Maria Echaveste facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Echaveste
|
|
|---|---|
.png)
Echaveste in 1998
|
|
| White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy | |
| In office June 29, 1998 – January 20, 2001 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Sylvia Burwell |
| Succeeded by | Joshua Bolten |
| Director of the Office of Public Liaison | |
| In office February 7, 1997 – June 29, 1998 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Alexis Herman |
| Succeeded by | Minyon Moore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 31, 1954 Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Christopher Edley (died 2024) |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
Maria Echaveste (born May 31, 1954) is a very important advisor who worked for former U.S. President Bill Clinton. She was a White House Deputy Chief of Staff during his second term. She is one of the highest-ranking Latina women to have worked in a president's team. Today, she is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. She also helped start the Nueva Vista Group, which is a group that helps non-profit and business clients with policy and government plans.
Contents
Growing Up and Education
Maria Echaveste was born in Texas in 1954. She was one of seven children in her family. Her parents were immigrants from Mexico. Later, her family moved to California.
Maria went to Stanford University and earned a degree in anthropology in 1976. Anthropology is the study of human societies and cultures. She then went to law school at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. She earned her law degree in 1980. After law school, Maria worked as a lawyer. She focused on company lawsuits in Los Angeles and New York.
Working for the Government
Maria Echaveste spent many years working for the U.S. government.
Helping Workers
From 1993 to 1997, Maria worked at the Department of Labor. She was in charge of the Wage and Hour Division. This part of the government makes sure that workers are paid fairly and that workplaces follow rules. She managed programs for laws like the Family and Medical Leave Act. This law lets employees take time off for family or medical reasons.
Under her leadership, her team started a project to fight against "sweatshops." Sweatshops are places where people work long hours for very low pay in poor conditions. This project won an award from Harvard University in 1996.
Working at the White House
From 1997 to 1998, Maria worked at the White House. She was the Director of Public Liaison. In this job, she helped the President's team talk with different groups of people. She created plans for how the White House would communicate with the public and lawmakers.
From 1998 to 2001, she became an Assistant to the President. She was also a Deputy Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton. This was a very important role. Maria helped manage President Clinton's plans for things happening inside the country. These plans included education, civil rights, and immigration. She also helped coordinate help when there were disasters in the U.S. or other countries. She worked on international issues, especially those related to Latin America. This included helping countries like Colombia with their anti-drug efforts.
At the end of President Clinton's time in office, Maria was in charge of two big projects. She managed the White House plans for the millennium celebrations in 2000. She also helped with the smooth changeover to the next president.
What She Does Now
After leaving the White House, Maria Echaveste helped start the Nueva Vista Group. This group helps non-profit organizations and businesses with important issues. These issues include immigration, health care, and finances. She left this group in 2014.
Today, Maria also teaches part-time at the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in both California and Washington, D.C.. She is the President and CEO of the Opportunity Institute. This non-profit organization studies education policy and how people can improve their economic situation.
Maria has also been a commentator on TV shows. She appeared on the PBS show "To the Contrary." She also gives her opinions on MSNBC. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee. She is also part of Mi Familia Vota, a group that encourages voting.
In 2010, she worked for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She was a special representative to Bolivia. In 2014, President Barack Obama wanted Maria Echaveste to become the United States Ambassador to Mexico. If she had taken the job, she would have been the first woman to hold that position. However, she decided not to take the job in 2015.
