Penny Pritzker is a left-of-center billionaire, Democratic donor, and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Pritzker family, a wealthy family whose wealth stems largely from ownership in Hyatt Hotels. ^{1 2}

She served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2013 to 2017 and has been involved in Democratic presidential campaigns, including as national finance chair for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Pritzker has directed millions in grants through family foundations to organizations aligned with left-of-center priorities such as economic redistribution, workforce training in underserved communities, and health equity initiatives. She has also held board positions at entities promoting liberal economic policies, including the Obama Foundation and the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. ^{1 2}

Pritzker is the sister of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D). ³

Background

Penny Pritzker was born in Chicago in 1959 to Donald Pritzker, co-founder of Hyatt Hotels, and Sue Sandel Pritzker. She is part of the Pritzker family, which amassed wealth through real estate, the hospitality industry, and investments. Pritzker earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University in 1981 and joint law and business degrees from Stanford University in 1985. Early in her career, she worked in family businesses before launching her own ventures. ² Pritzker is among 11 billionaires in the Pritzker family, and Forbes estimated her to be worth $4.2 billion as of 2026. ⁴

Career

Pritzker founded PSP Partners in 2011, a private investment firm, along with affiliates including Pritzker Realty Group, PSP Capital, and PSP Growth. She co-founded Artemis Real Estate Partners in 2009 and Inspired Capital in 2019. Earlier, she developed Vi Senior Living (formerly Classic Residence by Hyatt) and the Parking Spot. Pritzker was executive chairman of TransUnion from 2010 to 2013 and has sat on corporate boards, including those of Microsoft since 2017 and Hyatt Hotels from 2004 to 2013. ⁵

From 2013 to 2017, Pritzker served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Barack Obama, having previously served on President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Pritzker has been affiliated with think tanks advancing liberal economic agendas, including sitting on the advisory council of the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution and as a member of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. She chaired the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace board from 2018 to 2023. As of 2026, she sat on the Obama Foundation board. ⁶

Pritzker was appointed by the Biden administration in 2023 as Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, a role focused on coordinating private-sector aid amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. ¹

Political Contributions

Pritzker has been a major Democratic fundraiser and donor throughout her career. She was an early supporter of Barack Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign and was national finance chair for his 2008 presidential bid. She co-chaired Obama’s 2009 inaugural committee and was a top bundler for his 2012 re-election, directing at least $186.5 million to his campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Pritzker supported Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and bundled funds for his victory fund, which supported swing-state Democratic parties. ^{7 8 9}

1. “US names former commerce secretary, big Democrat donor to coordinate private sector aid for Ukraine.” Associated Press. September 14, 2023. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-biden-penny-pritzker-aid-adviser-donor-f919a2ae3ac0a21573a8b6c378818e69.
2. Pattani, Aneri. “The fascinating life of Penny Pritzker (so far).” Fortune. June 2, 2014. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://fortune.com/2014/06/02/fortune-500-pritzker.
3. https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/us/penny-pritzker-harvard-board-trump
4. “Penny Pritzker.” Forbes. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/profile/penny-pritzker/
5. “Penny Pritzker.” PSP Partners. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.psppartners.com/penny-pritzker.
6. “Penny Pritzker.” Obama Foundation. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.obama.org/about/leadership/penny-pritzker.
7. “Bundlers.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/bundlers.
8. https://millercenter.org/president/obama/essays/pritzker-2013-secretary-of-commerce#:~:text=Penny%20Pritzker%20was%20born%20in,contacts%20in%20the%20business%20world.
9. “Biden Administration: Bundlers.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/biden/bundlers?t0-search=penny