100 Years Leading Major Government Agencies

1. 100 YEARS LEADING MAJOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES President Obama recently nominated Janet L. Yellen to head the Federal Reserve System. If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would become the first woman to lead the 100-year-old central bank. There are hundreds of federal agencies and commissions, but among some of the major agencies in the federal government, only a few are headed by women. LEGISLATIVE EXECUTIVE Color denotes majority party Color denotes party Male agency heads Female agency heads EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 1912 President Woodrow Wilson Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson Richard M. Nixon Gerald R. James Carter Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush William J. Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama Ford Number of Female Agency Heads Since Establishment* Department and Year Established 1 3 0 2 1 3 Justice, 1789 State, 1789 Treasury, 1789 Interior, 1849 Agriculture, 1889 Commerce, 1913 Three of the last five Secretaries of State have been women (Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Clinton). Seven women have led the Department of Labor, more than any other cabinet position. 6 0 5 Labor, 1913 Defense, 1947 Health and Human Services, 1953 Housing and Urban Development, 1965 Transportation, 1967 2 2 1 2 Elizabeth Dole served as the Secretary of Labor (1989-1990) and the Secretary of Transportation (1983-1987). Energy, 1977 Education, 1979 Janet Napolitano resigned to head the University of California in August 2013. Jeh Johnson was nominated for Secretary in October 2013. 0 1 Veterans Afairs, 1987 Homeland Security, 2003 LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AGENCIES 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 Senate House of Representatives Number of Female Agency Heads Since Establishment* Department and Year Established 0 0 1 Architect of the Capitol, 1793 Library of Congress, 1802 Government Printing Ofce, 1860 Two women have led the Copyright Ofce since 1994. 3 Copyright Ofce, 1897 0 Government Accountability Ofce, 1921 2 Alice Rivlin was the first Director of the Congressional Budget Ofce. Congressional Budget Ofce, 1975 INDEPENDENT AGENCIES 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 Number of Female Agency Heads Since Establishment* Department and Year Established 0 Postal Service, 1789 If confirmed, Janet L. Yellen will head the Federal Reserve System beginning in 2014. Federal Reserve System, 1914 0 National Archives and Records Administration, 1934 Social Security Administration, 1946 General Services Administration, 1949 Small Business Administration, 1953** 0 4 2 Carolyn Colvin is currently serving as Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. 4 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1958 Environmental Protection Agency, 1970 0 5 **The Small Business Administration was a cabinet-level agency under President Clinton. The agency was again elevated to the cabinet by President Obama in 2012. * Acting heads of agencies are not included in this graphic. policyviz www.policyviz.com Sources: Wikipedia, http://go.usa.gov/WXVw, http://go.usa.gov/WXVQ, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774721.html, http://go.usa.gov/WXpx Publication date: November 2013 Author: Jonathan Schwabish (@jschwabish)