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Alexis Herman, Chair

A recipient of more than twenty honorary doctorate degrees from major colleges and universities around the country, Alexis Herman chairs the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board as the first African American to lead the United States Department of Labor.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, she began her career working for Catholic Charities helping young out-of-school men and women find work in the Pascagoula, Mississippi shipyard. At the age of 29, President Jimmy Carter’s appointment made her the youngest director of the Women's Bureau in the history of the Labor Department.

As Secretary of Labor, Ms. Herman led the effort to institute a global child labor standard. Unemployment also reached a 30-year low and the nation witnessed the safest workplace record in the history of the Department of Labor.

Currently, Ms. Herman serves as chair and chief executive officer of New Ventures, LLC and resides in McLean, Virginia.