Ron Kirk

lawyer; politician

Personal Information

Born June 27, 1954, in Austin, TX; son of a U.S. postal worker and a school teacher; wife's name Matrice; children: Elizabeth Alexandra, Catherine Victoria.
Education: Austin College, B.A., 1976; University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1979.
Politics: Democrat.
Religion: Methodist.
Memberships: National Bar Association, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Dallas, North Texas Food Bank, Leadership of Dallas Alumni Association.

Career

David Cain (law firm), Dallas, TX, private practice lawyer, 1979-81; Office of Senator Lloyd Bentsen, Washington, DC, legislative assistant, 1981-83; City of Dallas, assistant city attorney and chief lobbyist, 1983-89; Johnson & Gibbs, P.C. (law firm), Dallas, shareholder, 1989-94; Secretary of State, Austin, TX, 1994; Gardere & Wynne, L.L.P. (law firm), Dallas, partner, 1994--; City of Dallas, mayor, 1995--. Executive committee member, Dallas Regional Mobility Commission, 1992-94; member of board of directors, State Fair of Texas, 1993--.

Life's Work

Ron Kirk would rather not be known as the first black mayor in the history of the city of Dallas, Texas. Nevertheless, his 1995 election landslide--which included support from blacks and whites, Democrats and Republicans--signaled a new era in Dallas, a new impetus to improve everything from city services to race relations. Kirk campaigned on a platform that promised increased economic prosperity, a lower crime rate, and the important notion of uniting Dallas's diverse ethnic and racial population in order to improve the city. As he told Ebony magazine soon after his election: "It doesn't matter whether your ancestors came over on the Mayflower [17th century ship that carried European settlers to North America] or a slave ship. We're all in the same boat now." That "boat," in Kirk's case, is the seventh largest city in United States.

No stranger to Texas politics, Kirk has held important positions in the state, including a stint as secretary of state in the administration of former-Governor Ann Richards. He has also served as a lobbyist on behalf of the city of Dallas before the Texas legislature and has served numerous local and national charities. According to Washington Post correspondent Sue Anne Pressley, what Kirk brought to his successful mayoral race "was an impressive career record and an outgoing personality that many powerful whites find appealing while also standing as a progressive symbol that Dallas is no longer mired in the 1950s." Former Dallas Cowboys football team superstar quarterback Roger Staubach--now a Texas businessman--perhaps best described the optimism surrounding Kirk's election. "From the inner city to the corporate board room, from the Dallas Zoo and Cotton Bowl [football stadium] to the granite dome of the Texas Capitol, Ron has a lifetime history of getting the job done for Dallas," Staubach wrote in the Dallas Morning News. "He is a leader who brings people together, instead of looking for someone to blame."

The youngest of four children, Kirk was born and raised in Austin, Texas. His family knew its share of adversity, but both of his parents were politically attuned and active in their predominantly black community. Kirk's father was a college graduate who, although he was accepted at two medical schools, had to give up his dream of being a doctor because he could not afford the tuition. Instead, the elder Mr. Kirk took a job with the U.S. Postal Service, becoming "a racial ground-breaker of sorts ... as the first black civil service employee in Austin," to quote Dallas Morning News reporters Lori Stahl and Sylvia Moreno. The postal job might have been an important step for black Texans, but Ron Kirk recalled in the Dallas Morning News that his father became extremely frustrated working "35 years in a career that was below his intellectual ability." Kirk added: "He stayed there, and he endured.... There was an expectation from everyone that we are going to have it better."

In addition to the ideals of hard work and social commitment, Kirk's parents stressed Christian values such as helping the needy and being supportive to family and friends in troubled times. Kirk noted in the Dallas Morning News that, then and now, his family believed the African proverb, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." Kirk attended public schools, where he earned good grades, played sports, and sang in the school choir. Even though he was a student during the disruptive early years of desegregation in Austin's schools, he was rarely affected personally by racial strife. In fact he was elected student body president as a high school senior. The issue of race became more important to him when he entered Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He was one of only a few blacks on campus at the time, and, as he told the Dallas Morning News, he finally underwent an identity crisis. "I got called Uncle Tom [overeager to win the approval of whites] so much it made me wonder who I was," he explained. His response to the personal confusion was to leave the school during his sophomore year.

The hiatus from college was temporary, however. While home with his family, Kirk received an internship as a legislative aide to the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974. He became so fascinated by the political process that he returned to Austin College and completed his degree in political science and sociology in 1976. From there he went directly to the University of Texas School of Law, earning his law degree in 1979. Kirk admitted in the Dallas Morning News that he was an "undistinguished" student, both as an undergraduate and in law school. "I was much more interested in politics and law practice than law school," he explained.

Having worked as an intern with the Texas legislature even during his law school days, Kirk naturally gravitated toward the political arena. After only two years as a private practice attorney, he took a job in the office of then-U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, a popular and well-connected Washington insider. Kirk worked in Bentsen's Capitol Hill office for two years, from 1981 until 1983, and then returned to Texas with a clear vision of the political process. He joined the staff at the Dallas City Attorney's office, rising quickly to the position of chief lobbyist for Dallas. As Stahl and Moreno put it, Kirk's job "was to push the city's legislative agenda with state legislators in Austin." Among his other initiatives, Kirk helped to persuade the state legislature to toughen penalties on the most serious criminals and saw bills enacted to enhance economic opportunities for women and minorities. At home in Dallas he also worked as an attorney for the firm Johnson & Gibbs and played an active role in the Dallas chapter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, a volunteer organization linking children with adult role models.

The opportunity that put Kirk on the political map permanently occurred in 1994. Early in that year, then-Texas Secretary of State John Hannah resigned to accept a federal judgeship. Governor Ann Richards appointed Kirk as Hannah's replacement. Kirk agreed to become the new secretary of state but declared that he would only fill the remainder of Hannah's term. By that time, Ron Kirk had his eye on another, even more high-profile political prize.

Over the years, Kirk became convinced that the federal government had become so mired in bureaucracy that real political change could only be initiated at the local level. When friends in the Dallas business community began urging him to run for mayor, he and his wife, Matrice, prayed about the decision and then announced his candidacy. The political commitment was not entered into lightly. Not only did Kirk have two preschool-aged daughters, but his wife also held a job. Mrs. Kirk was faced with resigning from a job she loved in order to further her husband's career, and this sacrifice was not lost on Kirk. "It's a lot to ask of someone," he stated in the Dallas Morning News. "Any two-career family can appreciate the difficulty with one [partner] sacrificing something they've given a lot of time, education, and passion to. It says more for her love and unselfishness that I'm in the position I am now."

Kirk was one of six candidates running for mayor of Dallas in the spring of 1995. Earning a broad base of support among the black community and the important backing of many influential black and white business people, he campaigned on a platform of stopping the "blame game" and ending the gridlock-producing bickering in City Hall. His more detailed plans for Dallas included targeting 400 city businesses for growth, a reduction in government regulations for small businesses, and a response team to help cut through government red tape.

Like his opponents, Kirk promised to be tough on crime, but he was the only candidate to suggest that Dallas's future prosperity as "the gateway to the largest free trade zone in the world" hinged on enhancing racial and ethnic harmony. "You don't become an international city until you become a city that understands diversity," Kirk told the Washington Post. "Historically, Dallas has been seen as a white power structure, but those days are over now.... We now live in a city [where] a candidate of color can now win with a coalition of blacks and browns and Anglos."

Ron Kirk did just that. On May 6, 1995, he won the mayor's race with a phenomenal 62 percent of the vote. His closest opponent earned a meager 22 percent, and Kirk drew more white support than two other white candidates. Kirk's inaugural ceremony was the largest ever seen in Dallas and was attended by Ann Richards and other state dignitaries. At his request, a choir sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." In his inaugural address, Kirk declared that his victory was all about vision, not color. He said he hoped the voters of Dallas had reacted to his positive, optimistic campaign and not to any history he would make as the first black mayor of any major Texas city. "I've always believed that if you have to choose between making history and making sense, you ought to make sense," he was quoted as concluding in the Detroit Free Press.

Many serious challenges await Kirk as mayor of Dallas. The city's tax base is 21 percent lower than it was in the 1970s--a result of suburban flight and a high crime rate. Although he is a Democrat and is seriously committed to social issues such as homelessness and the need for decent public housing, Kirk has placed a priority upon encouraging business expansion and new economic opportunities in Dallas. "We can't address any of the human-services issues we'd like to without a tax base," he explained in the Christian Science Monitor. Perhaps the most pressing issue facing Kirk is the need to build a new arena in order to keep the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and the Dallas Stars hockey team from pulling out of the city and relocating to the suburbs. Kirk told the Dallas Morning News that he hopes to provide a "legislative framework" that will expedite negotiations between the team owners and the city, as well as working to get financing for a new arena that will not put a new tax burden on the citizens of Dallas.

The city charter of Dallas provides the mayor, who serves primarily as head of the City Council, the small salary of $50 per council meeting. Kirk has therefore retained his partnership with the law firm of Gardere & Wynn, the office he joined in 1994. Kirk seems undaunted by the prospect of leading one of the nation's largest cities while still holding a private sector job. "Most people spend 10 minutes with me, and it's obvious I'm more a big-picture guy than a detail guy," he joked in the Dallas Morning News. "Now what I have to do is convince the city that what I said during the campaign wasn't gimmicky."

A dedicated family man whose chief vice is a fondness for fried foods, Kirk feels that his victory in Dallas is a harbinger of better times to come for a city that has known its share of racial discord. His greatest challenge, he told Ebony, "is to get people of different cultural and national backgrounds to work together peacefully and build a community that is economically viable and a wonderful place for families to live." As for himself, Kirk has declared supreme happiness at achieving his goals. "I became convinced some time ago that the most dynamic job in American politics was being the mayor of a big city," he said, "and I had decided a long time ago that if I ever did run, that there was only one job that I was interested in, and that was being mayor of Dallas."

Asked in the Dallas Morning News why he thought he had won so handily, Kirk replied: "I think people believe I will be fair. Everybody I've met in Dallas wants this city to be as vibrant and dynamic as it can be. Every person that is a parent wants their children to be as safe as they can be and go to the best schools there can be. Every person I know that's a homeowner wants their neighborhoods well maintained and adequately policed and proper code enforcement. Every business owner wants the city to be as much of a partner in a positive way than they do a hindrance in a negative way. And in that sense, as long as we keep articulating agendas that aren't defined by culture or race or demographics I think we have a chance to build a winning coalition for this city."

In 1999, Kirk won re-election as Mayor of Dallas, by a large margin. In 2002, Kirk ran for Phil Gramm's open Senate seat, for Texas. He was defeated by John Cornyn.

Awards

Volunteer of the Year Award, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Dallas, 1992; Distinguished Alumni Award, Austin College Alumni Association, 1992; named "Citizen of the Year" by Omega Psi Phi, 1994; C. B. Bunkley Community Service Award, Turner Legal Association, 1994.

Further Reading

• Christian Science Monitor, May 8, 1995, p. 4.
• Dallas Morning News, January 25, 1995, p. 21A; April 30, 1995, p. 5J; May 8, 1995, p. 1A; May 14, 1995, p. 1J; June 4, 1995, pp. 1A, 1F.
• Detroit Free Press, May 8, 1995, p. 4A.
• Detroit News, May 7, 1995, p. 3A.
• Ebony, September 1995, p. 32.
• New Democratic Network, http://www.newdem.org (January 17, 2003).
• New York Times, May 5, 1995, p. 14A; May 8, 1995, p. 11A; December 3, 2002, p. A29(L).
• Philadelphia Daily News, June 6, 1995, p. 44.
• USA Today, May 8, 1995, p. 3A.
• Washington Post, May 7, 1995, p. 3A.

— Anne Janette Johnson

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Ron Kirk
16th United States Trade Representative
Incumbent
Assumed office March 18, 2009
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Peter Allgeier
Preceded by	Susan Schwab
57th Mayor of Dallas
In office June 5, 1995 – February 20, 2002
Preceded by	Steve Bartlett
Succeeded by	Laura Miller
97th Secretary of State of Texas
In office April 4, 1994 – January 17, 1995
Governor	Ann Richards
Preceded by	John Hannah
Succeeded by	Antonio Garza
Personal details
Born	June 27, 1954 (1954-06-27) (age 57) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Matrice Ellis
Children	2 daughters
Alma mater	Austin College University of Texas, Austin

Ronald "Ron" Kirk (born June 27, 1954) is the 16th United States Trade Representative, serving in the Obama administration. He served as mayor of Dallas, Texas from 1995 to 2002; he also ran for the United States Senate in 2002.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Texas political career 3 Post-mayoral career 4 US Trade Representative 4.1 Nomination 4.2 Work as US Trade Ambassador 5 References 6 External links

Early life and career

Born in Austin, Texas, Kirk is the youngest of four children; his father was a U.S. postal worker and the family was politically active.^[1] He grew up in a predominantly black community, and attended Austin's public schools.^[1] He was a leader in high school, and was elected student council president in his senior year at John H. Reagan High School (Austin, Texas).^[1]

Kirk attended Austin College, graduating with a degree in both political science and sociology in 1976.^[1] He then went to the University of Texas School of Law. Upon receiving his Juris Doctor in 1979,^[1] he practiced law until 1981 when he left to work in the office of then-Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen. In 1983, Kirk returned to Texas to lobby the state legislature in Austin, first as an attorney with the city of Dallas, and later with a law firm.

Texas political career

In 1994, Kirk worked for then-Texas Governor Ann Richards as Secretary of State of Texas. The following year, Kirk ran for mayor of Dallas. With support of Dallas' business community and influential members of the city's African American community, Kirk was successful in his bid and became the first African American mayor of Dallas, Texas while winning 62 percent of the total vote.

During his tenure as mayor, Kirk earned the reputation of being a coalition-builder, managing to keep the always-tumultuous Dallas City Council and Dallas School Board together. Under his leadership, he proposed the "Dallas Plan," a vision for the next 25 years, which included the controversial Trinity River Project, a $246 million plan that called for constructing a network of parks and highways in the flood plain of the Trinity River. He also pushed the construction of the American Airlines Center, whose opening he oversaw in 2002.

In 1999, Kirk was re-elected as mayor of Dallas in a landslide with 74 percent of the vote. The only incident in the campaign consisted in one radio campaign ad that used music from Star Trek and described Kirk as the "captain of the Dallas Enterprise," citing the city's bond program, the new sports arena and new roads. The ad was pulled after Paramount's lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter.^[2]

In 2001, Kirk resigned as mayor of Dallas in order to run for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Phil Gramm. Facing then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn; Kirk lost with 43 percent of the vote to Cornyn's 55 percent.

Post-mayoral career

Following his failed bid for Senate, Kirk returned to the law firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell in Dallas, and was briefly a candidate for chairman of the Democratic National Committee after the 2004 election, and was a partner with the Houston-based law firm Vinson and Elkins, where, according to Texans for Public Justice, he was, as of March 2007, one of the four highest paid lobbyists for Energy Future Holdings Corporation, the group created by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs to acquire TXU.^[3]

During the Democratic National Convention, Kirk came out in favor of establishing the U.S. Public Service Academy as a civilian counterpart to the military service academies.^[4]

US Trade Representative

Although there was speculation that Kirk would be appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Barack Obama, he was given the position of Trade Representative.^[5]

Nomination

As a supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), his selection has drawn criticism from advocates of protectionist trade policies.^[6] His nomination ran into further controversy when it was revealed that he owed $9,975 in back taxes.^[7] As compensation for speeches he gave from 2004 to the present, he had $37,750 of payments made directly to a scholarship fund at Austin College.^[8] Kirk should have included the $37,750 payments with his gross income and then claimed a charitable deduction for the same amount.^[8] Kirk also claimed deductions for three years of season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks as qualifying entertainment expenses.^[8] In order to claim a qualifying entertainment expense, the Internal Revenue Service requires written documentation of the time, place, business purpose, name, and business relationship of the person being entertained, records that Kirk did not keep for almost half of the basketball games.^[8] Kirk's deductions for tax and accounting fees were also too large.^[8]

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kirk as United States Trade Representative on March 18, 2009 with a vote of 92 in favor and five opposed and he was sworn in the same day.^[9] Kirk was formally sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on March 20, 2009.^[9] Kirk is the first person of African American descent to hold the position of United States Trade Representative.^[10]

Work as US Trade Ambassador

Kirk speaking at a press conference at the end of the 7th WTO Ministerial Conference

As the US Trade Representative, Kirk receives the formal title of Ambassador and is a member of the President's Cabinet. Kirk has repeatedly raised concerns of American businesses that China is not properly enforcing intellectual property rights of American companies doing business there. It has been alleged that the Chinese government takes IT secrets of international companies operating there and passes them on to local companies to boost their competitiveness^[11][12] Kirk has also been critical of China's internet censorship policies, and he is reported to be considering whether to challenge such censorship regulations in the WTO as an unfair barrier to trade; it would be the first case of its kind.^[13][14][15]

In August 2010, Kirk welcomed the decision from the WTO ruling against the European Union's subsidies for Airbus.^[16] Kirk stated, "These subsidies have greatly harmed the United States, including causing Boeing to lose sales and market share. Today’s ruling helps level the competitive playing field with Airbus."^[17]

Kirk meeting with President Obama before bilateral meetings in South Korea.

Kirk has been cited as the US agent who convinced South Korea to adopt and enforce an early draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The impacts in South Korea have been dramatic; tens of thousands of citizens have had their websites taken off of the Internet because of copyright infringement. In contrast, a revised draft of the ACTA proposal, expected to be enacted in the United States, is expected to drop the requirement for Internet Service Providers to discontinue access to those accused of copyright violations,^[18] and instead refer to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for enforcement of electronic copyright infringement allegations.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Harper, Liz (2002). "Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk (Democrat)". PBS. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2002/races/tx_kirk.html. Retrieved 2009-01-16. 
2. ^ Vaidhyanathan, Siva (2003). Copyrights and copywrongs: the rise of intellectual property and how it threatens creativity. NYU Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780814788073. http://books.google.com/books?id=sGjSY0rRC_wC&pg=PA187. Retrieved 13 August 2010. 
3. ^ "Ex-Dallas mayor and Cabinet hopeful Ron Kirk faces hurdles as former lobbyist". WFAA.com (WFAA-TV, Inc). 12 December 2008. http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/121308dnnatkirk.3ba21ad.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ http://uspublicserviceacademy.org/endorsements/
5. ^ Recio, Maria (2008-12-12). "Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk a finalist to be transportation secretary". McClatchy Company. http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1089608.html. Retrieved 2009-01-02. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Wu, Brandon (2008-12-19). "Ron Kirk tapped as next USTR". http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2008/12/ron-kirk-tapped-as-next-ustr.html. Retrieved 2009-01-20. 
7. ^ Shear, Michael D. (March 2, 2009). "Tax Problems Surface for Trade Rep. Nominee Kirk". The Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/03/02/tax_problems_surface_for_trade.html. Retrieved 2009-03-02. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} Gillman, Todd J. (2009-03-03). "Cabinet-pick Kirk owes $10,000 in back taxes". The Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-kirk_03nat.ART.State.Edition2.4a68fa3.html. Retrieved 2009-03-21. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Gillman, Todd J. (2009-03-21). "Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk sworn in as trade ambassador". The Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-kirk_21nat.ART.State.Edition1.4a9898e.html. Retrieved 2009-03-21. 
10. ^ Tate, Deborah (March 18, 2009). "US Senate Confirms Trade Representative". Voice of America News. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-18-voa62.cfm. Retrieved 2009-03-23. 
11. ^ Drajem, Mark (May 25, 2010). "Kirk Says U.S. Businesses ‘Plead’ for China to Protect Patents". Bloomberg Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-25/kirk-says-u-s-businesses-plead-for-china-to-protect-patents.html. 
12. ^ "US to pressure China on market access". China Economic Review. July 29, 2010. http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/dailybriefing/2010_07_29/US_to_pressure_China_on_market_access.html. 
13. ^ "U.S. weighing China Internet censorship case". Reuters. 2010-03-10. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6284YG20100310. 
14. ^ Drajem, Mark (March 2, 2010). "Google Wants U.S. to Weigh WTO Challenge to China Censorship". Bloomberg Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-02/google-wants-u-s-to-weigh-wto-challenge-to-china-censorship.html. 
15. ^ "Secretary Gary Locke and USTR Ron Kirk Call on China To Revoke Mandatory Internet Filtering Software" (Press release). Office of the United States Trade Representative. June 24, 2009. http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2009/june/secretary-gary-locke-and-ustr-ron-kirk-call-china-rev. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
16. ^ "EU Airbus subsidies illegal, says WTO". BBC News. 2010-06-30. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10463761. 
17. ^ "United States Achieves Landmark Victory in WTO Airbus Case" (Press release). Office of the United States Trade Representative. June 30, 2010. http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2010/june/united-states-achieves-landmark-victory-wto-airbus-ca. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
18. ^ Kravets, David (October 6, 2010). "Expert: ACTA No Longer Gutting Internet Freedom". Wired. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/10/act-internet-freedom. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ron Kirk

• Profile at the Office of the United States Trade Representative
• Ron Kirk at WhoRunsGov at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Ron Kirk collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Works by or about Ron Kirk in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• The Dynamic U.S. Trade Relationship with Asia, Presentation by USTR Ron Kirk at Engaging Asia 2011 (March 30, 2011)

Political offices
Preceded by John Hannah	Secretary of State of Texas 1994–1995	Succeeded by Antonio Garza
Preceded by Steve Bartlett	Mayor of Dallas 1995–2002	Succeeded by Laura Miller
Preceded by Susan Schwab	United States Trade Representative Served under: Barack Obama 2009–present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Gil Kerlikowske as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy	Order of Precedence of the United States as Trade Representative	Succeeded by James Clapper as Director of National Intelligence

v d e United States Trade Representative Christian Herter (1962) · William M. Roth (1967) · Carl J. Gilbert (1969) · William D. Eberle (1971) · Frederick B. Dent (1975) · Robert S. Strauss (1977) · Reubin Askew (1979) · William E. Brock III (1981) · Clayton K. Yeutter (1985) · Carla A. Hills (1989) · Mickey Kantor (1993) · Charlene Barshefsky (1997) · Robert Zoellick (2001) · Rob Portman (2005) · Susan Schwab (2006) · Ron Kirk (2009)

v d e Cabinet of President Barack Obama (since 2009)   Cabinet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2009–present) Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (2009–present) Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (2009–2011) · Leon Panetta (2011–present) Attorney General Eric Holder (2009–present) Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (2009–present) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (2009–present) Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke (2009–2011) · John Bryson (2011–present) Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (2009–present) Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius (2009–present) Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (2009–present) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (2009–present) Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (2009–present) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (2009–present) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki (2009–present) Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff (2009) · Janet Napolitano (2009–present)   Cabinet-level Vice President Joe Biden (2009–present) White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (2009–2010) · William Daley (2011–present) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson (2009–present) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag (2009–2010) · Jacob Lew (2010–present) Trade Representative Ron Kirk (2009–present) Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice (2009–present) Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer (2009–2010) · Austan Goolsbee (2010–2011) · Alan Krueger (2011–present) Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta (2009–2011) · David Petraeus (2011–present) Administrator of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills (2012–present)* * took office in 2009, raised to cabinet-rank in 2012 See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet

v d e Current members of the Cabinet of the United States Obama  · Biden Bryson  · Chu  · Clinton  · Daleyc  · Donovan  · Duncan  · Geithner  · Holder  · Jacksonc  · Kirkc  · Kruegerc  · LaHood  · Lewc  · Millsc  · Napolitano  · Panetta Ricec  · Salazar  · Sebelius  · Solis  · Shinseki  · Vilsack c - cabinet-level; a - acting

v d e Obama Administration personnel v d e Cabinet and cabinet-level Office Name Term Office Name Term Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2009– Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner 2009– Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta 2011– Attorney General Eric Holder 2009– Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 2009– Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 2009– Secretary of Commerce John Bryson 2011– Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis 2009– Secretary of Health and   Human Services Kathleen Sebelius 2009– Secretary of Education Secretary of Transportation Arne Duncan Ray LaHood 2009– 2009– Secretary of Housing and Urban   Development Shaun Donovan 2009– Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki 2009– Secretary of Energy Steven Chu 2009– Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano 2009– Vice President Joe Biden 2009– White House Chief of Staff William M. Daley 2011– Director of the Office of Management and   Budget Jacob Lew 2010– Administrator of the Environmental   Protection Agency Lisa Jackson 2009– Ambassador to the United Nations Trade Representative Susan Rice Ron Kirk 2009– 2009– Chair of the Council of Economic   Advisers Austan Goolsbee 2010– Below solid line: Granted Cabinet rank although not automatically part of the Cabinet. See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet v d e Executive Office of the President Office Name Term Office Name Term White House Chief of Staff White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy   Rahm Emanuel Pete Rouse William M. Daley Mona Sutphen Nancy-Ann DeParle 2009–2010 2010-2011 2011- 2009-2011 2011- National Security Advisor Deputy National Security Advisor   Jim Jones Tom Donilon Thomas E. Donilon Denis McDonough 2009–2010 2010- 2009–2010 2010- White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations   Senior Advisor to the President   Deputy Senior Advisor to the President Counselor to the President Jim Messina Alyssa Mastromonaco David Axelrod David Plouffe Stephanie Cutter Pete Rouse 2009–2011 2011- 2009–2011 2011- 2011- 2009- Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Douglas Lute† Ben Rhodes   2009– 2009– Senior Advisor to the President and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Valerie Jarrett   2009–   Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security John O. Brennan 2009– Director of Public Engagement   Christina Tchen Jon Carson 2009–2011 2011-- Deputy National Security Advisor and NSC Chief of Staff   Denis McDonough Brooke Anderson 2009-2010 2011- Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz 2009– White House Communications Director Daniel Pfeiffer 2009- Director, National Economic Council   Lawrence Summers Gene Sperling 2009–2010 2011- Deputy White House Communications Director White House Press Secretary   Jennifer Psaki Robert Gibbs Jay Carney 2009– 2009–2011 2011- Deputy Director, National Economic Council Diana Farrell 2009– Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton 2009– Deputy Director, National Economic Council Deputy Director, National Economic Council Jason Furman Brian Deese 2009– 2011- Director of Special Projects Stephanie Cutter 2010-2011 Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker 2009– Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau 2009– Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors   Christina Romer Austan Goolsbee 2009–2010 2010- White House Counsel   Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs   Robert Bauer Kathryn Ruemmler Phil Schiliro Rob Nabors 2009–2011 2011- 2009–2011 2011- Member of the Council of Economic Advisors Katharine Abraham 2011- Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Lisa Konwinski 2009– Member of the Council of Economic Advisors Cecilia Rouse 2009– Executive Clerk George T. Saunders† 2009– Director, Office of Management and Budget   Peter Orszag Jacob Lew 2009–2010 2010– Director, Office of Political Affairs Chief Technology Officer Patrick Gaspard Aneesh Chopra 2009–2011 2009– Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget Jeffrey Zients   2009– Chief Information Officer Director, Office of Presidential Personnel Steven VanRoekel Nancy Hogan 2011– 2010– Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget   Jeffrey Liebman Heather Higginbottom* 2010–2010 2011- Director of Scheduling and Advance   Director, White House Military Office Alyssa Mastromonaco Danielle Crutchfield George D. Mulligan, Jr. 2009–2011 2011- 2009– United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk 2009– Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu 2009– Director, Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes 2009– Deputy Cabinet Secretary Liz Sears Smith 2009– Deputy Director, Domestic Policy Council Heather Higginbottom Mark Zuckerman 2009–2011 2011- Staff Secretary Lisa Brown 2009– Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois 2009– Director, Office of Management and Administration Bradley Kiley 2009– Director, Office of Health Reform Nancy DeParle 2009–2011 Director, Oval Office Operations Micaela Fernandez 2009– Deputy Director, Office of Health Reform Jeanne Lambrew 2009– Personal Aide to the President Reggie Love 2009– Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner 2009–2011 Personal Secretary to the President Katie Johnson Anita Decker 2009–2011 2011- Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal 2009– Special Projects Coordinator and Confidential Assistant to the President Eugene Kang   2009– Director, Council on Environmental Quality Director, Office of National AIDS Policy Nancy Sutley Jeffrey Crowley 2009– 2009– Chief of Staff to the First Lady   Jackie Norris Susan Sher Christina Tchen 2009 2009–2010 2011- Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske 2009– White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers Julianna Smoot Jeremy Bernard 2009–2010 2010–2011 2011– Director, Office of Urban Affairs Policy Adolfo Carrión, Jr. 2009– Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren 2009– *Senate-confirmation pending.   †Remained from previous administration(s). v d e Office of the Vice President Position Appointee Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President Bruce Reed Chief of Staff to the Second Lady Catherine Russell Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President Moises Vela Counselor to the Vice President Mike Donilon Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Terrell McSweeny Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison Evan Ryan Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Jared Bernstein Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications Jay Carney Press Secretary to the Vice President Elizabeth Alexander Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President Alan Hoffman Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President Annie Tomasini Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President Brian McKeon Director of Legislative Affairs Sudafi Henry Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady Carlos Elizondo Director of Communications for the Second Lady Courtney O’Donnell National Security Adviser to the Vice President Tony Blinken

Persondata
Name	Kirk, Ron
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1954-06-27
Place of birth	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death

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