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Don
Evans is the 34th Secretary to lead the U.S. Department of
Commerce, the voice of business in government. He oversees a
diverse Cabinet agency of 40,000 workers and a $5 billion budget
focused on promoting and advocating for American business, both at
home and abroad. His Department also gathers vast quantities of
economic and demographic data, issues patents and trademarks,
helps set industrial standards, forecasts the weather, researches
the oceans and oversees telecommunications policy. He is a key
member of President Bush's economic team, advising the President
on many issues, including trade, business concerns, energy policy
and overall U.S. economic policy.
A
former businessman in the oil and gas industry, Secretary Evans
believes very strongly in the free enterprise system and corporate
accountability. He sees his main mission in government as working
to create a climate in which the U.S. and global economies can
grow. "President Bush and I share the belief that governments
don't create wealth and prosperity: people do. It is government's
role to create the right conditions for America's workers and
businesses to flourish," Evans says.
He
has an aggressive agenda to get the job done. At the top of the
list is trade. He worked closely with Congress to secure Trade
Promotion Authority for the President so America can be a leader
in the global marketplace. Since taking office, he has visited
sixteen countries and led trade missions to Russia, China, Mexico,
Africa and South America to promote American exports and to open
markets.
Secretary
Evans is confident that U.S. businesses can compete with any in
the world on a level playing field. To protect America's
interests, he is making certain the Department has adequate
resources to enforce trade laws and to ensure our trading partners
play by the rules.
Maintaining
U.S. leadership in cutting-edge technologies also is a focal point
of Secretary Evans'agenda. He is helping redefine government's
role in research to spur the development of more cutting-edge
technologies; promoting the expansion of e-commerce and
telecommunications with as little government intervention as
possible; and improving the Department's economic data collection
and distribution capabilities.
Secretary
Evans was sworn into office on January 20, 2001. Born in Houston,
Texas, in 1946, Secretary Evans attended the University of Texas
at Austin, receiving a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in
1969 and an M.B.A. in 1973. While at UT, he was a member of the
Omicron Delta Kappa and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and
worked during school breaks in a Texas steel mill. In December
2001, Secretary Evans was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree from the University of South Carolina. In September
2002, he was awarded a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the
University of Texas. In November 2002, he was inducted into the
University of Texas Red McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame.
In April 2003, he was presented with the Jesse H. And Mary Gibbs
Jones International Citizen of the Year award by the Houston World
Affairs Council.
In
1975, Secretary Evans moved to Midland, Texas, from Houston and
was a "roughneck" on an oil rig for Tom Brown, Inc, a
large independent energy company. Ten years later, he took the
helm of the company as CEO and continued leading it until he was
tapped by the President to lead the Commerce Department.
Secretary
Evans is a self-described optimist who believes the highest
calling in life is serving others. As a result, he has been very
active in community service over the years. In 1995, he was
appointed by Governor Bush to the Board of Regents of the
University of Texas; he was elected Chairman of the Board in
February 1997 and served two consecutive terms. He was a board
member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation for eight years and
a driving force behind Native Vision, a program that provides
services to about 10,000 Native American children. He has been
involved with the United Way for many years, serving as President
in 1989 and Campaign Chair in 1981. He has been named Jaycees Man
of the Year.
Secretary
Evans has made significant contributions in local and national
politics over the past 25 years, having worked on behalf of
Governor Bush's successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1994 and
1998, and serving as Chairman of the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign.
Secretary Evans says his passions in life are family and his
friends. He is married to Susan Marinis Evans. They have two
daughters, a son and a granddaughter. |
