By Jueseppi B.

 

 

 

 

 

Hilda Lucia Solis  (born October 20, 1957) is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.

 

Solis was raised in La Puente, California, by immigrant parents from Nicaragua and Mexico. She gained degrees from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) and the University of Southern California (USC) and worked for two federal agencies in Washington, D.C.Returning to her native state, she was elected to the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees in 1985, the California State Assembly in 1992, and the California State Senate in 1994. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the State Senate, and was reelected there in 1998. Solis sought to pass environmental justice legislation. She was the first female recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000.

 

Solis defeated a long-time Democratic incumbent as part of getting elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, where she focused mainly on labor causes and environmental work. She was reelected easily to four subsequent terms. In December 2008, President-elect Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Solis as the next U.S. Secretary of Labor. She took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate in February 2009, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet. There she focused on workplace safety issues and on strengthening compliance with wage and hour laws.

 

On January 9, 2013, Solis announced that she would be stepping down from her post as Labor Secretary.

 

 

From ABC News:

 

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis has stepped down.

 

By Jonathan Karl
@jonkarl

And

Devin Dwyer
@devindwyer

 

The first Latina to lead a federal agency, Solis joined the Obama administration back in 2009 after representing California in the House of Representatives. She said in a letter to colleagues that she was leaving her post to “begin a new future” by returning to her roots. She calls her departure “one of the most difficult decisions” she has made.

 

“Growing up in a large Mexican-American family in La Puente, California, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to serve in a president’s Cabinet, let alone in the service of such an incredible leader,” said Solis.

 

She said she was proud of her tenure at the department during a time which saw unbearably high unemployment rates.

 

“We have much to be proud of,” she said. “In the past four years, more than 1.7 million people have completed federally-funded job training programs; of those, more than one million have earned industry-recognized credentials.  In addition, Labor Department investments in our community colleges have expanded their capacity to provide local, flexible, employer-specific job training to millions of Americans, and transformed these institutions into engines of economic growth.

 

Read the rest of the story at  ABC News

 

 

Statement by the President on Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis

 

The White House  Office of the Press Secretary  January 09, 2013

Over her long career in public service – as an advocate for environmental justice in California, state legislator, member of Congress and Secretary of Labor – Hilda Solis has been a tireless champion for working families. Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class. Her efforts have helped train workers for the jobs of the future, protect workers’ health and safety and put millions of Americans back to work. I am grateful to Secretary Solis for her steadfast commitment and service not only to the Administration, but on behalf of the American people. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

 

~ President Barack Hussein Obama ~

 

 

 

 

25th United States Secretary of Labor
Incumbent
Assumed office February 24, 2009
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Seth Harris
Preceded by	Elaine Chao
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California‘s 32nd district
In office January 3, 2003 – February 24, 2009
Preceded by	Diane Watson
Succeeded by	Judy Chu
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California‘s 31st district
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Matthew Martínez
Succeeded by	Xavier Becerra
Member of the California Senate from the 24th district
In office December 5, 1994 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Arthur Torres
Succeeded by	Gloria Romero
Member of the California State Assembly from the 57th district
In office December 7, 1992 – December 5, 1994
Preceded by	Dave Elder
Succeeded by	Martin Gallegos
Personal details
Born	October 20, 1957 (age 55) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona University of Southern California
Religion	Roman Catholicism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under: Democrats/Democratic, Education, News, Photographs, Politics, POTUS Obama, The White House Tagged: | Barack Obama, California, Hilda Solis, La Puente California, Obama Administration, United States House of Representatives, United States Secretary of Labor, University of Southern California