Readout of the President's Meeting with President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon

President Obama and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon met today and discussed a wide range of multilateral and regional issues, including security, environmental protection and the economy.  The Presidents discussed Gabon’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council, including its chairing of an important session on HIV/AIDS. President Obama recognized Gabon’s leadership on Libya, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire and other issues.  The leaders exchanged views on Libya, reaffirmed their support for U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, and their shared desire that a democratic transition in Libya should begin for the Libyan people. President Obama urged President Bongo Ondimba to take bold steps to root out corruption and to reform the judiciary and other key institutions to ensure the protection of human rights, and he welcomed the reforms that Gabon has taken under President Bongo Ondimba to bring more transparency and accountability to government.  Both leaders agreed to continue to work together to promote peace and security, as well as advance good governance in Gabon.

Readout of the President's Meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

President Obama and President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria met at the White House on Wednesday, June 8 and reaffirmed the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries.  The President personally congratulated President Jonathan on the success of Nigeria’s recent elections, which deepened the foundation for future democratic contests.  The leaders discussed how the Jonathan administration can build on this momentum by investing in Nigeria’s energy supply, agricultural productivity, democratic institutions, and security sector.  The President called on President Jonathan to make fighting corruption a national priority and a critical step in ensuring the necessary conditions for sustained economic growth and lasting prosperity.  The President thanked President Jonathan for his leadership both regionally and within the United Nations Security Council on pressing issues such as Sudan, Libya, and Cote d’Ivoire.  Both leaders agreed to continue to work together to promote peace and security. 

Executive Order 13575 - Establishment of the White House Rural Council

     By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America and in order to enhance Federal engagement with rural communities, it is hereby ordered as follows:
     
     Section 1. Policy. Sixteen percent of the American population lives in rural counties. Strong, sustainable rural communities are essential to winning the future and ensuring American competitiveness in the years ahead. These communities supply our food, fiber, and energy, safeguard our natural resources, and are essential in the development of science and innovation. Though rural communities face numerous challenges, they also present enormous economic potential. The Federal Government has an important role to play in order to expand access to the capital necessary for economic growth, promote innovation, improve access to health care and education, and expand outdoor recreational activities on public lands.
     
     To enhance the Federal Government's efforts to address the needs of rural America, this order establishes a council to better coordinate Federal programs and maximize the impact of Federal investment to promote economic prosperity and quality of life in our rural communities.
     
     Sec. 2. Establishment. There is established a White House Rural Council (Council).
     
     Sec. 3. Membership. (a) The Secretary of Agriculture shall serve as the Chair of the Council, which shall also include the heads of the following executive branch departments, agencies, and offices:
     
           (1) the Department of the Treasury;
        
           (2) the Department of Defense;
        
           (3) the Department of Justice;
        
           (4) the Department of the Interior;
        
           (5) the Department of Commerce;
        
           (6) the Department of Labor;
        
           (7) the Department of Health and Human Services;
        
           (8) the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
        
           (9) the Department of Transportation;
        
           (10) the Department of Energy;
        
           (11) the Department of Education;
        
           (12) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
        
           (13) the Department of Homeland Security;
        
           (14) the Environmental Protection Agency;
        
           (15) the Federal Communications Commission;
        
           (16) the Office of Management and Budget;
        
           (17) the Office of Science and Technology Policy;
        
           (18) the Office of National Drug Control Policy;
        
           (19) the Council of Economic Advisers;
        
           (20) the Domestic Policy Council;
        
           (21) the National Economic Council;
        
           (22) the Small Business Administration;
        
           (23) the Council on Environmental Quality;
        
           (24) the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs;
        
           (25) the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs; and such other executive branch departments, agencies, and offices as the President or the Secretary of Agriculture may, from time to time, designate.
        
     (b) A member of the Council may designate, to perform the Council functions of the member, a senior-level official who is part of the member's department, agency, or office, and who is a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government.
     
     (c) The Department of Agriculture shall provide funding and administrative support for the Council to the extent permitted by law and within existing appropriations.
     
     (d) The Council shall coordinate its policy development through the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council.
     
     Sec. 4. Mission and Function of the Council. The Council shall work across executive departments, agencies, and offices to coordinate development of policy recommendations to promote economic prosperity and quality of life in rural America, and shall coordinate my Administration's engagement with rural communities. The Council shall:
     
     (a) make recommendations to the President, through the Director of the Domestic Policy Council and the Director of the National Economic Council, on streamlining and leveraging Federal investments in rural areas, where appropriate, to increase the impact of Federal dollars and create economic opportunities to improve the quality of life in rural America;
     
     (b) coordinate and increase the effectiveness of Federal engagement with rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, education and training institutions, health-care providers, telecommunications services providers, research and land grant institutions, law enforcement, State, local, and tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations regarding the needs of rural America;
     
     (c) coordinate Federal efforts directed toward the growth and development of geographic regions that encompass both urban and rural areas; and
     
     (d) identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy development, outdoor recreation, and other conservation related activities.
     
     Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) The heads of executive departments and agencies shall assist and provide information to the Council, consistent with applicable law, as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the Council. Each executive department and agency shall bear its own expense for participating in the Council.
     
     (b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
     
          (i) authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or
        
          (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
        
     (c) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
     
     (d) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
      June 9, 2011.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Arnold A. Chacon, Ambassador to the Republic of Guatemala, Department of State
• Christopher Merrill, Member, National Council on the Humanities
• Earl Anthony Wayne, Ambassador to the United Mexican States, Department of State
• Rebecca R. Wodder, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, Department of the Interior

The President also announced his intent to appoint Giselle Fernandez to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Her biography can be found below.

President Obama said, “Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles. I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
 

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

Arnold A. Chacon, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Guatemala, Department of State
Arnold A. Chacon, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is currently the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy in Madrid. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Chacon served as Director of Andean Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and Deputy Executive Secretary in the Department’s Executive Secretariat. Since beginning his diplomatic career in 1981, Mr. Chacon has served in a number of overseas posts including Deputy Chief of Mission in Ecuador, Political Counselor in Peru, Political Officer in Italy and Chile, Staff Assistant to the Chief of Mission in Mexico, and Political/Consular Officer in Honduras. Mr. Chacon also served as Deputy Director of Central American Affairs, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Italy Desk Officer, Political Advisor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Watch Officer in the Operations Center, and American Political Science Association Fellow. Mr. Chacon received a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Christopher Merrill, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Humanities
Christopher Merrill is an American poet, essayist, journalist and translator. Currently, he serves as director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the University of Iowa, Mr. Merrill held the William H. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters at the College of Holy Cross.  He has published four collections of poetry, including Watch Fire, for which he received the Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets. He has also published numerous translations, several edited volumes, and four books of nonfiction. For ten years he was the book critic for the daily radio news program “The World.”  In 2008, Mr. Merrill led the initiative that resulted in the selection of Iowa City as a UNESCO City of Literature, a part of the Creative Cities Network.  He received a B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.A. from the University of Washington.

Earl Anthony Wayne, Nominee for Ambassador to the United Mexican States, Department of State
Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne is currently the Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan. A member of the U.S. Foreign Service since 1975 and a confirmed “Career Ambassador,” he has had an extensive diplomatic career. Ambassador Wayne began working in Afghanistan in 2009 as the Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs. From 2006 to 2009 Ambassador Wayne served as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina.  He was the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs from 2000 to 2006. His other positions include:  Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Canada, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the European Union, Director for Western European Affairs at the National Security Council, and Director of Regional Affairs for the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Counter-Terrorism. He took a leave of absence and worked as the National Security Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor from 1987 to 1989.  Additional assignments at State include: First Secretary at U.S. Embassy Paris, Special Assistant to Secretaries of State Haig and Shultz, service in the State Department’s Executive Secretariat, Political Officer in Morocco, and China analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.  He holds an M.P.A. from Harvard University, an M.A. from Princeton University, an M.A. from Stanford University, and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rebecca R. Wodder, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, Department of the Interior
Rebecca Wodder has served as President and CEO of American Rivers, a national river conservation organization, since 1995. From 1981 to 1994, Ms. Wodder served in several different capacities at The Wilderness Society, including Vice President for Organizational Development and Vice President for Membership, Marketing and Development. From 1978-1980, Ms. Wodder was Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson on environmental and energy issues.  Ms. Wodder began her career as an Environmental Planner for the Leo A. Daly Company, Architects, Engineers and Planners. In 2010, she was recognized as a Top 25 Outstanding Conservationist by Outdoor Life Magazine, and was named Woman of the Year by the American Sportfishing Association in 1998. Ms. Wodder holds a B.A. in Biology and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas.  She also holds an M.S. in Landscape Architecture and an M.S. in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
 

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

Giselle Fernandez, Appointee for Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Giselle Fernandez is the Managing Director of Creative World Talent Management, a division of the Trump Group.  Among her numerous posts in journalism, Ms. Fernandez anchored NBC's weekend edition of the Today Show and Sunday edition of the NBC Nightly News.  Prior to that, Ms. Fernandez served at CBS News substituting for Paula Zahn on CBS This Morning, Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News and Connie Chung on the CBS Weekend News.  Her coverage of international news stories and interviews with global leaders earned Ms. Fernandez five Emmy Awards.  She is a member of the board of trustees of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the board of the Los Angeles Centre for Dance Arts, and also sits on the board of Latina magazine.  The California Legislative Hispanic Caucus awarded Ms. Fernandez the Latino Spirit Award and she was awarded the Nancy Riordan award in 2007 by Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Ms. Fernandez graduated from Sacramento State University with a B.A. in Journalism and Government.