My Office: Ron Kirk

The first African-American mayor of Dallas (from 1995 to 2001), Ron Kirk now is Senior Of Counsel in the Dallas and Washington, D.C., offices of the law firm Gibson Dunn, focusing on strategic advice to companies with global interests. The position is fitting because, before joining the firm in 2013, he served as the United States Trade Representative and was a member of President Obama’s cabinet. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Kirk was a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP. Earlier in his career, Gov. Ann Richards appointed him as Texas Secretary of State. While Kirk says he travels 50 percent of the time, his office at Gibson Dunn in Dallas is where he does his work. He’s had his desk there—it’s actually a dining-room table—for 26 years. He didn’t marry his wife, Matrice Ellis-Kirk, until he was 33—before that he was “aggressively single,” Kirk says—and the couple, who have two daughters, just celebrated their 29th anniversary. Born and reared in Austin, Kirk earned his B.A. degree in political science and sociology from Austin College in Sherman. He received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.