President-elect Barack Obama has selected Ron Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, Texas, as the next US Trade Representative (USTR).
Kirk is now a partner in the public finance and public policy group at Vinson & Elkins in Dallas. As mayor, he supported a 1998 plan to encourage more biotechnology companies to set up in Dallas, saying it represented “an opportunity to develop an entire new economy based upon intellectual property”, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Kirk has also worked at the law firms of Gardere & Wynne and Johnson & Gibbs and served as Texas secretary of state, assistant city attorney and chief lobbyist for Dallas and as legislative assistant to Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
USTR Susan Schwab called Ron Kirk “an excellent choice” for the role and said: “I hope that he continues the work that we have done to benefit US workers, farmers and entrepreneurs. As a former mayor of Dallas, which is a major hub of international business, he understands the importance of trade.”