Hazel O'Leary | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th United States Secretary of Energy | |
| In office January 22, 1993 – January 20, 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Deputy | Bill White Charles B. Curtis |
| Preceded by | James D. Watkins |
| Succeeded by | Federico Peña |
| 14th President of Fisk University | |
| In office July 13, 2004 – January 31, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Carolynn Reid-Wallace |
| Succeeded by | James Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hazel Reid May 17, 1937 Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carl Rollins (divorced) Max Robinson (divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Fisk University (BA) Rutgers University, Newark (LLB) |
Hazel Reid O'Leary (born May 17, 1937) is an American lawyer, politician, and university administrator who served as the 7th United States secretary of energy from 1993 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, O'Leary was the first woman and first African American to hold that post. She also served as the 14th president of Fisk University from 2004 to 2013, a historically black college and her alma mater. O'Leary's tenure at Fisk came amid financial difficulty for the school, during which time she increased enrollment and contentiously used the school's art collection to raise funds.
O'Leary received her bachelor's degree from Fisk before earning her Bachelor of Laws degree from Rutgers School of Law. O'Leary worked as a prosecutor in New Jersey and then in a private consulting/accounting firm before joining the Carter administration in the newly created Department of Energy. O'Leary returned to the private sector in 1981 but rejoined the government as secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton. During her tenure, she declassified documents detailing how the United States had conducted secret testing on the effects of radiation on unsuspecting American citizens. She also received criticism for excessive spending on international trips while in office.