President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Edward L. Ayers – Member, National Council on the Humanities
• David Hale – Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Department of State
• Kathryn Matthew – Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Carol Fortine Ochoa – Inspector General, General Services Administration
• Eric Satz – Member, Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority 

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Edward Douglas Dunson, Jr. – Member, Commission of Fine Arts
• Lisa Ling – Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships
• Jose Rodriguez – Member, Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission and the North American Development Bank
• Eric D. Schwerin – Member, Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad
• Delia Haak – United States Commissioner, Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission
• Joel West Williams –United States Alternate Commissioner, Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission

President Obama said, “These individuals have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers.  I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them.”

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

Dr. Edward L. Ayers, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Humanities

Dr. Edward L. Ayers is the President of the University of Richmond, a position he has held since 2007.  He is also a co-Host of BackStory with the American History Guys, a public radio show he has been a part of since 2008.  Dr. Ayers previously held various positions at the University of Virginia, including the Buckner W. Clay Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 2001 to 2007, Hugh P. Kelly Professor from 1993 to 2007, and Professor from 1992 to 1993.  Dr. Ayers has written four books on nineteenth-century America and edited seven more, which earned him the Bancroft Prize.  He was also a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.  In 2013, Dr. Ayers was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, and he was named Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2003.  He previously served as a Member of the National Council on the Humanities and currently chairs the Steering Committee of The Future of Richmond’s Past.  Dr. Ayers received a B.A. from University of Tennessee, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

Ambassador David Hale, Nominee for Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Department of State

Ambassador David Hale, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Career-Minister, is the Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic, a position he has held since 2013.  He previously served as the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2011 to 2013, and as Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2009 to 2011.  From 2008 to 2009, he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State.  Prior to that, Ambassador Hale served as U.S. Ambassador to Jordan from 2005 to 2008.  Previously, he served at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan as Charge d’Affaires from 2004 to 2005 and as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2003 to 2004.  Ambassador Hale has also served as Director of the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of State, and in other positions overseas in Bahrain, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.  Ambassador Hale joined the Foreign Service in 1984.  He received a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Dr. Kathryn Matthew, Nominee for Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services

Dr. Kathryn Matthew is Chief Science Educator at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, a position she has held since 2014.  She was a Principal Consultant and a Product Manager at Blackbaud, Inc. from 2008 to 2013, a Director at Historic Charleston Foundation from 2006 to 2008, and an Exhibits Consultant at Chemical Heritage Foundation from 2005 to 2006.  Dr. Matthew was a Vice President at Please Touch Museum from 2003 to 2005 and a Director at The Nature Conservancy from 2001 to 2002.  She was a Director at Reebok International from 1998 to 2001.  Dr. Matthew also held senior positions at various museums, including a Director at Science City at Union Station from 1996 to 1998, Executive Director at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science from 1991 to 1994, Deputy Director at the Virginia Museum of Natural History from 1988 to 1990, and an Assistant Director at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History from 1986 to 1988.  Dr. Matthew received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Carol Fortine Ochoa, Nominee for Inspector General, General Services Administration

Carol Fortine Ochoa serves as Assistant Inspector General in the Oversight and Review Division of the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Justice (DOJ), a position she has held since 2005.  From 2002 to 2005, she was the Director of the Office of Oversight and Review at DOJ.  She served as Assistant United States Attorney for the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 2002.  From 1987 to 1989, Ms. Ochoa was an Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel James C. McKay.  She was a Litigation Associate at Covington & Burling from 1984 to 1989, and from 1983 to 1984 she was a Law Clerk for Chief Judge Charles C. Clark on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Ms. Ochoa received a B.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a J.D. from The George Washington University National Law Center.

Eric Satz, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority

Eric Satz serves as a Managing Member of the Tennessee Community Ventures Fund, LLC (TNCV), a company he co-founded in 2009, and is Executive Chairman to three TNCV portfolio companies.  From 2010 to 2014, he served as Investor, Advisor, and Vice President of Business Development for Panopto, Inc.  Mr. Satz co-founded and was Chief Executive Officer of Plumgood Food, LLC from 2004 to 2008.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Satz served in various investment banking roles, including as Vice President in the Technology Investment Banking Groups at Credit Suisse First Boston and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.  In 1999, Mr. Satz co-founded Currenex, an online global foreign currency exchange company.  Mr. Satz received a B.A. from Amherst College.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Edward Douglas Dunson, Jr., Appointee for Member, Commission of Fine Arts

Edward Douglas Dunson, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Howard University School of Architecture and Design, a position he has held since 1989.  He has been Chairman of the Howard University Department of Architecture since 2007.  Mr. Dunson is a licensed architect and design consultant with over 30 years of experience in architecture and architecture education.  He is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the American Institute of Architects.  Mr. Dunson previously served on the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board from 1992 to 2001.  He received a B.Arch. from Howard University and an M.S. in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University.

Lisa Ling, Appointee for Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

Lisa Ling is the Executive Producer and Host of This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN, a program that began airing in 2014.  She was the Executive Producer and Host of the documentary television series Our America with Lisa Ling on the Oprah Winfrey Network from 2011 to 2014, and was a Special Correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show from 2006 to 2010.  Ms. Ling was the Host of National Geographic Explorer from 2003 to 2010 and co-Hosted ABC’s The View from 1999 to 2002.  She was a Reporter for Channel One News from 1992 to 1999, and is the co-author of the book Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home.

Jose Rodriguez, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission and the North American Development Bank

Jose Rodriguez serves as the Texas State Senator for District 29 and as a partner at Rodriguez & Associates, both positions he has held since 2011.  From 1993 to 2009, he served as a County Attorney for El Paso, Texas.  Mr. Rodriguez served as a Legal Advisor to the County Judge of El Paso in 1991.  From 1990 to 1992, he was a Shareholder at Rodriguez, Lewis and Collins.  Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was the Director, Managing Attorney, and Staff Attorney for Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc from 1977 to 1988.  He also served as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1974 to 1977.  In 1973, Mr. Rodriguez served as a Summer Clerk for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.  Mr. Rodriguez received a B.A. from Pan American University and a J.D. from The George Washington University National Law Center.

Eric D. Schwerin, Appointee for Member, Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad

Eric D. Schwerin is Founding Partner and Managing Director at Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC, positions he has held since 2008.  He has also been President of RSP Investments, LLC since 2013.  Previously, Mr. Schwerin was Partner at Oldaker, Biden & Belair, LLP from 2002 to 2008.  He worked in various roles at the Department of Commerce, including Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary for International Trade in the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning from 1999 to 2002, and International Trade Specialist in the Office of Business Liaison from 1997 to 1999 and in the International Trade Administration from 1994 to 1997.  Mr. Schwerin previously worked as Associate Director for Business Outreach in the Office of Public Liaison at the White House from 2000 to 2001, and as Policy and Outreach Coordinator for the China Trade Relations Working Group in 2000.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Schwerin spent a year as an English teacher with Students For Czechoslovakia from 1991 to 1992.  He was appointed to the Industry Trade Advisory Committee For Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce in 2003.  Mr. Schwerin received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

Delia Haak, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission

Delia Haak is the Executive Director of the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, a position she has held since 2007.  From 1985 to 2005, she worked in various capacities at John Brown University, including Director of Graduate Business Programs from 1999 to 2005, Director of the Soderquist Center for Business Leadership and Ethics from 1997 to 2000, Associate Professor of Business from 1991 to 2006, Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellow from 1991 to 1998, Coordinator of Marketing Support Services from 1988 to 1991, and Administrative Assistant to the President from 1985 to 1988.  From 2001 to 2005, she also served as an Adjunct Graduate Faculty member at Trinity Western University.  Ms. Haak participated in the Arkansas Governor’s Business Plan Competition from 2003 to 2006 and again in 2011.  Ms. Haak received a B.S. from John Brown University and an M.B.A. and Ed.D. from the University of Arkansas.

Joel West Williams, Appointee for Alternate United States Commissioner, Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission

Joel West Williams serves as Staff Attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, a position he has held since 2013.  From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Williams was Senior Legislative Officer for the Cherokee Nation.  He served as Assistant Counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011.  Mr. Williams is a citizen of the Cherokee Citizen and is also the president-elect of the Native American Bar Association of D.C.  Mr. Williams received a B.A. from Naropa University and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law.