Gina Marie Raimondo (17 May 1971-) was the Democratic Governor of Rhode Island from 6 January 2015 to 2 March 2021 (succeeding Lincoln Chafee and preceding Dan McKee) and the United States Secretary of Commerce from 3 March 2021 (succeeding Wilbur Ross).
Biography[]
Gina Marie Raimondo was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island in 1971, and she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1993 before attending Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She came to found Rhode Island's first venture capital firm, and she served as Treasurer of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015 and as Governor from 2015 to 2021. Raimondo, the state's first female governor, cut taxes each year and eliminated 30% of the state's regulations, while raising the state minimum wage to $11.50, created a sick-leave entitlement, and made community colleges tuition-free. In 2021, she became President Joe Biden's Secretary of Commerce, and she played a key role in passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, while also championing the tech industry.