Along with the Vice President and the heads of fifteen executive departments in the Cabinet, there are additional Cabinet-level positions as well. Cabinet-level positions can vary with each president.
In Biden’s administration, there are nine Cabinet-level positions: the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, Small Business Administration, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the White House Chief of Staff.
President Biden has nominated six female candidates for Cabinet-level positions, among which only one position has been approved by the Senate so far—the Director of National Intelligence. Excluding Vice President Kamala Harris, there are five female Cabinet members, out of which four of them await Senate confirmation. Some of the following nominees could make history as the first woman to hold their specific Cabinet-level position.
Continue reading below to learn more about President Biden’s female nominees for Cabinet-level positions:
Neera Tanden, Director of the Office of Management and Budget nominee
President Biden has nominated Neera Tanden as the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If approved by the Senate, Tanden would be the first woman of color and the first South Asian-American to lead the OMB. The OMB primarily helps the President in the preparation of Federal budgets. Neera Tanden serves as the CEO and president of the Center for American Progress. Tanden has previously worked in various Democratic political campaigns, including Bill Clinton’s in 1992, Barack Obama’s in 2008, and Hillary Clinton’s in 2016. She was also a domestic policy advisor to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. Born in Massachusetts to Indian immigrant parents, Tanden received a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a J.D. degree from Yale Law School.
Katherine Tai, Chief of the U.S. Trade Representative nominee
President Biden has nominated Katherine Tai as chief of the U.S. Trade Representative, making her the first woman of color to serve in this position. The U.S. Trade Representative assists in monitoring the U.S. international trade, investments, and negotiations. Since 2017, Katherine Tai has been serving as a chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee. Connecticut-native Tai was born to Chinese immigrant parents. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations nominee
President Biden has nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield served as the assistant secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. She was also the director general of the Foreign Service and director of Human Resources. Born in Louisiana, Thomas-Greenfield received a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Thomas-Greenfield has served in the U.S. Foreign Service for 34 years, including as an ambassador to Liberia.
Dr. Cecilia Rouse, Chair of Council of Economic Advisers nominee
Dr. Rouse has been nominated as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and if confirmed, Dr. Rouse would be the first woman of color to head the CEA. The Council of Economic Advisers oversees the economic policy and advises the president accordingly to strengthen the economy of the country. Dr. Cecilia Rouse is currently a dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. Under the Obama administration, Rouse was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2009 to 2011. She also served in the National Economic Council in the Clinton administration from 1998 to 1999. She received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from Harvard University.
Avril Haines, Director of the National Intelligence
Avril Haines is the director of National Intelligence in the Biden Administration. Haines took the oath of office on January 21, 2021, as the first female to serve as a DNI. Previously, Haines was a deputy National Security advisor and deputy Central Intelligence Agency director under the Obama administration. Haines was born in Manhattan, New York. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center. National Intelligence focuses on national security and provides insight into relevant events.
Isabel Casillas Guzman, Administrator of the Small Business Administration nominee
Isabel Casillas Guzman has been nominated by President Biden as the head of Small Business Administration. Guzman serves as a director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate. Previously, Guzman was deputy chief of staff and senior advisor of Small Business Administration under the Obama administration. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. SBA works toward the interests of small businesses, providing necessary aid to them, for a sound economy of the country.
Cabinet-level officials help the president regarding a broad array of issues, ranging from tackling global pandemic and struggling economy to combating climate crisis and systemic racism. Learn more about other female nominees for President Biden’s Cabinet here.
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