Suzanne Clark will become the next chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business lobby announced Tuesday, making her the first woman to lead the trade group.
Clark, currently the group’s president, will succeed current CEO Tom Donohue, who will step down from his role after 24 years helming the Chamber and turning it into one of the most influential groups in Washington.
Donohue’s exit was a long time coming — the Chamber announced his departure back in June 2019, though the timeline given then was that Donohue, who is in his 80s, would be stepping down in 2022. At the same time, Clark was elevated from senior executive vice president of the Chamber to its president. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about what precipitated the condensed timeline.
Clark will become CEO effective March 11, when the board of directors meets next, but Donohue will stay on in an advisory capacity.
“Suzanne Clark’s extensive experience through ever increasing responsibilities during her more than 16 years at the Chamber, combined with her ambitious vision and ongoing work to strengthen the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, make her the resounding choice to lead the organization into the future,” said Christopher Lofgren, the Chamber’s Board Chair, in a statement.
“I am honored to lead the U.S. Chamber at a time when our members need us most,” Clark said in a statement released by the Chamber. “American businesses are dealing with the uncertainty of the pandemic, the challenges of a recession and uneven recovery, stark shifts in government leadership and policy, and near-constant disruptions being driven by rapid technological advancement.”
Axios first reported Friday that Clark would likely be tapped as Donohue’s successor.
The leadership shakeup comes as the trade group confronts a new administration amid an unexpected, pandemic-induced recession that has shuttered scores of businesses across the country.
The traditionally Republican-friendly group has also moved more toward the center as of late. Despite sparring often with the Obama administration over his health care, regulatory and economic recovery policies and bankrolling the GOP takeover of both the House and Senate in midterm elections during the Obama era, endorsed a slate of Democratic House incumbents last year, triggering a backlash inside of the organization, among its donors, and even some of its would-be beneficiaries.
Shortly after, the Chamber parted ways with its top political strategist, Scott Reid, who the group said had been fired but who said he quit because of a political shift leftward.
During Donohue’s time leading the Chamber, the group became a political powerhouse, typically ranking as the top lobbying spender on K Street. The Chamber dropped nearly $82 million on lobbying efforts last year, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
While the Chamber worked with the Trump administration on a number of issues, from the GOP’s tax overhaul to the U.S-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Donohue frequently split with former President Donald Trump on issues from tariffs to immigration. Donohue condemned Trump’s efforts to cast doubt on the results of November’s election which culminated in the attack on the Capitol last month.
The Chamber has shown an interest in working with the Biden administration, offering initial praise for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief proposal before arguing that Biden should seek bipartisan compromise, rather than push a bill through with only Democratic votes. Before Tuesday’s announcement, Donohue made the trek from the Chamber’s headquarters across Lafayette Square to meet with Biden and other business leaders about Biden’s proposal.
And in his annual State of American Business address last month, Donohue said he believed the Chamber and the White House could work together on an infrastructure package as well.
