Steven Senne / APRhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo speaks during a news conference on March 1, 2020, in Providence, Rhode Island. (Steven Senne / AP)
President-elect Joe Biden has picked Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to lead the Commerce Department, setting trade policy and looking to promote U.S. opportunities for growth domestically and overseas.
Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, is in her second term as governor and previously served as state treasurer. Her name had been floated for Biden’s health secretary.
Her nomination, which was confirmed by a person familiar with the decision, will need to be approved by the Senate.
Raimondo, 49, has degrees from Harvard and Yale Law School and was a Rhodes scholar.
She served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood of the Southern District of New York, but ultimately went into business.
