Today, President Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve in key roles in his administration - and one of them is from St. Landry Parish.
Donald Cravins Jr. was nominated by the President to be Under Secretary for Minority Business Development within the Department of Commerce.
Cravins, who lives in Maryland, serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the National Urban League.
Cravins graduated from LSU in 1994. Upon graduation, he attended the Southern University Law Center and obtained a juris doctorate in 1998. In 2004, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and in 2006, he was elected to the Louisiana Senate. During his tenure in the Louisiana Senate, Cravins was heavily involved in post-Hurricanes Katrina and Rita business recovery issues as the Chair of the Insurance Committee.
In January 2009, Cravins left the Louisiana Legislature to serve as Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. In that role, he was instrumental in the passage of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. In January 2013, he began serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana.
In addition to his duties at the National Urban League, Cravins is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University. He also serves as an officer in the District of Columbia Army National Guard. He is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and a member of the 100 Black Men of Prince George's County. Cravins’ honors include being inducted into the Southern University Law School Hall of Fame in 2018 and being named a Distinguished Alumnus of LSU in 2015. He and his family reside in Maryland.
The position of Undersecretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development was created following the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill in November 2021.
His nomination for the position must be Senate approved.
