President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Gilbert Cisneros – Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Brodi L. Fontenot – Assistant Secretary for Management, Department of the Treasury
• W. Don Nelson – United States Representative, Kansas-Nebraska Big Blue River Compact Administration
• Nathalie Rayes – Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Daniel Rosen – Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council
• James T. Rizzuto – Federal Representative, Arkansas River Compact Administration
• Ed Weissman – United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people.  I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

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

Gilbert Cisneros, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Gilbert Cisneros is the President of The Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation, which he co-founded in 2010 to cultivate community support of higher education for Hispanic youth.  Mr. Cisneros was a Resource Manager at Frito Lay from 2004 to 2010.  He served as a Supply Officer in the U.S. Navy from 1994 to 2004.  He is an active supporter of The Wooden Floor, a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire growth and personal transformation in underserved youth through dance.  Mr. Cisneros received a B.A. from The George Washington University and an M.B.A. from Regis University.

Brodi L. Fontenot, Appointee for Assistant Secretary for Management, Department of the Treasury

Brodi L. Fontenot is the Assistant Secretary of Administration at the Department of Transportation (DOT), a position he has held since 2012.  He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration at DOT from 2010 to 2012.  From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Fontenot served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget at DOT.  Prior to joining DOT, Mr. Fontenot served as Budget Analyst on the United States Senate Committee on Budget from 2006 to 2009.  From 2001 to 2006, he was an Analyst/Senior Analyst for the Government Accountability Office.  Mr. Fontenot received a B.A. from the University of Houston and an M.P.A. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

W. Don Nelson, Appointee for United States Representative, Kansas-Nebraska Big Blue River Compact Administration

W. Don Nelson is a publisher of the monthly newspaper, Prairie Fire, which he founded in 2007.  From 2001 to 2007, Mr. Nelson served as State Director for Senator Ben Nelson.  Prior to this, he was the Director of Public Finance for Smith Hayes, a Nebraska based financial services corporation, from 1995 to 2000.  From 1984 to 1986, Mr. Nelson served as Chief of Staff for Governor J. Robert Kerrey of Nebraska.  Prior to this position, he was an Executive Assistant to Wyoming Governor Ed Herschler from 1980 to 1984.  From 1977 to 1980, he was Director of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services.  Mr. Nelson served as Director of the Nebraska State Office of Planning and Programming from 1971 to 1977 and as the state’s Regional Services Coordinator from 1970 to 1971.  Mr. Nelson received a B.A. from the University of Florida and an M.S. and J.D. from Florida State University. 

Nathalie Rayes, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Nathalie Rayes is Director of U.S. National Public Relations at Grupo Salinas, a position she has held since 2006.  She is also Executive Director of Fundación Azteca America, the philanthropic arm of Grupo Salinas.  Ms. Rayes was first appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in February 2014.  She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn from 2001 to 2005, and was Senior Policy Advisor to Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Feuer from 1999 to 2001.  In 1998, she was a Department of State Fellow in the Economic/Political Section of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.  Ms. Rayes is on the Boards of Directors of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, Los Angeles Universal Preschool, and the U.S. – Mexico Chamber of Commerce and is on the Advisory Council of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.  She is a founding member of the Public Policy Alumni Council at the University of California, Los Angeles.  Ms. Rayes received an A.A. from Santa Monica College, and a B.A. and an M.P.P. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Daniel Rosen, Appointee for Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council

Daniel Rosen is a Managing Director of Rosen Partners LLC, a position he has held since 2004.  He was a Director of the Disney Internet Group at The Walt Disney Company from 1996 to 2000.  He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Riverdale Country School and as a Board Member of the American Jewish Congress.  Mr. Rosen received a B.A. from Harvard University.

James T. Rizzuto, Appointee for Federal Representative, Arkansas River Compact Administration

James T. Rizzuto serves as President of Otero Junior College, a position he has held since 2001.  From 1999 to 2000, Mr. Rizzuto was the Executive Director in Colorado Governor Bill Owen’s Cabinet for Health Care Policy and Financing.  From 1983 to 1998, Mr. Rizzuto served as Senator in the Colorado State Senate.  He was owner and manager of R.N. Mason & Son Wholesale from 1975 to 2000.  Mr. Rizzuto served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972.  He currently serves on a number of boards in Colorado, including the Koshare Indian Museum Board.  Mr. Rizzuto received an A.A. from Otero Junior College, a B.S. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.B.A/M.I.M. from the American Graduate School of International Management.

Ed Weissman, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

Ed Weissman is a retired Director of several fishing vessels and a former attorney.  From 1994 to 2006, Mr. Weissman was Director at Jorge Fishing, Inc. in Panama.  Previously, he was the President and Director of PS Fishing Company, Inc. in San Diego, California.  Mr. Weissman served as the President and Director of the American Tuna Sales Association and the Director of the American Tunaboat Association.  He began his career in 1966 as an attorney in private practice.  Mr. Weissman received a B.S. from University of California, Los Angeles and an L.L.B. from University of California, Los Angeles Law School.