President Donald Trump announced Alexander Acosta as his new choice to lead the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday, following the withdrawal of his original pick, Andrew Puzder.
If confirmed, Acosta will be the first Hispanic member of Trump’s cabinet. In total, four of President Trump’s cabinet nominees are not white: Ben Carson, Nikki Haley, Elaine Chao, and now Alexander Acosta.
Acosta currently serves as the dean of Florida International University College of Law. He previously served as a member of the National Labor Relations Board, a position he was appointed to by President George W. Bush in 2002. Acosta then served as assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.
Acosta has twice been named one of the nation’s 50 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. He was named to the list of 100 most influential individuals in business ethics in 2008. He serves on the Florida Innocence Commission, on the Florida Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism, and on the Commission for Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities.
In 2013, the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presented Dean Acosta with the Chairman’s Higher Education Award in recognition of his “outstanding achievements, leadership and determination throughout a lifetime of caring and giving back to the community.”
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