President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 5/12/2010

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

• Mark Feierstein, Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID
• Osvaldo Gratacós, Inspector General, Export-Import Bank of the United States

President Obama said, “I am pleased that these fine individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

Mark Feierstein, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID
Mark Feierstein is a principal and vice president at the international polling firm, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. He has overseen public opinion research in over 30 countries, gaining insights into the views of citizens around the world on a range of topics.  Before joining Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, Feierstein served as director of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s global elections office. He also worked in the State Department as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States, where he negotiated with diplomats from the Americas on an array of regional issues.  Prior to that, he was director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, overseeing programs to strengthen democratic institutions in developing countries.  Feierstein, who is fluent in Spanish, has worked as a journalist in the United States and in Mexico and has published articles on international issues for leading major newspapers and journals. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Tufts University and his M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Osvaldo Gratacós, Nominee for Inspector General, Export-Import Bank of the United States
Osvaldo Gratacós has been serving as the Acting Inspector General for the Export-Import Bank of the United States since October 2009. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Inspector General and Legal Counsel for the Ex-Im Bank OIG.  Prior to that, Gratacós was a commercial counsel at Motorola, Inc. providing legal support to the U.S. Federal Government Markets Division and the Government and Public Sector in the Latin America & Caribbean Region. He also served as attorney advisor and then the Legal Counsel (Acting) to the Inspector General for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General, including work on OIG’s worldwide operations of oversight, audits and investigative responsibilities over reconstruction and humanitarian work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Latin America. Gratacós was also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Virginia, School of Continuing & Professional Studies in Falls Church, Virginia where he taught international purchasing and business transactions. He holds a B.A. summa cum laude from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico; a Professional M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, and a J.D. from the University of Florida.