Rene Alexander Acosta is an American attorney and politician, who served as the 27th United States Secretary of Labor from 2017 to 2019.
Secretary Acosta is the son of Cuban refugees, a native of Miami, and first-generation college graduate. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.
Following law school, he worked as a law clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He then worked at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis and went on to teach at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law.
Secretary Acosta has served in three presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed positions. In 2002, he was appointed to serve as a member of the National Labor Relations Board, where he participated in or authored more than 125 opinions. In 2003, he was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and from 2005 to 2009 he served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
Prior to his tenure at the Department of Labor, Secretary Acosta served as the dean of the FIU College of Law.
Secretary Acosta has twice been named one of the nation’s 50 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine. He was also named to the list of 100 most influential individuals in business ethics in 2008. In 2013, the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presented him with the Chairman’s Higher Education Award in recognition of his “outstanding achievements, leadership and determination throughout a lifetime of caring and giving back to the community.”
Secretary Acosta and his wife enjoy spending time together as a family, raising their two daughters.
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Florida Chapters Banquet Discussion
2018 Annual Florida Chapters Conference
Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
A View from the Top: DOL, EEOC, and NLRB
2017 National Lawyers Convention
The Mayflower Hotel - Grand Ballroom1127 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
A Conversation on Judging
2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference
Disney's BoardWalk Inn2101 North Epcot Resorts Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Panel III: Federalization of Criminal Law
2013 National Student Symposium
The University of Texas at Austin110 Inner Campus Drive
Austin, TX 78705
35 Years of Retention Elections of Appellate Court Judges in Florida: Has the System Measured Up?
Miami Lawyers Chapter
The Coral Gables Country Club990 Alhambra Circle
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Florida Chapters Banquet Discussion
2018 Annual Florida Chapters Conference
2018 Annual Florida Chapters Conference Panel Discussion Participants: Hon. R. Alexander Acosta - Secretary, United...
Florida Chapters Banquet Discussion
2018 Annual Florida Chapters Conference
2018 Annual Florida Chapters Conference Panel Discussion Participants: Hon. R. Alexander Acosta - Secretary, United...
A View from the Top: DOL, EEOC, and NLRB
2017 National Lawyers Convention
Through regulation and enforcement, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board and U.S....
A View from the Top: DOL, EEOC, and NLRB
2017 National Lawyers Convention
Through regulation and enforcement, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board and U.S....
A Conversation on Judging
2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference
This panel was part of the 2016 Annual Florida Chapters Conference at Disney's Boardwalk Inn...