Chavez-DeRemer takes job advocating for data centers
Former U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has joined the public affairs firm Think Big as a senior adviser. In her new role, she will advocate for the expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure, aiming to address local opposition by focusing on union job creation and economic benefits.
Former U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced Monday that she has accepted a position with Think Big, a national public affairs and strategic communications agency, as senior adviser for labor and national infrastructure. In this newly created role, Chavez-DeRemer will lobby for energy and technology infrastructure investments, with a specific focus on the growth of data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Chavez-DeRemer aims to address public reluctance towards data center development by highlighting the creation of union jobs and real training pipelines. She stated her belief that the prevailing sentiment, where "seven in ten Americans don’t want a data center built near them," can be changed through worker involvement and local economic benefits.
In a recent opinion piece for Fox News, Chavez-DeRemer framed her advocacy work within a broader economic policy context, arguing for infrastructure mobilization to support the AI boom. While data centers are known to generate thousands of short-term construction jobs, the Brookings Institution notes they offer very few permanent positions due to heavy automation.
This move marks Chavez-DeRemer's first major career step since her resignation as labor secretary in April 2026 amid misconduct allegations. She previously served as mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, and represented Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.