Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Wednesday she is resigning from the administration, a decision that comes as President Barack Obama is filling out his second-term Cabinet. 
 
 Solis was the first Hispanic woman to lead a major federal agency, and her departure seems certain to increase pressure on Obama to add more diversity among his Cabinet and senior staff. 
 
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 reset Diversity issue in Obama’s 2nd term Cabinet? (POLITICO LIVE) 
 
 (PHOTOS: Hilda Solis) 
 
 Her decision to resign, along with the departures of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson, leaves three women in Cabinet-level posts: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Small Business Administration administrator Karen Mills. Solis’s departure also leaves just one other Hispanic, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, in the Cabinet. 
 
 Solis told Labor Department staff in a letter that leaving is “one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, because I have taken our mission to heart.” 
 
 “As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve,” she added. 
 
 Obama thanked Solis for her service. “I am grateful to Secretary Solis for her steadfast commitment and service not only to the administration, but on behalf of the American people. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” he said in a statement. 
 
 The president has come under fire for a lack of diversity among his senior advisers. Obama has nominated Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts to replace Clinton and former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel to take over for outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. 
 
 Obama also will nominate White House chief of staff Jack Lew as soon as Thursday to replace Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, a person briefed on the matter told POLITICO. 
 
 As Solis’s departure was announced, a White House official said that Sebelius, Attorney General Eric Holder and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will all remain in their current jobs. The official did not address whether Napolitano would stay. 
 
 White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters hours earlier that Obama believes “diversity is important.” News stories questioning the diversity of Obama’s aides “are in reaction to a couple of appointments,” Carney said, and he urged that critics wait for the “totality” of second-term appointments before judging the diversity of the president’s team. 
 
 Obama used his statement to praise the work Solis did to help boost the economy during the past four years. 
 
 “Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class,” he said. “Her efforts have helped train workers for the jobs of the future, protect workers’ health and safety and put millions of Americans back to work.” 
 
 Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, said that Solis “brought urgently needed change” to the department and that he hopes her successor will continue her legacy. 
 
 The White House declined to say whether the president has a candidate in mind. ||||| Here is the statement released by the White House marking the departure of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who is resigning. Ms. Solis’s letter to Labor employees is also below. 
 
 
 
 Statement by the President on Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis 
 
 Over her long career in public service – as an advocate for environmental justice in California, state legislator, member of Congress and Secretary of Labor – Hilda Solis has been a tireless champion for working families. Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class. Her efforts have helped train workers for the jobs of the future, protect workers’ health and safety and put millions of Americans back to work. I am grateful to Secretary Solis for her steadfast commitment and service not only to the Administration, but on behalf of the American people. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors. 
 
 Statement by US Department of Labor on resignation of Secretary Hilda L. Solis 
 
 WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis this afternoon sent the following letter to employees at the U.S. Department of Labor: 
 
 “Dear Colleagues: 
 
 “Over the Christmas and New Year holidays with my family in California, I enjoyed my first opportunity in years to reflect on the past and my future, with an open mind and an open heart. After much discussion with family and close friends, I have decided to begin a new future, and return to the people and places I love and that have inspired and shaped my life. 
 
 “This afternoon, I submitted my resignation to President Obama. Growing up in a large Mexican-American family in La Puente, California, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to serve in a president’s Cabinet, let alone in the service of such an incredible leader. 
 
 “Because President Obama took very bold action, millions of Americans are back to work. There is still much to do, but we are well on the road to recovery, and middle class Americans know the president is on their side. 
 
 “Together we have achieved extraordinary things and I am so proud of our work on behalf of the nation’s working families. It has been more than an honor to work alongside you in fulfilling the department’s mission. Working with all of you as the nation’s 25th secretary of labor, I have come to learn that the work we do every day is indeed a labor of love. 
 
 “I am humbled by the commitment of every single employee of this department – from the folks here in Washington to those who directly touch communities out in the field. Each of you brings passion to your work, and collectively, that makes a significant difference in the lives of our nation’s working families. 
 
 “We have much to be proud of. In the past four years, more than 1.7 million people have completed federally-funded job training programs; of those, more than one million have earned industry-recognized credentials. In addition, Labor Department investments in our community colleges have expanded their capacity to provide local, flexible, employer-specific job training to millions of Americans, and transformed these institutions into engines of economic growth. 
 
 “Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we were the steward of more than $67 billion for unemployment insurance benefits, job training and placement, and worker protection. With ingenuity and integrity we ensured that these monies were carefully targeted to maximize job creation so that working people received the help they needed and deserved. 
 
 “We also played an important and active role in crafting regulatory actions to implement key aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Our work will help make President Obama’s vision of a health care system that works for America a reality for millions of people. 
 
 “We have helped businesses big and small see the value of hiring returning military service members, and have fostered innovative efforts to help women and homeless veterans. 
 
 “And I am particularly proud to say that, as a result of our enforcement efforts, we have saved workers’ lives. 
 
 “Calendar year 2011 saw the fewest-ever mine fatalities. Fatalities in general industry and construction are at historic lows. 
 
 “Because of our work, more people are receiving the wages they are owed. Last year we conducted the largest number of investigations in recent memory, collecting the most back wages in our history (more than $280 million on behalf of more than 300,000 workers denied their rightful pay, overtime or leave benefits). In these recoveries, what may seem to some as “small change” makes a huge difference for those who live paycheck-to-paycheck. In addition, our enforcement and informal resolution programs resulted in the recovery of almost $5 billion dollars for retirees and their families. 
 
 “Leaving the department is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, because I have taken our mission to heart. As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve. 
 
 “It has been my privilege to call you colleagues and friends. Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do to make life more just and safer for workers across this country. 
 
 “I am counting on you to keep up the good work. God bless you. And I will miss all of you. 
 
 “Sincerely, 
 
 “Hilda L. Solis 
 
 “U.S. Secretary of Labor” 
 
 Source: White House, Department of Labor 
 
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 Who’s Coming and Going in the Obama Cabinet ||||| 5 years ago 
 
 Washington (CNN) - Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis resigned her post Wednesday, offering no specific reason but that she "enjoyed my first opportunity in years to reflect on the past and my future" over the holidays. 
 
 "Leaving the department is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, because I have taken our mission to heart," she wrote in a letter to colleagues obtained by CNN. "As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve." 
 
 
 
 Solis provided no date when she would step down, but Labor Department officials told CNN her departure is expected around the inauguration, which is later this month. 
 
 "Over her long career in public service – as an advocate for environmental justice in California, state legislator, member of Congress and Secretary of Labor – Hilda Solis has been a tireless champion for working families," President Barack Obama wrote in a statement. "Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class. 
 
 "Her efforts have helped train workers for the jobs of the future, protect workers' health and safety and put millions of Americans back to work. I am grateful to Secretary Solis for her steadfast commitment and service not only to the Administration, but on behalf of the American people. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors." 
 
 Her resignation comes amid other high-profile shifts at the top ranks of Obama's administration, including the upcoming resignations of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. 
 
 She was one of four first term female cabinet secretaries. Solis' resignation just exasperates a diversity problem for the second term Obama cabinet. All four of the top cabinet jobs in the second term - State, Defense, Justice and Treasury - are expected to be occupied by males. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Wednesday "diversity is important" and said the administration is working to make sure it is diverse. 
 
 The administration is looking for a woman to serve as the next Commerce Secretary, two sources familiar with the nomination process told CNN. John Bryson resigned from the post in June, and the acting commerce secretary is Rebecca Blank. 
 
 A White House official said Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki are expected to stay in their current posts. The official did not give a timetable on how long the three might stay, but none of them is expected to depart in the near future. 
 
 Solis noted her accomplishments at the Labor Department in the letter, writing, "Growing up in a large Mexican-American family in La Puente, California, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to serve in a president's cabinet, let alone in the service of such an incredible leader." 
 
 "Because of our work, more people are receiving the wages they are owed," she wrote. 
 
 Solis also touted her work in relation to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Obama's health care law. 
 
 AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said after Solis' announcement that she "brought urgently needed change to the Department of Labor, putting the U.S. government firmly on the side of working families. 
 
 "Under Secretary Solis, the Labor Department became a place of safety and support for workers," he wrote. "Secretary Solis's Department of Labor talks tough and acts tough on enforcement, workplace safety, wage and hour violations and so many other vital services. Secretary Solis never lost sight of her own working-class roots, and she always put the values of working families at the center of everything she did." 
 
 Trumka urged the president to pick a successor who "will continue to be a powerful voice both within the Obama administration and across the country for all of America's workers." 
 
 Before joining the Obama administration in 2009, Solis was a congresswoman from California with a particular interest in environmental issues. She was the first Latina in the California State Senate, according to her official biography. She had also worked in the administration of President Jimmy Carter and in the federal Office of Management and Budget's Civil Rights Division.
– President Obama's second-term reshuffling increased again this afternoon with the resignation of labor secretary Hilda Solis, reports Politico. Obama, who sang her praises in a statement here, already is replacing his treasury secretary, secretary of state, defense chief, and CIA director. So who's staying put for sure? The White House says attorney general Eric Holder, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will be around for the near future, reports CNN. “As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve,” Solis wrote in a letter to staffers. Even before the loss of another high-ranking woman, critics were worried that Obama's Cabinet was turning into a boys' club.