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Fred P. Hochberg: U.S. Secretary of Commerce

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JackBeck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 01:28 AM
Original message
Fred P. Hochberg: U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Fred P. Hochberg is an American academic and political administrator, former administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and a member of the transition team of US President-Elect Barack Obama. He also contributes to a number of news outlets. He is considered to be a potential pick for U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration. If chosen, Hochberg would become the first openly gay cabinet member in U.S. history.

Academic career

Hochberg received his B.A. from New York University and an MBA from Columbia before attending the executive leadership program of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was in December 2003 appointed Dean of the Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, a post he left in late 2008.

Business career

Hochberg began his business career managing his mother's small-scale mail order business, the Lillian Vernon Corporation, which he developed over 20 years into a publicly traded direct marketing corporation described by Forbes as "one of the great success stories of American entrepreneurship." He is listed as of 2008 as a director of Fusion Telecommunications International, Incorporated, and has served as a board member on the Citizens' Budget Commission, FINCA (an international lending institution) and Seedco, a company offering financial, technical and management support to nonprofits and small businesses in disadvantaged communities. He is as of 2008 a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Political career

In 1998 Hochberg became deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration; he later became the organization's acting administrator and remained in post until January 2001, serving also on US President Bill Clinton's Management Council.

Hochberg is an Agency Review team leader on US President-elect Barack Obama's transition team.

Hochberg, who is openly gay, has also served as chair of the Human Rights Campaign, a prominent lesbian and gay rights group. In the April 2007 issue of Out Magazine he was ranked the number fifteen most powerful gay person in America. He lives with his partner Tom Healy, an arts administrator.

He has also served on the boards of Playwrights Horizon and the Wolfsonian Art Museum, and on the Democratic National Committee.

See link for references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hochberg
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Skittles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 04:02 AM
Response to Original message
1. wow, Lillian Vernon!
I've purchased a few of their items in my day - yes INDEED
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JackBeck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 02:15 PM
Response to Reply #1
7. I got a chuckle when I first read that.
Made me think of the MadTV parody.
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Skittles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 05:11 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. Lillian Vernon is wholesome, corny
that's its charm :)
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exboyfil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 07:36 AM
Response to Original message
2. Sounds like a good pick
I liked Richardson, but I thought he was wrong for Commerce (State or back at Energy would have been better). Richardson had no business experience.

Building a business from the ground floor is excellent experience for Commerce, and his academic experience and SBA experience settle it for me.
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Maven Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 10:24 AM
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3. Not qualified enough! We can't pick him just because he's gay!
Stop with the labels!!!111!!

:sarcasm:
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xchrom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 11:49 AM
Response to Reply #3
5. indeed the new anti-gay meme -- 'no labels'.
so i guess that would mean hochberg isn't gay -- or whatever it is those people mean when they say that shit.
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Bluenorthwest Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 11:07 AM
Response to Original message
4. Hochberg would be a good choice
As a person whose commerce was in the arts, I like his background. Richadson, well, no love lost with him and me, he was ok for that position, but not for State or anything really important. I just can not forget Richardson on the Imus show, using derogatory language in Spanish as if that made it alright. So while Bill is on my side in some things, he's not very good with his words in public.
It would be very nice to see what Richardson has called 'a maricone' get the job Bill was too smudged up to actually take. Got to say I'd like that. I like my justice to be poetic when possible.
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GodlessBiker Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-06-09 12:13 PM
Response to Original message
6. This would be a great choice, and a good way to help heal a wound.
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JackBeck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-08-09 08:21 PM
Response to Original message
9. Would anyone like to share in what type of capacity you've contacted the transition team?
Edited on Thu Jan-08-09 08:21 PM by JackBeck
And what did you say when lobbying for Hochberg's appointment?
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