Don Graves
{{short description|American lawyer}}
{{for|persons of a similar name|Donald Graves (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Don Graves
| image = DonGravesOfficialPortrait.jpg
| office = 19th United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce
| president = Joe Biden
| term_start = May 14, 2021
| term_end = January 20, 2025
| predecessor = Karen Dunn Kelley
| successor = Jeremy Pelter (acting)
| party = Democratic
| education = Williams College (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)
| caption = Official portrait, 2021
}}
Donet Dominic Graves Jr.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-20|title=PN79-3 – Nomination of Donet Dominic Graves Jr. for Department of Commerce, 117th Congress (2021–2022)|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/79/3|access-date=2021-01-21|publisher=United States Congress}} is an American lawyer. He served as Deputy Secretary of Commerce in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. Graves formerly led the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot and served in multiple roles in the Obama administration, including as an advisor to then-Vice President Joe Biden.{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2021 |title=Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves has deep roots in Cleveland and Washington |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/politics/deputy-commerce-secretary-don-graves-has-deep-roots-cleveland-washington/95-21783365-17b4-4c1e-8d2e-f1e17a510ec2 |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=wkyc.com |language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Graves grew up on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. Graves earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.{{Cite web|title=FDIC: Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion (ComE-IN)|url=https://www.fdic.gov/about/comein/bio-member/graves.html|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=www.fdic.gov}}
Career
From 1995 to 1997, Graves was the vice president and Washington, D.C. office director of New Equality. From 1997 to 1999, Graves was a policy advisor in the United States Department of the Treasury. From 1999 to 2005, he was the policy director of Business Roundtable. He was a founding partner at Graves & Horton, LLC, a legal services firm.{{Cite web|title=Biden Transition Organization – Staff, Advisors|url=https://www.democracyinaction.us/2020/chrntran/bidentransition.html|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=www.democracyinaction.us}}
During the presidency of Barack Obama, Graves served as the executive director of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and led the federal government's efforts in the economic recovery of the city of Detroit.{{Cite news|last=Wallsten|first=Peter|date=August 23, 2011|title=Black lawmakers grill Obama aide on jobs|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/black-lawmakers-grill-obama-aide-on-jobs/2011/08/23/gIQAXeQ4XJ_story.html|access-date=January 8, 2021|issn=0190-8286}} After the council disbanded, Graves served as Counselor and Domestic and Economic Policy Director to Vice President Joe Biden.
Graves also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development, and Housing Policy at the Department of the Treasury, where he oversaw the CDFI Fund, the $4 billion Small Business Lending Fund, and the $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative. He was also the U.S. Federal Representative to the G7 Task Force on Social Impact Investment.
In 2016, Biden chose Graves to lead the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot.{{Cite web|last=Says|first=Blanka|date=February 10, 2016|title=Biden picks adviser — and survivor — to oversee 'moonshot'|url=https://www.statnews.com/2016/02/10/biden-graves-cancer-moonshot/|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=STAT|language=en-US}} After the Obama administration, Graves worked as the head of corporate responsibility and community relations and senior director of corporate community initiatives and relations at KeyBank.{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2017 |title=KeyBank names Obama administration adviser and an industry lobbyist to lead government relations and community initiative strategies |url=https://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170504/news/170509899/keybank-names-obama-administration-adviser-and-industry-lobbyist |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=Crain's Cleveland Business |language=en}}
= Deputy Secretary of Commerce =
In January 2021, President-elect Biden announced his nomination of Graves as the United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce.{{Cite web|last=Allard|first=Sam|title=Biden Appoints KeyBank's Don Graves Deputy Commerce Secretary|url=https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2021/01/07/biden-appoints-keybanks-don-graves-deputy-commerce-secretary|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=Cleveland Scene|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Biden expected to nominate Raimondo as Commerce secretary, Walsh as Labor secretary|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-expected-nominate-raimondo-commerce-secretary-walsh-labor-secretary-n1253326|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=NBC News|date=January 7, 2021 |language=en}} Graves was confirmed by the US Senate by a vote of 89–7 on May 13, 2021. He was sworn in the next day.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Don Graves}}
- {{C-SPAN|9275927}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Don}}
Category:United States deputy secretaries of commerce
Category:Biden administration personnel
Category:Obama administration personnel
Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Category:Williams College alumni