The Senate has unanimously confirmed the nomination of former Louisiana lawmaker Donald Cravins, Jr. to serve as the undersecretary for minority business development for the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.
The creation of the new role was mandated by the Minority Business Development Act of 2021, which expands the authority of the MBDA to advance the growth and competitiveness of the 9.7 million minority-owned business enterprises in the country, the Department of Commerce said Friday.
Cravins was a practicing attorney and a member of the Louisiana Bar Association since 1998. He served as a member of both the lower and upper houses of the state legislature of Louisiana from 2002 to 2009 and as staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
He most recently served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at the National Urban League. In this role, Cravins oversaw the civil rights organization’s corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.
“In his new position, I fully expect him to continue to provide the type of leadership that will lay the foundation for MBDA to usher in numerous opportunities for enterprise growth, research, and development and ensure minority businesses can compete and succeed,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
President Biden announced his intent to nominate Cravins as the first-ever undersecretary of commerce for minority business development in May.
