanding credentials, Rice began her career as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company. In 1993, she assumed the first in a series of positions she would fill in the Clinton administration, becoming the National Security Council's Director of International Organizations and Peacekeeping. Still with the National Security Council, she went on to serve as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs. This led very naturally to her appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Rice left the Federal Government when the Clinton administration ended, and served as a senior advisor on national security affairs for the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign in 2004. She was also a senior fellow in foreign policy, global economy, and development at the Brookings Institute.

Rice brings with her an expertise in several key foreign policy and security areas, including Africa, the war on terrorism, weak and failed states, foreign assistance, international peacekeeping and conflict resolution, national security policymaking, post-conflict reconstruction, trade and development, the United Nations, and multilateral diplomacy. Each of these areas of expertise should be directly relevant in Rice's new role as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Sources:
http://brookings.edu
http://www.brookings.edu/experts/r/rices.aspx