Robert Reich

Robert Bernard Reich was born on June 24, 1946, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is recognized as an accomplished American academic, lawyer, and political commentator. Reich’s early academic journey included graduating from Dartmouth College in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in history, summa cum laude. He continued his education as a Rhodes Scholar at University College, Oxford, where he earned an Master of Arts in 1970. Subsequently, he obtained a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, serving as an editor of the Yale Law Journal. His educational background laid the groundwork for a career dedicated to public service and economic analysis.

Reich’s career in public service began with roles in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. From 1973 to 1974, he served as a law clerk for Judge Frank M. Coffin, and from 1974 to 1976, he was an assistant to U.S. Solicitor General Robert Bork. In 1977, President Carter appointed him as director of the policy planning staff at the Federal Trade Commission. A pivotal role in his career came during the Bill Clinton administration, where he served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Labor from January 20, 1993, to January 20, 1997. His tenure saw the implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and a successful campaign to increase the national minimum wage. Subsequently, he was also a member of President Barack Obama’s economic transition advisory board in 2008. In 2008, Time magazine recognized him as one of the Ten Best Cabinet Members of the century, and The Wall Street Journal listed him among the six Most Influential Business Thinkers for the same year.

Beyond his government service, Reich has maintained a distinguished academic career. He lectured at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government from 1981 to 1992 and was a professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management from 1997 to 2005. In January 2006, he was appointed Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, where he taught until his retirement in spring 2023, becoming the Emeritus Carmel P. Friesen Professor of Public Policy. As an author, he has published numerous best-selling books, including “The Work of Nations” (1991), “Reason” (2004), “Supercapitalism” (2007), “Aftershock” (2010), “Beyond Outrage” (2012), and “Saving Capitalism” (2015). He has co-produced critically acclaimed documentaries such as “Inequality for All” (2013), which won a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and “Saving Capitalism” (2017), released on Netflix. He continues to engage in public discourse through his Substack newsletter, “Robert Reich,” and co-founded Inequality Media to further discussions on economic inequality.