 
Ex Officio Members' Biographical Summaries
The Honorable Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Michael J. Astrue was sworn in as Commissioner of Social Security on February 12, 2007. He will serve a six-year term that expires on January 19, 2013.
As head of the Social Security Administration, Astrue has responsibility for administering the Social Security programs (retirement, survivors and disability), as well as the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
Social Security provides financial protection to more than 160 million workers and their families, and pays approximately $580 billion annually in benefits to more than 49 million Americans who receive monthly Social Security retirement, disability or survivors benefits. The SSI program pays monthly benefits to more than 7 million Americans who have little or no resources and who are aged, blind or disabled.
The Social Security Administration is an independent federal agency headquartered in suburban Baltimore with a national workforce of about 62,000 employees and 1,500 facilities nationwide.
Astrue was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 14, 2006, and confirmed by the United States Senate on February 2, 2007.
Commissioner Astrue has a distinguished history of public service. He is a former employee of the Social Security Administration, having served as Counselor to the Commissioner. He served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Legislation. Astrue also served briefly as Associate Counsel to the President of the United States during parts of both the Reagan and Bush administrations. Before becoming Commissioner, he also served as a senior executive of several biotechnology companies.
The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao is the Nation's 24th Secretary of Labor and the first Asian American woman appointed to a President's cabinet in U.S. history. Arriving at the age of eight from Asia speaking no English, Secretary Chao's experience transitioning to a new country inspired her to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that people have access to opportunity and the chance to build better lives.
Since her confirmation by the United States Senate on January 29, 2001, she has been dedicated to carrying out the Department of Labor's mission of promoting and protecting the health, safety, retirement security, and competitiveness of the nation's workforce.
Among many other accomplishments under her tenure, the Labor Department updated the white collar exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which has been on the agenda of every Administration since 1977. The most significant regulatory tort reform of President Bush's first term, the new regulations provided millions of low-wage vulnerable workers with strengthened overtime protection. In 2003, the Department achieved the first major update of union financial disclosure regulations in more than 40 years, giving rank and file members enhanced information on how their hard-earned dues are spent. And under her leadership, the Department has set new worker protection enforcement results, including recovering record back wages for low wage immigrant workers. The Department has also launched comprehensive reform of the nation's publicly funded worker training programs, to better serve dislocated and unemployed workers.
Secretary Chao's career has spanned the public, private and non-profit sectors. As President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America, she restored public trust and confidence in one of the nation's largest institution of private charitable giving after it was tarnished by mismanagement and financial abuse. As Director of the Peace Corps, she established the first Peace Corps programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.
Her government service also includes serving as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, Deputy Maritime Administrator in the U.S. Department of Transportation and White House Fellow. She has also worked in the private sector as Vice President of Syndications at BankAmerica Capital Markets Group and a banker with Citicorp. Prior to her nomination as Secretary, she was a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
Secretary Chao received her M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and her undergraduate degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College. She also studied at M.I.T., Dartmouth College, and Columbia University. Active in many volunteer activities, Secretary Chao has received numerous awards for her professional accomplishments and community service. She is the recipient of 28 honorary doctoral degrees.
The first Kentuckian named to the President's cabinet since 1945, Secretary Chao is married to the United States Senate Majority Whip, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
The Honorable Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security
On February 15, 2005, Judge Michael Chertoff was sworn in as the second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Chertoff formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Secretary Chertoff was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the Bush Administration as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, he helped trace the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the al-Qaeda network, and worked to increase information sharing within the FBI and with state and local officials.
Before joining the Bush Administration, Chertoff was a Partner in the law firm of Latham & Watkins. From 1994 to 1996, he served as Special Counsel for the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee.
Prior to that, Chertoff spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, including service as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As United States Attorney, Chertoff investigated and prosecuted several significant cases of political corruption, organized crime, and corporate fraud.
Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1975 and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.
Secretary Chertoff is married to Meryl Justin Chertoff and has two children.
Naomi C. Earp, Esq., Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Between April 2003 and Sept. 1, 2006, Ms. Earp served as Vice Chair of EEOC. During that time, she created and launched the EEOC's Youth@Work Initiative, a national education and outreach campaign to promote equal employment opportunity for America's newest generation of workers. To date, the EEOC has held more than 1,600 Youth@Work events nationwide, reaching more than 112,000 students, education professionals, and employers.
Chair Earp brought to the EEOC hands-on leadership and management experience, a strong track record of promoting diversity, and expertise in the equal employment opportunity (EEO) field. Her work experience in promoting diversity in EEO includes a series of progressively responsible leadership positions with various federal agencies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She also served as an Attorney Advisor at the EEOC during the mid-1980s.
Ms. Earp received a bachelor's degree from Norfolk State University, a master's degree from Indiana University (Bloomington), and a Juris Doctor from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC. She is a member of the Supreme Court Bar and the Pennsylvania Bar.
David Eisner, Esq.,Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Services
David Eisner is Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. He was appointed by President Bush and began serving in December 2003.
Eisner is a nationally recognized leader on nonprofit capacity-building, infrastructure, and organizational effectiveness, and focuses his efforts on strengthening the organization’s accountability, improving customer service, and increasing public trust. The goal of the CEO’s management efforts are to make the Corporation’s programs more efficient, effective, and accountable; to ensure that national and community service programs add value to traditional volunteering and the nonprofit world; and to bring a far greater degree of consistency, predictability, and value to the Corporation’s programs.
From 1997 until 2003, Eisner was a Vice President at AOL Time Warner, where he directed the company’s charitable foundation. Before that, he was a Senior Vice President of Fleishman-Hilliard International Communications, and prior to that he managed public relations at the Legal Services Corporation. He started his career on Capitol Hill, serving as press secretary for three Members of Congress.
In addition to his professional activities, Eisner has served on the boards of several national nonprofit organizations, including Independent Sector, the National 4-H Council, and Network for Good. A graduate of Stanford University, he received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife, Lori, live in Bethesda, Maryland, with their four young children.
The Honorable Michael Mukasey, Attorney General
Michael Mukasey was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1941 and graduated from Columbia College and Yale Law School, where he was on the Board of Editors of the Yale Law Journal. Prior to becoming Attorney General, he had a lengthy career as an attorney, including service as an Assistant United States Attorney from 1972 to 1976 in New York. From 1975 to 1976 he also served as chief of his district's Official Corruption Unit. From 1976 to 1987 he was an associate, and then member, of the firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler.
Mukasey was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and served until 2006, the last six years as chief judge. During that time, Judge Mukasey presided over hundreds of cases, including the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 co-defendants charged with conspiring to blow up numerous sites in New York. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he was widely praised for the speed with which the federal courthouse, located just blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, returned to normal operation.
Upon his retirement from the bench, Mukasey returned to Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, in the firm's litigation group.
Judge Mukasey has received numerous awards over the years, including the Learned Hand Medal for Excellence in Federal Jurisprudence from the Federal Bar Council, the William Tendy Award from the Fiske Association, awards from the Seymour Association, the Respect for Law Alliance, and the Ari Halberstam Award from the Jewish Children's Museum. He also received an honorary degree from the Brooklyn Law School.
Mukasey's professional and civic activities have included service as a director of the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation and as a director of the Jewish Children's Museum. He has also been a lecturer in law at the Columbia Law School. He was a member of the Automation and Technology Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States; was chairman of the Committee on Public Access to Information and Proceedings of the New York State Bar Association; was a member of the Federal Courts Committee and the Communications Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York; and was a member of the American Bar Association.
Judge Mukasey was nominated to be Attorney General by President George W. Bush on September 17, 2007, and confirmed by the United States Senate on November 8. He entered duty on November 9.
The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez is the 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the voice of business in government. The former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Kellogg Company, Secretary Gutierrez is a core member of President Bush’s economic team. In nominating Mr. Gutierrez, President Bush said, “He understands the world of business, from the first rung on the ladder to the very top. He knows exactly what it takes to help American businesses grow and to create jobs.”
Secretary Gutierrez oversees a diverse Cabinet agency with some 38,000 workers and a $6.5 billion budget focused on promoting American business at home and abroad. His Department gathers vast quantities of economic and demographic data to measure the health and vitality of the economy, promotes U.S. exports, enforces international trade agreements, regulates the export of sensitive goods and technologies, issues patents and trademarks, protects intellectual property, forecasts the weather, conducts oceanic and atmospheric research, provides stewardship over living marine resources, develops and applies technology, measurements and standards, formulates telecommunications and technology policy, fosters minority business development and promotes economic growth in distressed communities.
Opening international markets to U.S. companies to create jobs and build a stronger America is a top priority for Secretary Gutierrez. He believes passionately in President Bush’s vision of a 21 st century where America is the best country in the world with which to do business and where everyone has the opportunity to experience the joy and pride of ownership and to live the American Dream. “We have the best people, we have the training, we have the culture,” Gutierrez says. “I believe the 21 st century is really and truly the American century.”
Secretary Gutierrez was sworn into office on February 7, 2005. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1953, he came to the United States with his family in 1960. In 1975 he joined Kellogg as a sales representative. Rising to president and chief executive officer in 1999, he was the youngest CEO in the company’s nearly 100-year history. In April 2000, he was named chairman of the board of Kellogg Company.
Secretary Gutierrez studied business administration at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Queretaro, Mexico. He and his wife, Edilia, have three children, Carlos, Erika and Karina.
The Honorable Alphonso R. Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Alphonso Jackson is guiding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in its mission of providing affordable housing and promoting economic development, an assignment to which he brings more than 25 years of direct experience in both the private and public sectors.
In nominating Jackson, President George W. Bush chose a leader with a strong background in housing and community development, expertise in finance and management, and a deep commitment to improving the lives of all Americans.
Alphonso Jackson first joined the Bush Administration in June of 2001 as HUD's Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer. As Deputy Secretary, Jackson managed the day-to-day operations of the $32 billion agency and instilled a new commitment to ethics and accountability within HUD's programs and among its workforce and grant partners.
The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Jackson as the nation's 13th Secretary of HUD on March 31, 2004.
Immediately preceding his appointment at HUD, Jackson served as President of American Electric Power-TEXAS, a $13 billion utility company located in Austin, Texas.
From January 1989 until July 1996, Secretary Jackson was President and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Dallas, Texas, which consistently ranked as one of the best-managed large-city housing agencies in the country during his tenure. Prior to that, Secretary Jackson was Director of the Department of Public and Assisted Housing in Washington, D.C., and also served as Chairperson for the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency Board.
In 1977, Jackson became the Director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis. Jackson also served as executive director for the St. Louis Housing Authority, a director of consultant services for the certified public accounting firm of Laventhol and Horwath-St. Louis, and special assistant to the chancellor and assistant professor at the University of Missouri.
Secretary Jackson holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in education administration from Truman State University. He received his law degree from Washington University School of Law.
An expert on public housing and urban issues, Jackson has been asked to serve on a number of national and state commissions, most notably the General Services Commission of the State of Texas, where he served as Chairman; the National Commission on America's Urban Families, and the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing. Secretary Jackson has also lent his expertise to numerous nonprofit and corporate boards.
Secretary Jackson and his wife Marcia are the parents of two grown daughters.
The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior
Dirk Kempthorne was confirmed as the 49th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 26, 2006, in a voice vote by the U.S. Senate. Kempthorne took the oath of office on the same day.
Prior to his confirmation as Secretary, Kempthorne served nearly two terms as Governor of Idaho, elected first in 1998 and reelected in 2002. As Governor, Kempthorne worked to develop consensus on management of Idaho's and the West's natural resources. He worked with his colleagues in Oregon, Washington and Montana to develop an historic bipartisan agreement on a state-based solution for returning salmon runs in the region. Following the devastating wildfires of 2000, he worked with fellow western governors and federal officials to fundamentally change the approach to forest health and wildfire management. Under his leadership, Idaho developed wolf and grizzly bear management plans aimed at delisting the endangered species and giving the State of Idaho management responsibilities.
Before his terms as Governor, Kempthorne completed a successful six-year term in the United States Senate (1993-1999). As a Senator, he wrote, negotiated, and won passage of two major pieces of legislation: a bill to end unfunded federal mandates on state and local governments, and a substantial revision of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. He also worked to improve the quality of life for American active-duty military personnel, reservists, their families and veterans.
Dirk Kempthorne began his commitment to public service as the highly successful Mayor of the City of Boise (1985-1992). During his seven years in office, he helped direct a renaissance in the state's capital city that resulted in record growth, economic development and numerous national honors and recognitions for quality of life, business climate and family issues.
Secretary Kempthorne has been recognized by his peers as a national leader. As Governor, his colleagues elected him as the Chairman of the National Governors Association in August of 2003. He has served as President of the Council of State Governments and Chairman of the Western Governors Association. He served on the Executive Committees of the National Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association. Secretary of Education Rod Paige appointed then-Governor Kempthorne to the National Assessment Governing Board and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge appointed him to the Homeland Security Task Force.
Secretary Kempthorne and his wife Patricia are both University of Idaho graduates and have two grown children, Heather and Jeff.
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services
Michael O. Leavitt was sworn in as the 20th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on January 26, 2005. As secretary, he leads the Nation’s efforts to protect the health of all Americans and provide essential human services to those in need. He manages the largest civilian department in the federal government, with more than 66,000 employees and a budget that accounts for almost one out of every four federal dollars.
During his first year, he led efforts to successfully enroll tens of millions of seniors and disabled persons in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit; mobilized the nation’s pandemic preparedness; accelerated the development of health information standards and oversaw the medical response to Hurricane Katrina. He also presided over changes in Medicaid statutes to give states flexibility to provide targeted insurance coverage to more people, and reauthorization by Congress, after ten extensions, of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
He is intensively focused on making health care more transparent in quality and price, and reducing the time and expense of bringing safe and effective drugs to market.
Prior to his current service, Leavitt served as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and three-term Governor of Utah.
During his eleven years of service, Utah was recognized six times as one of America's best managed states. He was chosen by his peers as Chairman of the National Governors Association, Western Governors Association and Republican Governors.
Prior to his public service, he served as president and chief executive officer of a regional insurance firm, establishing it as one of the top insurance brokers in America. He is married to Jacalyn S. Leavitt; they are the parents of five children.
The Honorable Mary E. Peters, Secretary of Transportation
Mary E. Peters was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 5, 2006, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Secretary of Transportation on September 30, 2006, after spending more than two decades crafting solutions to our nation's toughest transportation challenges.
Secretary Peters brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation’s transportation chief, having spent her career working on transportation issues in the private and public sectors, including leading both federal and state transportation agencies. This hands-on experience allows her to understand and appreciate the real-life aspects of planning, building and operating transportation systems on local, regional and state levels.
Over her 20-plus years in transportation, Secretary Peters has earned a solid reputation as an innovative problem solver, a force for safety and a strong advocate for effective use of taxpayer dollars. As Secretary of Transportation, she intends to use these same skills to tackle today’s most pressing challenges including fighting congestion across all modes of transportation, improving safety and addressing strains on traditional sources of transportation funding.
She is responsible for maintaining a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system, while leading an agency with almost 60,000 employees and a $61.6 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions.
Prior to joining President Bush’s Cabinet, Peters worked in Phoenix, AZ, as the national director for transportation policy and consulting at HDR, Inc., a major engineering firm. She was responsible for building a management consulting practice and formulating public policy initiatives for the firm's transportation program.
In 2001, the President asked Peters to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As FHWA Administrator from 2001 to 2005, she placed special emphasis on finding new ways to invest in road and bridge construction, including innovative public-private partnerships that help build roads faster and at less expense. She also was a strong advocate for using new technology to reduce construction time, saving taxpayer money and resulting in safer, longer-lasting roads and highways.
From 1985 to 2001, she served in the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). During her tenure, Peters worked her way up through the ranks as a contract administrator, deputy director for administration, and deputy director. In 1998, then-Governor Jane Hull appointed her director of the agency. While in office, she was recognized as the Most Influential Person in Arizona Transportation by the Arizona Business Journal.
Secretary Peters received the 2004 National Woman of the Year Award from the Women’s Transportation Seminar, a national organization of transportation professionals. She chaired the Standing Committee on Planning and the Asset Management Task Force for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and was a member of the AASHTO 2001 Reauthorization Steering Committee.
A fourth-generation Arizonan and an avid motorcyclist, Secretary Peters holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Government Executives. She and her husband, Terry, have three grown children, and five grandchildren.
The Honorable Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education
On January 20, 2005, the United States Senate confirmed Margaret Spellings as the 8th U.S. Secretary of Education.
During President George W. Bush's first term, Spellings served as Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy where she helped craft education policies, including the No Child Left Behind Act. She was also responsible for the development and implementation of White House policy on immigration, health, labor, transportation, justice, housing, and other elements of President Bush's domestic agenda.
Prior to her White House appointment, Spellings worked for six years as Governor George W. Bush's Senior Advisor with responsibility for developing and implementing the Governor's education policy. Her work included the Texas Reading Initiative, the Student Success Initiative to eliminate social promotion, and the nation's strongest school assessment and accountability system. She also made recommendations to the Governor for key gubernatorial appointments. Previously, Spellings served as associate executive director of the Texas Association of School Boards.
Born in Michigan, Spellings moved with her family at a young age to Houston, Texas, where she attended public schools. She graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor's degree in political science.
As the mother of two daughters, one a sophomore in college and the other a freshman in high school, Spellings has a special understanding of the issues facing parents and students today. Spellings is the first mother of school-age children to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education.
John R. Vaughn, Chair, National Council on Disability
Mr. Vaughn is a retired executive in the financial services industry. He is also a former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services and commissioner of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. Mr. Vaughn was appointed to the Florida Rehabilitation Advisory Council for Blind Services by Governor Jeb Bush and he was also appointed to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao’s Working Committee on Work Place Issues in connection with President Bush’s Twenty-first Century Work Force Initiative.