Key Biden nominees have background in economic development initiatives

President Joe Biden’s nominees to economic and energy roles have experience with regional growth initiatives. Readers of the Digest may be familiar with some of the names, as we have covered their activities in their previous roles. The nominees of the president’s economic team include former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Don Graves as deputy secretary; Isabel Guzman nominated to become administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA); former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm for secretary of energy; and, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who also previously served as the agriculture secretary, to again lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Attendees of SSTI’s 2019 Annual Conference heard from Raimondo as a keynote speaker in her home state of Rhode Island and learned about her efforts to kick-start the state’s economy and grow the number of jobs there. She discussed her approach to lower the unemployment rate and invest in education, from pre-K to college, as a way to strengthen the state’s future. Prior to becoming governor, she served as state treasurer and worked in the venture capital field. Conference attendees also heard about the Ocean State’s efforts to promote economic opportunity through the development of the offshore wind sector. Raimondo recently spoke about these efforts and her support for leveraging regional strengths in an interview about her outlook for her tenure at Commerce. Raimondo’s confirmation hearing with the Senate commerce committee is scheduled for Jan. 26.

Don Graves was a deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury during President Barack Obama’s first term, and his office oversaw the launch of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). Graves went on the lead the administration’s efforts to support Detroit’s economic recovery and, in 2016, the Cancer Moonshot Effort.

Granholm’s time as governor in Michigan (2003 to 2011) began her track record on clean energy, when she created the Centers of Energy Excellence program and funding to create alternative energy clusters and support technology commercialization. In 2009, she also signed legislation to provide funding for tax credits for companies engaging in battery research and manufacturing, and worked to move the transportation sector away from fossil fuels while maintaining jobs.

In addition to serving as agriculture secretary from 2009-2017, Vilsack was a two-term governor of Iowa, where he worked to invest in the state’s entrepreneurs and grow the economy. As governor, Vilsack supported tech-based economic development enabled by measures such as the state’s Grow Iowa Values fund and developed a plan to invest millions into the creation of a life sciences initiative.

Guzman, director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate, was nominated to serve as the administrator of the Small Business Administration, and had previously served as senior adviser and deputy chief of staff at the SBA.