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From 2009 to 2013, Ambassador Ron Kirk was a member of President Obama’s
Cabinet. As the United States Trade Representative, he served as the
president's principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on
trade issues. He developed trade policies and negotiated talks with
global trading partners and worked to conclude and advance bilateral
free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama and advance
Trans-Pacific Partnership talks among other accomplishments.
Before
coming to Washington, Kirk served two terms as the first
African-American mayor of Dallas. He had previously served as Texas
Secretary of State and practiced law as a partner in the international
law firm Vinson & Elkins, LLP. In 2008, Kirk was named one of "The
50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America" by the National Law Journal.
In 2014, he was named one of the 28 “Men of Change” by BET Networks,
which recognized “trailblazers whose formulas for success lie in
empowering others at home and across the globe.”
Kirk currently
is Senior Of Counsel in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Dallas and
Washington, D.C. offices, working on international trade practice,
public policy, crisis management, mergers and acquisitions, and private
equity.
Originally from Austin, Texas, Kirk graduated from Austin
College and earned his law degree at the University of Texas School of
Law. He is married to Matrice Ellis-Kirk and they have two daughters.