Seven powerful women we could see in a Clinton cabinet

Speculation is swirling about the possibility of Hillary Clinton choosing Elizabeth Warren, the outspoken progressive U.S. senator from Massachusetts, as her running mate (though there are reasons to believe that won’t happen).

But even if the presumptive Democratic nominee does not pick Warren, with whom she met Friday morning after gaining her endorsement, there could be a place for Warren in a Clinton Cabinet – and for other accomplished women. 

Among the women who could find a seat at a President Clinton’s table are:

Elizabeth Warren

A darling of the far left, Warren has been a fierce critic of Wall Street and is widely considered the architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As a former Harvard Law professor and Republican with expertise in commercial law,

 she has the credentials to be Treasury Secretary, among other positions, though the opposition from the financial community would presumably be fierce. Two black marks against her among Clintonistas: She and Hillary have had sometimes frosty relations, and she declined to back either Clinton or Bernie Sanders until it was apparent that the Vermont senator had lost.

Sheryl Sandberg

Sandberg is another woman who could be fill a number of posts. Because of her best-selling book about women empowerment, Lean In, and her very public face as the chief operating officer of Facebook, Sandberg has significant name recognition. Picking her as a running mate might be a stretch (though she could bring in bundles of cash from Silicon Valley and Corporate America for the expensive general election campaign and would be the first Jewish vice-president).  Sandberg also has Washington experience: She was chief of staff to Larry Summers when he served as Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton. Recently, Sandberg said she wasn’t interested in being a candidate to succeed Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, where she serves on the board.

Loretta Lynch

The current Attorney General is one Barack Obama appointee who might retain her job in a Clinton presidency. A Harvard Law School grad and tough former federal prosecutor appointed as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York by Bill Clinton, Lynch also served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Lynch is the first African-American woman AG. She might be in a tricky position, however, if the FBI refers Hillary Clinton’s email case to the Justice Dept. for prosecution: Lynch would be the one who would have to decide whether to move forward.