President Obama Nominates John Bryson to be Our Nation’s Next Commerce Secretary

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Today, President Obama announced the nomination of John Bryson as the next Commerce Secretary. Bryson brings a wealth of experience to this role and understands what it takes for America to succeed in a 21st century global economy. In an announcement from the State Dining Room of the White House, the President said:

As Commerce Secretary, John is going to be an important part of my economic team, promoting American business and American products across the globe.  By working with companies here at home, and representing America’s interests abroad, I’m confident that he’s going to help us meet the goal that I set of doubling our nation’s exports. 

In this new role, John will be able to draw on decades of business experience across a range of industries -– from his role on the boards of major companies like Disney and Boeing, to his leadership in the clean energy industry.  That’s the expertise that will help us create new jobs and make America more competitive in the global economy. 

With outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke at his side, the President praised his success in the role and thanked him for his extraordinary service:

Of course, John will be building on the success of outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who has tirelessly advanced America’s economic leadership abroad, securing export deals that will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs here in America -– including an agreement with China, where Gary will now be serving as our next ambassador.  And we couldn't be prouder of him and we're confident he is going to be doing an outstanding job there.

Here’s John Bryson’s bio from the press release:

Previously, John Bryson was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison and Edison Mission Group, from 1990 to 2008.

He is a director of The Boeing Company, The Walt Disney Company and Coda Automotive, Inc., and is a senior advisor to KKR.  He is chairman of the board of BrightSource Energy, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), and the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) Board of Overseers.  He also serves as co-chairman of the Pacific Council on International Policy (PCIP). 

Mr. Bryson is a trustee of the California Institute of Technology and a director of The California Endowment and the W. M. Keck Foundation.  He serves on the Advisory Board of Deutsche Bank Americas.  He also previously served on a number of educational and environmental boards, including as chairman of the California Business Roundtable, co-chairman of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), trustee of Stanford University, and as a member of the U.N. Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC).

Bryson also served as president of the California Public Utilities Commission, chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board, and on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations.  At the start of his career, he was a co-founder and attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a national and international environmental group.  He is a graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School.