The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
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:
- Nina Hachigian – Representative of the United States of America to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the Rank of Ambassador, Department of State
- Shamina Singh – Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service
- Matthew H. Tueller – Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen, Department of State
- Gustavo Velasquez – Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Department of Housing and Urban Development
President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”
President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Nina Hachigian, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the rank of Ambassador, Department of State
Nina Hachigian is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, a position she has held since 2008. From 2007 to 2008, she was Senior Vice President and Director for California at the Center. She worked as Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation from 2005 to 2006, and as Director at the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy from 2001 to 2005. Prior to that, Ms. Hachigian was an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations at the Pacific Council on International Policy. From 1998 to 1999, she served as Executive Assistant to the Deputy National Security Advisor in the White House, and before that she worked as an advisor to the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. Ms. Hachigian was an associate at O’Melveny and Myers in Los Angeles from 1995 to 1997, and formerly a Judicial Clerk to Judge Harry Pregerson at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is the author of several books related to foreign policy and is a member of the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Ms. Hachigian received a B.S. from Yale University and a J.D. from Stanford University Law School.
Shamina Singh, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service
Shamina Singh is Executive Director of the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth, a position she has held since December 2013. She is also the Global Director of Government Social Programs in MasterCard's Public Private Partnerships group, a position she has held since February 2013. From 2011 to 2013, she was Senior Advisor to MSLGROUP. Previously, she served as Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Nike, Inc. from 2010 to 2011. Prior to that, Ms. Singh served as COO for Global Community Development at Citigroup, Inc. from 2005 to 2010. From 2004 to 2005, Ms. Singh served as Deputy Director for America Votes. In 2003, she served as a Senior Advisor to U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and in 2002 was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Ron Kirk for U.S. Senate campaign. Ms. Singh was Executive Director for the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 1999 to 2001, Congressional Liaison for the Office of Congressional Affairs at the Department of Labor from 1998 to 1999, Senior Legislative Advocate for the Service Employees International Union from 1995 to 1998, and Campaign Associate for the Ann Richards for Governor Committee from 1993 to 1994. Ms. Singh is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum and a Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Institute. Ms. Singh received a B.S. from Old Dominion University and an M.P.A. from The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
Ambassador Matthew H. Tueller, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen, Department of State
Ambassador Matthew H. Tueller, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, a position he has held since 2011. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo from 2008 to 2011, and the Political Minister Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from 2007 to 2008. Ambassador Tueller also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait from 2004 to 2007, Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh from 2001 to 2004, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Doha from 1998 to 2000. He also served as Chief of the U.S. Office in Aden, Yemen from 2000 to 2001. His other overseas assignments with the Department of State include positions at the U.S. Embassies in the United Kingdom and Jordan, as well as Arabic study in Cairo, Egypt. Ambassador Tueller received a B.A. from Brigham Young University and a M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Gustavo Velasquez, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Gustavo Velasquez is the Executive Director of the Latino Economic Development Center, a position he has held since October 2013. He was the Director of the Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights from 2007 to 2013. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Velasquez was the Director of the District of Columbia’s Office of Latino Affairs. During his tenure in D.C. government, he also chaired the Mayor’s Bullying Prevention Policy Task Force and the District of Columbia’s Equal and Inclusive Housing Task Force. From 1999 to 2003, Mr. Velasquez worked at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. where he was first the Division Director of Children, Youth and Families, and then Operations Director in 2001. Before his time at Congreso, Mr. Velasquez was an associate at McGann Management Consulting from 1998 to 1999. Mr. Velasquez received a B.A. from the Universidad Iberoamericana and an M.G.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.