Donald L. Evans is the 34th Secretary of the US Department of Commerce, the voice of business in government. In this position, he oversees a diverse Cabinet agency with 40,000 workers and a $5.5 billion budget focused on promoting American business, both at home and abroad. His Department also gathers vast quantities of economic and demographic data, issues patents and trademarks, helps set technical standards, forecasts the weather, conducts oceans and coastal zone research, manages marine fisheries and sanctuaries, administers international trade laws, and develops telecommunications and technology policy. He is a core member of President Bush's economic team, advising the President on many issues, including international trade, business concerns, energy matters, and overall US economic policy.
A former businessman in the oil and gas industry, Secretary Evans believes very strongly in the free enterprise system, corporate accountability, and corporate stewardship. He sees his main mission in government as working to create a climate in which the US and global economies can grow. "President Bush and I share the belief that governments don't create wealth and prosperity: people do. It is government's role to create the right conditions in which America's workers and businesses will flourish," Evans says.
At the top of Secretary Evans' agenda is international trade. He worked closely with Congress to secure Trade Promotion Authority, legislation enabling the President to negotiate trade agreements that will ensure America continues to lead the global marketplace. Since taking office, Secretary Evans has visited 24 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, to promote American exports, open foreign markets and secure a more peaceful and prosperous world. Among these trips have been trade missions to Russia, China, Mexico, and several countries in Africa and South America.
Secretary Evans is confident that US businesses and workers can compete with any in the world on a level playing field. Under his leadership, the Department devotes significant resources to enforcement of US trade laws and to compliance by US trading partners with international trade agreements.
Maintaining US leadership in cutting-edge technologies also is a focal point of Secretary Evans' agenda. He is directing efforts to redefine government's role in research in order to spur the development of more cutting-edge technologies; to promote the expansion of e-commerce and telecommunications with as little government intervention as possible; and to improve the Department's economic data collection and distribution capabilities.
Secretary Evans equally accords high priority to the Commerce Department role as steward of the nation's marine resources and center for atmospheric research and forecasting. Under his direction, the Department is focused on improving and streamlining the Nation's marine fisheries management system in order to meet conservation, commercial, and recreational objectives. The Department also is implementing the Administration's Climate Change Research Initiative, a massive research program aimed at improving our understanding of climate systems and developing analytical support for policy and management decisions benefiting safety and quality of life.
Secretary Evans was sworn into office on January 20, 2001. Born in Houston, Texas, in 1946, Secretary Evans attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1969 and an M.B.A. in 1973. While at UT, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary fraternity. During school breaks, he worked in a Texas steel mill.
In 1975, Secretary Evans moved to Midland, Texas, from Houston and began his career as a "roughneck" working on oil rigs for Tom Brown, Inc, a large independent energy company. Ten years later, he took the helm of the company a
