Federico Peña
Encyclopedia
Federico Fabian Peña is a former United States Secretary of Transportation
from 1993 to 1997 and United States Secretary of Energy
from 1997 to 1998, during the presidency of Bill Clinton
.
Born in Laredo, Texas
, Peña earned a B.A.
(1969) and a J.D.
(1972) from the University of Texas at Austin
and The University of Texas School of Law
, respectively. Moving to Colorado
, where he became a practicing attorney
, Peña was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat
in 1979, where he rose to become Minority Leader
. In 1983, Peña defeated a 14-year incumbent, William H. McNichols, Jr. to become the first Hispanic
Mayor of Denver, a post to which he was re-elected in 1987.
Peña advised Arkansas
Governor Bill Clinton
on transportation issues during Clinton's Presidential transition and thereafter Clinton chose Peña to head the United States Department of Transportation
. At DOT, Pena led an organization of 110,000 employees with a budget of $37 billion. He implemented the first international aviation policy for the U.S. since the Carter Administration. This strategy opened up aviation markets around the world, contributing to the revitalization of the aviation industry. He travelled extensively throughout the world to assist U.S. transportation companies access global markets. As Secretary of Energy for 18 months, Pena led an organization of 16,000 direct employees with a budget of $18 Billion. He developed the Administration's Comprehensive National Energy Strategy and oversaw the largest privatizations in the history of the U.S Government-- the $3.654 Billion sale of the Elk Hills Petroleum Reserve. He crafted the Clinton Administration's strategy for oil and gas development in the Caspian Sea region and supported U.S. energy companies' investments around the world. Although he had intended to leave Clinton's cabinet
after a single term, Peña also served as Secretary of Energy
from 1997 to 1998. In 1995 the Justice Department conducted a preliminary investigation into a California transit agency's awarding of a pension management contract to Peña's former investment management firm. However, Peña had severed all ties to his former company both prior to the contract and prior to becoming Transportation Secretary. On March 17, 1995 Janet Reno
ended the investigation.
Upon leaving the Clinton administration, Peña returned to Denver and joined investment firm Vestar Capital Partners
in August 1998, as Senior Advisor. On January 18, 2000, Vestar announced that Peña had been promoted to one of the firm's Managing Directors.
Peña Boulevard
, a freeway in Denver and neighboring Aurora
connecting Denver International Airport
to Interstate 70
, is named for him. As mayor of Denver, Peña led the effort to build the airport. In addition, Pena's vision ("Imagine a Great City")resulted in the revitalization of Denver economy with a new convention center, modernized Cherry Creek Shopping Center, neighborhood retail efforts, expanded library and performing arts center, and recruitment of the Colorado Rockies major league baseball team.
Peña is the father of three children: Nelia, Cristina, and Ryan Peña. The divorce of Federico Peña and his first wife, Ellen Hart Peña
, became final on September 10, 2001. Federico Peña married Cindy Velasquez on September 2, 2006. Cindy Velasquez is a former broadcast executive for Channel 7, KMGH-TV
, and Channel 9, KUSA-TV
, in Denver, Colorado and has a daughter, Pilar.
Today, Pena serves on several corporate boards, is National Co-Chair of the Compete Coalition,and is involved in several philontrophic organizations.
On September 7, 2007, Peña announced that he would endorse Senator Barack Obama
in the 2008 presidential election, and also serve as Obama's National Campaign Co-chair. The move was notable in that Peña did not endorse Senator Hillary Clinton, the wife of the president under whom he served. On November 5, 2008, he was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.
United States Secretary of Transportation
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fourteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Transportation on October 15, 1966,...
from 1993 to 1997 and United States Secretary of Energy
United States Secretary of Energy
The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was formed on October 1, 1977 with the creation of the Department of Energy when President Jimmy...
from 1997 to 1998, during the presidency of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Born in Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Peña earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1969) and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(1972) from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and The University of Texas School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
, respectively. Moving to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where he became a practicing attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Peña was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in 1979, where he rose to become Minority Leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
. In 1983, Peña defeated a 14-year incumbent, William H. McNichols, Jr. to become the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
Mayor of Denver, a post to which he was re-elected in 1987.
Peña advised Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Governor Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on transportation issues during Clinton's Presidential transition and thereafter Clinton chose Peña to head the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
. At DOT, Pena led an organization of 110,000 employees with a budget of $37 billion. He implemented the first international aviation policy for the U.S. since the Carter Administration. This strategy opened up aviation markets around the world, contributing to the revitalization of the aviation industry. He travelled extensively throughout the world to assist U.S. transportation companies access global markets. As Secretary of Energy for 18 months, Pena led an organization of 16,000 direct employees with a budget of $18 Billion. He developed the Administration's Comprehensive National Energy Strategy and oversaw the largest privatizations in the history of the U.S Government-- the $3.654 Billion sale of the Elk Hills Petroleum Reserve. He crafted the Clinton Administration's strategy for oil and gas development in the Caspian Sea region and supported U.S. energy companies' investments around the world. Although he had intended to leave Clinton's cabinet
United States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
after a single term, Peña also served as Secretary of Energy
United States Secretary of Energy
The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was formed on October 1, 1977 with the creation of the Department of Energy when President Jimmy...
from 1997 to 1998. In 1995 the Justice Department conducted a preliminary investigation into a California transit agency's awarding of a pension management contract to Peña's former investment management firm. However, Peña had severed all ties to his former company both prior to the contract and prior to becoming Transportation Secretary. On March 17, 1995 Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
ended the investigation.
Upon leaving the Clinton administration, Peña returned to Denver and joined investment firm Vestar Capital Partners
Vestar Capital Partners
Vestar Capital Partners is an American private equity firm focusing on leveraged buyout transactions in the United States, Europe and Asia.The firm, which was founded in 1988 is headquartered in New York City with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Denver, Colorado in the US as well as Paris, Milan,...
in August 1998, as Senior Advisor. On January 18, 2000, Vestar announced that Peña had been promoted to one of the firm's Managing Directors.
Peña Boulevard
Peña Boulevard
Federico Peña Boulevard, named for former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, is a long freeway located in Adams County and the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The freeway, which opened in 1993, provides the only access into the Denver International Airport which opened at the same time...
, a freeway in Denver and neighboring Aurora
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
connecting Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
to Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
, is named for him. As mayor of Denver, Peña led the effort to build the airport. In addition, Pena's vision ("Imagine a Great City")resulted in the revitalization of Denver economy with a new convention center, modernized Cherry Creek Shopping Center, neighborhood retail efforts, expanded library and performing arts center, and recruitment of the Colorado Rockies major league baseball team.
Peña is the father of three children: Nelia, Cristina, and Ryan Peña. The divorce of Federico Peña and his first wife, Ellen Hart Peña
Ellen Hart Peña
Ellen Hart Peña is a former world-class runner and lawyer. She is notable for going public about her bulimia. She competed in the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meter run and the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon. She earned her A.B. from Harvard University in 1980 and graduated from the...
, became final on September 10, 2001. Federico Peña married Cindy Velasquez on September 2, 2006. Cindy Velasquez is a former broadcast executive for Channel 7, KMGH-TV
KMGH-TV
KMGH-TV, channel 7, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. The station itself is usually branded as "Denver's 7", but its newscasts are branded as "7 News". It broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter located in Golden, Colorado...
, and Channel 9, KUSA-TV
KUSA-TV
KUSA, channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD...
, in Denver, Colorado and has a daughter, Pilar.
Today, Pena serves on several corporate boards, is National Co-Chair of the Compete Coalition,and is involved in several philontrophic organizations.
On September 7, 2007, Peña announced that he would endorse Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in the 2008 presidential election, and also serve as Obama's National Campaign Co-chair. The move was notable in that Peña did not endorse Senator Hillary Clinton, the wife of the president under whom he served. On November 5, 2008, he was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.