Herman, Alexis M. (Alexis Margaret), 1947-

Alexis Margaret Herman (born July 16, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton. Herman was the first African-American to hold the position. Prior to serving as Secretary, she was Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, she graduated from Heart of Mary High School there before attending Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin and Spring Hill College in Mobile, ultimately earning a BA from Xavier University in New Orleans. After college, she helped to desegregate parochial schools in Mobile before working to improve employment opportunities for black laborers and women. She then joined the administration of Jimmy Carter, working as director of the Labor Department's Women's Bureau. After Carter's defeat, Herman founded the consulting firm, A.M. Herman & Associates and became active in the Democratic party, working in the campaigns of Jesse Jackson and then serving as chief of staff for the Democratic National Committee under Ronald H. Brown. After Bill Clinton's victory in the 1992 Presidential election, Herman became deputy director of the Presidential Transition Office. Clinton then appointed her director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, where she was responsible for the administration's relations with interest groups.

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