Don Graves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Don Graves
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Official portrait, 2021
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| 19th United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office May 14, 2021 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Karen Dunn Kelley |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Pelter (acting) Paul Dabbar |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Williams College (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Donet Dominic Graves Jr. is an American lawyer who has worked in government and business. He served as the Deputy Secretary of Commerce for the United States from 2021 to 2025. This important role meant he helped lead the U.S. Department of Commerce. This department works to support American businesses and help the economy grow. Before this, he worked closely with then-Vice President Joe Biden. He also helped lead a special project called the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot.
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Early Life and Education
Don Graves grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, on the East Side of the city. He went to Williams College and earned a degree in political science and history. Later, he studied law at the Georgetown University Law Center. There, he earned a Juris Doctor degree, which is a professional law degree.
Don Graves' Career Journey
Don Graves has had many different jobs throughout his career. These roles often focused on helping businesses and communities.
Early Career Steps
From 1995 to 1997, Graves worked as a vice president for an organization called New Equality. He also directed their office in Washington, D.C.. After that, from 1997 to 1999, he was a policy advisor at the United States Department of the Treasury. This department manages the government's money. From 1999 to 2005, he was the policy director for Business Roundtable. This group is made up of leaders from major U.S. companies. He also helped start his own legal services firm, Graves & Horton, LLC.
Working with the Obama Administration
During the time Barack Obama was president, Don Graves held several key positions. He was the executive director of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. This council worked to create jobs and improve the economy. He also led the government's efforts to help the city of Detroit recover economically.
After the council finished its work, Graves became an advisor to Vice President Joe Biden. In this role, he helped Biden with important decisions about domestic and economic policies.
Graves also worked at the Department of the Treasury as a Deputy Assistant Secretary. He focused on small businesses, community development, and housing. He oversaw programs that helped small businesses get loans and supported community development. He was also the U.S. representative to the G7 Task Force on Social Impact Investment. This group looked at ways to invest money that also helps society.
Leading the Cancer Moonshot
In 2016, Vice President Biden chose Don Graves to lead the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot. This important project aimed to speed up cancer research and find new ways to prevent and treat cancer. After the Obama administration ended, Graves worked at KeyBank. There, he focused on corporate responsibility and community relations.
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Role
In January 2021, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he wanted Don Graves to be the United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce. The U.S. Senate voted to confirm him for this role on May 13, 2021. He officially started his job the very next day. He served in this position until January 20, 2025.
