Penny Sue Pritzker was born on May 2,1959 and is an American billionaire businesswoman and civic leader who served as the 38th United States secretary of commerce in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017.
43 Facts About Penny Pritzker
2.
Penny Pritzker was eventually being appointed as one of three successors to her uncle, Jay Pritzker.
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Penny Pritzker is the founder of PSP Partners, PSP Capital Partners, and Pritzker Realty Group, and co-founder of Artemis Real Estate Partners and Inspired Capital.
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Penny Pritzker is on the board of Microsoft, and chair of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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Penny Pritzker was an early supporter of Obama's presidential candidacy, having been a friend of the Obama family since their time in Chicago.
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Penny Pritzker is the sister of J B Pritzker, the current governor of Illinois.
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Penny Pritzker was born in Chicago in 1959, the daughter of Sue and Donald Pritzker.
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Penny Pritzker is a member of the Pritzker family of Chicago, a wealthy and influential Jewish business family.
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Donald Penny Pritzker was one of the co-founders of Hyatt Hotels.
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Penny Pritzker moved the family to Atherton, California, where business for the Hyatt Hotels began to grow.
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In 1972, Don died suddenly of a heart attack when Penny Pritzker was 13years old.
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Penny Pritzker graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard College in 1981.
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Penny Pritzker returned to school, earning both a Juris Doctor and an MBA from Stanford University in 1985.
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Subsequently, the Penny Pritzker family reached an agreement with regulators to pay $460million.
15.
Penny Pritzker said the bank complied with "fair lending laws" and ethical business practices.
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In 1995, Penny was named as one of three successors to the retiring Jay Pritzker besides his son Tom and his cousin Nick.
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Tom was named the official head of the businesses, Nick and Penny Pritzker each named vice-chairman.
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In 2001 Tom, Nick, and Penny Pritzker decided to sell family assets to allow eleven cousins to receive a share, dissolving the family's business ties.
19.
The Pritzker Realty Group sold Parking Spot, an airport parking management business Penny co-founded in 1998, to Green Courte Partners LLC for $360million in 2011.
20.
Altogether, Penny Pritzker started five companies before joining the federal government.
21.
Penny Pritzker's friendship with Barack Obama and his family dates back to the 1990s when he was a professor at the University of Chicago.
22.
Penny Pritzker met Obama at a Chicago YMCA where her son participated in a basketball program coached by Obama's brother-in-law Craig Robinson.
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Penny Pritzker was an early supporter of Obama's political career, helping to finance his 2004 Senate campaign.
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Early in the Democratic presidential primary, Penny Pritzker's financing helped Obama's candidacy survive when Obama was trailing Hillary Clinton in the polls.
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Penny Pritzker remained a major fundraiser for Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary and raised millions overall for his White House bid.
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Penny Pritzker served as the national finance chair of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
27.
Penny Pritzker hosted more lavish fundraisers as part of her effort to raise money.
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Penny Pritzker was a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
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Penny Pritzker served on the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
30.
Penny Pritzker was on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think tank focused on world affairs and US foreign policy.
31.
Penny Pritzker was nominated as United States Secretary of Commerce by President Barack Obama on May 2,2013.
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Penny Pritzker was sworn in as secretary on June 26,2013.
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Penny Pritzker supported the TPP as a way to provide market access to US businesses and as a way for the US to set the standards for trade.
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Penny Pritzker named a Digital Economy Board of Advisors, which included tech industry CEOs and academics, to advise on policy.
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Penny Pritzker expanded the IP attache program, which helps the tech industry protect their intellectual property abroad.
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Penny Pritzker was a member of the Chicago Board of Education and is past chair of the Chicago Public Education Fund.
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Penny Pritzker was elected to a six-year term on the Harvard Board of Overseers in 2002.
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Penny Pritzker was advisory board chair of Skills for America's Future, a policy initiative of the Aspen Institute.
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Penny Pritzker is a former chair of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
40.
In February 2018, Pritzker was elected to succeed Harvey V Fineberg as chairperson of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, taking effect May 2018.
41.
In March 2020, Pritzker set up the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund, to assist non-profit organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, after receiving a call from her brother, Illinois Governor J B Pritzker.
42.
Penny Pritzker trained for six months and ultimately finished the race in 12hours.
43.
Penny Pritzker is married to ophthalmologist Bryan Traubert, with whom she has two children.