WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: Larry EchoHawk, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior; Sandra Henriquez, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Thomas McClellan, Deputy Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy; John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation.

President Obama said, "Our success in rebuilding America and laying the groundwork for a safer, more prosperous future depends in no small part on the talent, expertise, and dedication of public servants like these men and women. I am confident that each of them will meet and exceed the high standard that the American people expect and deserve."

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:

Larry EchoHawk was the first Native American elected to a constitutional statewide office, serving as Attorney General of Idaho from 1991 to 1995. EchoHawk was raised in Farmington, New Mexico. He attended Brigham Young University on a football scholarship then received his Juris Doctor degree in 1973 from the University of Utah and entered law practice in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1977 he became general legal counsel for the Fort Hall, Idaho-based Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. A Democrat, EchoHawk entered politics in 1982 by winning a seat in the Idaho State House of Representatives from Bannock County. Four years later he was elected Bannock County prosecuting attorney. In 1990 EchoHawk was elected Attorney General of Idaho. In 1994 EchoHawk announced his candidacy for Governor fueling speculation that he could be the nation's first Native American governor. However, he was defeated in the general election and has not been a candidate for public office since. Shortly after his 1994 defeat, EchoHawk accepted a faculty position at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School. In that capacity he teaches courses in criminal law, criminal procedure and federal Indian law. EchoHawk is also Of Counsel at the EchoHawk Law Offices in Pocatello, Idaho. He is a member of the Pawnee tribe and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is presently serving as a president of a stake of the church at Brigham Young University.

Sandra Henriquez assumed her duties as the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Housing Authority in April 1996. Ms. Henriquez is the Chief of Public Housing for the City of Boston, which is a Cabinet position within the administration of Mayor Thomas M. Menino. She previously served at the Boston Housing Authority in various capacities from 1977 to 1983. Sandra returned to public housing after ten years as a Principal of Maloney Properties, Inc., a full service real estate property management firm specializing in the delivery of services to resident-controlled and non-profit sponsored housing. Prior to her time with Maloney Properties, she served as the Director of Housing Management and Tenant Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Housing and Community Development. Ms. Henriquez is a Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA). She is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of the YWCA Boston. As a Trustee for nine years, and now an Honorary Trustee of the New England Baptist Hospital, Sandra also sits on the Buildings and Grounds Committee and participates on the Compensation Committee. In addition, she is a Director of the Massachusetts-based Citizens Housing and Planning Association. The Rental Housing Association of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board honored Sandra Henriquez in 2000 with the Excellence in Public Service Award. In 1997, Ms. Henriquez received the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and was recognized by Banker & Tradesman as a "Leader Making A Difference". Sandra was also named Executive Director of the Year in 2002 by the National Organization of African Americans in Housing. Ms. Henriquez has three children, two sons and a daughter.

Dr. Thomas McLellan is one of the nation’s leading experts on addiction and substance abuse. He currently serves as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and as Chief Executive Officer of the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia, a not-for-profit institute dedicated to reducing America’s dependence on alcohol and drugs. Dr. McLellan was the principal developer of two of the most widely used methods for assessing addiction severity and treatment success. His Addiction Severity Index, which gauges the characteristics and the severity of substance abuse in patients, and his Treatment Services Review, which measures the effectiveness of treatment services, have been adopted around the world and have revolutionized the delivery of treatment to substance abuse patients. His work, which includes 25 years at Veterans Administration Hospitals, has been focused on promoting a better understanding of the factors that lead to treatment success, increasing understanding that addiction is a disease, reducing the stigma associated with addiction, and providing the means for earlier intervention and prevention. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and has published more than 400 articles on addiction research. He has been an advisor to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the World Health Organization, the Partnership for a Drug Free America, and the American Psychiatric Association among others. He received a Life Achievement Award from the American Society of Addiction Medicine in 2003, and in 2004 was named Innovator of the Year by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. McLellan holds a B.A. from Colgate University, an M.S. and Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr, and received postgraduate training in psychology at Oxford University in England.

John D. Porcari currently serves as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, a position in which he is responsible for the highway, transit, aviation, maritime and motor vehicle registration modes of the state’s transportation system. Mr. Porcari also serves as chairman of the entity responsible for operating the state’s bridge and tunnel facilities. He is in his second tour as Secretary, having previously served in this capacity from 1999 to 2002. At the Maryland Department of Transportation Mr. Porcari implemented a record highway program for the state, including construction of the 2.4 billion InterCounty Connector that includes an environmental program unprecedented in state history. He also was directly involved in the development and funding of the $2.4 billion Woodrow Wilson Bridge. In between his service as Maryland’s Transportation Secretary, Mr. Porcari served as Vice President for Administrative Affairs at the University of Maryland, where he served as the chief administrative and financial officer. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dayton and his Masters of Public Administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University of New York at Albany.