Governor-Elect Tim Kaine Appoints Secretary of Commerce and Trade

Richmond – Governor-elect Tim Kaine today announced that Patrick Gottschalk will serve as Secretary of Commerce and Trade in his cabinet.

Gottschalk is a partner in the law firm Cantor, Arkema, P.C., where his clients range from small businesses to public companies. The practice focuses on corporate transactions, technology licensing, corporate finance, and international business transactions. Gottschalk is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer and Legal Officer aboard the USS Harry E. Yarnell.

“Pat has demonstrated a real eagerness to take on the challenges of keeping Virginia’s business climate strong, and he shares my commitment to promoting economic development in all parts of the Commonwealth,” Kaine said. “Pat’s international business experience will help Virginia compete in the global economy and, as a veteran, he will provide experienced leadership as we work to protect and grow our military and defense-related industries.”

Patrick O. Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and Trade, 52. Prior to joining Governor-elect Kaine’s Cabinet, Gottschalk was a partner in Cantor, Arkema, P.C., where his clients ranged from small businesses to public companies. The practice focuses on corporate transactions, corporate finance, technology licensing and international business transactions. Gottschalk served in the U.S. Navy from 1975-1980 as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer and Legal Officer aboard the USS Harry E. Yarnell and as Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Virginia.

Gottschalk serves on the Board of Directors and as General Counsel for the Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) and as a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Greater Richmond Chamber and a past Chairman of the Henrico Business Council. Gottschalk has also participated in numerous gubernatorial domestic and international trade missions.

Gottschalk received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1983, where he was a member of the editorial board for the Virginia Journal of International Law. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1975, where he played varsity football and was on the academic merit list.

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