Penny Pritzker | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2013 | |
| 38th United States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office June 26, 2013 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Patrick D. Gallagher (acting) Bruce H. Andrews |
| Preceded by | John Bryson |
| Succeeded by | Wilbur Ross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Penny Sue Pritzker May 2, 1959 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Bryan Traubert |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Donald Pritzker (father) |
| Relatives | Pritzker family |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Stanford University (JD, MBA) |
Penny Sue Pritzker (born May 2, 1959) is an American billionaire heiress, businesswoman and civic leader who served as the 38th United States secretary of commerce in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017.[1] She was confirmed by a Senate vote of 97–1.
Pritzker is a member of the prominent Pritzker family and was involved with the family business empire from a young age. She was eventually appointed as one of three successors to her uncle, Jay Pritzker. She is the founder of PSP Partners, PSP Capital Partners, and Pritzker Realty Group, and co-founder of Artemis Real Estate Partners and Inspired Capital. She is on the board of Microsoft and chair of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. As of October 2021, Forbes estimated her net worth at US$3.2 billion.[2] In 2009, Forbes named Pritzker one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. She is the sister of J. B. Pritzker, the current governor of Illinois.
Before entering government service, Pritzker had been involved in many Chicago organizations, including the Chicago Board of Education, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, as well as her own foundation, the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation. A friend of the Obama family since their Chicago years, Pritzker was an early supporter of Obama's presidential candidacy.
From 2021 to 2022, she was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).[3] From September 2023 to August 2024, she was the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery.[4]
- ^ Easton, Nina (June 2, 2014). "The fascinating life of Penny Pritzker (so far)". Fortune. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ "Penny Prtizker". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "President Biden Announces Members of President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology". whitehouse.gov. September 22, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "Announcing the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery". United States Department of State. Retrieved November 19, 2023.