Rebecca Blank, the acting Commerce Secretary, will leave her post in the Obama administration and take a position as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to a statement released by the White House on Monday.
"Over the past four years I have asked Becky to take on several roles at the Department of Commerce, and in each one she has distinguished herself as a steady leader and a vital member of my economic team," wrote President Obama in the statement.
"A tireless advocate for American businesses, Becky has helped to increase our competitiveness, support our innovators and entrepreneurs, and bring good-paying jobs back to our shores."
During Obama's first term, two different secretaries have held the position — Gary Locke and John Bryson — with Blank filling in as acting secretary two times. Obama has not yet announced a nominee to run the department permanently.
"Being in Commerce, I've spent a great deal of time thinking about American competitiveness," Blank told the Wisconsin State Journal during a visit to the grounds of her new job. "There's one institution that really does that. That's the research university."
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