Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dennis F. Hightower
Remarks at Swearing In Ceremony
Washington, D.C.

Secretary’s Remarks
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Thank you, Secretary Locke. It’s an honor and privilege to serve with you, to serve President Obama and to serve the American people.

I want to thank my beautiful wife, Denny, and Brooke, and all my family, friends and colleagues who have joined us this afternoon.

And I’d also like to give an appreciative nod to five of my administration colleagues who serve as deputy secretaries in other cabinet agencies.

• Deputy Secretary Porcari from the Department of Transportation;
• Deputy Secretary Gould from the Department of Veterans Affairs;
• Deputy Secretary Simms from the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
• Deputy Secretary Miller from the Department of Education, and;
• Deputy Director Jeff Zients from the Office of Management and Budget.

Thank you all for coming.

I am here standing on the shoulders of heroes, the pioneers of a different time who courageously cleared the way for another generation to have choices and to succeed.

My family believed in education. They believed in excellence. They believed in service. And they passed those lessons on to me.

These are challenging times, and the Commerce Department has a critical mission. We are here to help America recover from a once-in-a-generation recession by opening up new opportunities for American businesses and workers.

The Department of Commerce has what it takes to do the job.

We have a great and talented team here, and I am committed to working with them and the members of the Obama administration to keep America as the leading light in the world for freedom, innovation and opportunity.

Thank you.