WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden announced his nominees to a number of key administration posts.
Elizabeth Klein, an experienced leader in clean energy, climate change, and environmental law and policy, was named Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Most recently, she was Deputy Director of the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law. Klein served at the Department of the Interior during both the Clinton and Obama administrations, advancing high-priority initiatives such as Interior's renewable energy program and climate change adaptation efforts.
Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, who is currently serving as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, was appointed Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. She previously served as the Virginia State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). She also served as Dean of the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University. In spring 2019, she launched the Virginia Farmer Stress Task Force. Dr. Bronaugh would be the first woman of color to serve as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.
Andrea Palm will be the new Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services. As Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), she has been leading the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Palm held a number of policy and operational roles in the Obama Administration at HHS.
Polly Trottenberg, a nationally recognized transportation leader with federal, state, and city experience, has been nominated Deputy Secretary of Transportation. Trottenberg served in the Obama administration as the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and Under Secretary for Policy at USDOT. For the last seven years, she has been serving as New York City's Transportation Commissioner. Trottenberg helped implement the nation's first Vision Zero program, taking a multi-disciplinary approach to eliminating traffic fatalities and injuries.
Superintendent, principal, vice principal and literacy specialist Cindy Marten was nominated as Deputy Secretary of Education.
Rohit Chopra, a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, has been appointed as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He has pushed for aggressive remedies against lawbreaking companies, especially repeat offenders.
Gary Gensler will be the new Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He served as chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 2009 to 2014, leading the Obama-Biden Administration's reform of the $400 trillion swaps market.
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