Penny Sue Pritzker (born May 2, 1959) is an American billionaire heiress, businesswoman and civic leader who served as the 38th United States secretary of commerce in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017.

He moved the family to Atherton, California southeast of San Mateo, where business for Hyatt began to grow.

[1] As a child, Penny Pritzker accompanied her father to the hotels and checked the cleanness of the ladies restrooms.

In 1972, Pritzker's father died suddenly of a heart attack and her mother began battling depression.

[1][12] In 1987, she founded Classic Residence by Hyatt, later renamed Vi, upscale housing for seniors as an alternative to nursing homes.

In 1993, the bank "embarked on a business strategy of significant growth into subprime home mortgages", according to a report by the United States Treasury Department.

[23] Consumer advocates and government investigators asserted Superior "engaged in unsound financial activities and predatory lending practices".

[15] Responding to The Wall Street Journal, Pritzker noted she had no ownership in the bank, either direct or indirect, and that the bank's reasons for failure "were complex, including changes in accounting practices, auditing failures, reversals in regulatory positions and general economic conditions".

[15] A 2001 Business Week article described the bank's other owner, Alvin Dworman, as the more dominant partner in its operation as a result of agreements made by Jay Pritzker.

[8] Pritzker's friendship with Barack Obama and his family dates back to the 1990s when he was a senior lecturer at the law school at The University of Chicago.

[8][30] Obama and his family were frequent guests at Pritzker's Lake Michigan vacation home.

[31] Pritzker remained a major fundraiser for Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary and raised millions overall for his White House bid.

[38] As a result of her public support for President Obama, Pritzker found herself the target of labor groups for Hyatt Hotels' practices.

[41] Pritzker was nominated as United States Secretary of Commerce by President Barack Obama on May 2, 2013.

[52] Pritzker supported the TPP as a way to provide market access to U.S. businesses and as a way for the U.S. to set the standards for trade.

[54] Pritzker named a Digital Economy Board of Advisors, which included tech industry CEOs and academics, to advise on policy.

Pritzker also expanded the IP attache program, which helps the tech industry protect their intellectual property abroad.

Privacy Shield, an agreement governing how companies transfer digital data from Europe to the United States.

[58] Although Obama's change in policy did not end the U.S. trade embargo, since ending the embargo required an act of Congress, Pritzker met with Cuban trade ministers and other officials to discuss the changing relationship between the two countries and to lay the groundwork for more economic involvement.

[54] On September 14, 2023, Penny Pritzker was appointed by President Biden as the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery.

[4] During her first visit to Kyiv in her new role, Pritzker met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister and government officials, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and American business.

[61] She was advisory board chair of Skills for America's Future (SAF), a policy initiative of the Aspen Institute.

The foundation focuses on physical activity for young people and increasing economic opportunity in Chicago.

[71] On March 26, 2014, Elle honored Pritzker, with others, at the Italian Embassy in the United States during its annual "Women in Washington Power List".

[72] In February 2018, Pritzker was elected to succeed Harvey V. Fineberg as chairperson of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, taking effect May 2018.

The siblings announced the creation of the fund with $23 million in start up money on March 24, 2020, six days after Governor Pritzker's request.