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:

• Michele Thoren Bond – Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Department of State
• Michael Young – Member, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission

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

• Donna L. Brazile – Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
• Maneesh K. Goyal – Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
• Dorothy M. Lowman – United States Commissioner, Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
• Russell F. Smith III – United States Commissioner, International Whaling Commission
• G.P. “Bud” Peterson – Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
• Diane L. Souvaine – Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
• Virgil Trujillo – Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust

President Obama said, “These men and women 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 in the months and years to come.”

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

Michele Thoren Bond, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Department of State

Michele Thoren Bond is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State (DOS), a position she has held since December 2012.  Since April 2014, she has also served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs at DOS.  From 2010 to 2012, she served as the Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho and from 2007 to 2010, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Overseas Citizens Services at DOS.  From 2006 to 2007, Ms. Bond was the Director of the Office of Policy Coordination and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at DOS.  From 2003 to 2006, she served as a Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and she was Managing Director for Overseas Citizens Services at DOS from 2001 to 2003.  From 1999 to 2001, Ms. Bond was the Director of Consular Training at the Foreign Service Institute.  Since joining the Foreign Service in 1977, she has also served in Guatemala City, Guatemala; Belgrade, Serbia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Moscow, Russia.  Ms. Bond received a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and an M.A. from the National War College.

Michael Young, Nominee for Member, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission

Michael Young most recently served as a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) from 2008 to 2014.  He previously served as a Member of FMSHRC from 2003 to 2008.  Prior to joining the Commission, he served as Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Pennsylvania Coal Association from 1997 to 2003.  Previously, Mr. Young was a trial lawyer at the firm McElwee and McElwee from 1995 to 1997.  From 1993 to 1995, he was a litigator for Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C.  Mr. Young served in the United States Air Force in various public affairs officer roles from 1985 to 1990 and was a Legislative Assistant to Representative Nick Rahall from 1981 to 1982.  Mr. Young received a B.S. from West Virginia University and a J.D. from Wake Forest University.

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

Donna L. Brazile, Appointee for Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

Donna L. Brazile is the Founder and Managing Director of Brazile & Associates LLC.  She is a Democratic political strategist, author, syndicated columnist, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.  She is a regular political analyst and commentator on CNN, a consultant to ABC News, and has lectured at a number of colleges, including Harvard University and the University of Maryland.  Ms. Brazile is also Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee.  She was the Campaign Manager for Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000.  Ms. Brazile received a B.A. from Louisiana State University.

Maneesh K. Goyal, Appointee for Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

Maneesh K. Goyal is Founder and President of MKG, an event marketing agency he started in 2001.  In 2013, he co-founded Live in the Grey, a resource and consultancy focused on workplace culture.  From 1999 to 2001, he was a Program Officer at the Dyson Foundation, where he built a national program to train pediatricians.  He serves on the U.S. Advisory Council for the American India Foundation.  He previously served on the Boards of the Empire State Pride Agenda, LifeBeat, the South Asian American Forum, and the Stonewall Community Foundation.  Mr. Goyal received a B.A. from Duke University and an M.P.H. from Yale University.

Dorothy M. Lowman, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Dorothy M. Lowman is the sole proprietor of Lowman and Associates, where she has served as a fishery consultant since 2000.  She was appointed to the Pacific Fishery Management Council in 2009 and has served as its Chair since 2013.  Previously, Ms. Lowman served as a Staff Economist for the Pacific and Western Pacific Fishery Management Councils and as a Special Advisor for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.  Ms. Lowman has also served on the Council’s Trawl Individual Quota Committee and on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee at the Department of Commerce.  She has also held positions at University of Washington Oceanography Department.  Ms. Lowman received a B.S. and an M.S. from the University of Washington.

Russell F. Smith III, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Whaling Commission

Russell F. Smith III is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the Department of Commerce (DOC), a position he has held since 2010.  He concurrently serves as a United States Commissioner on the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.  Mr. Smith is also a United States Commissioner on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.  Prior to his position at DOC, Mr. Smith held various positions in the Office of the United States Trade Representative between 2002 and 2010, including Director for International Environmental Policy and Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Director for the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the Caribbean.  He was an attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice from 1995 to 2002.  Prior to joining the government, Mr. Smith was an Associate at Spiegel & McDiarmid.  Mr. Smith received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
Dr. G.P. Peterson is currently the President of the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he also serves as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, positions he has held since 2009.  Prior to this, Dr. Peterson served from 2006 to 2009 as the Chancellor and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado – Boulder.  He worked at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as Provost, Officer of the Institute, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering from 2000 to 2006.  Dr. Peterson served in a variety of positions at Texas A&M University from 1981 to 2000, culminating in his role as the Associate Vice-Chancellor and Executive Associate Dean of Engineering from 1996 to 2000.  He worked as a Research Scientist at NASA from 1981 to 1982.  From 1979 to 1981, Dr. Peterson served as an Associate Professor and Department Head of General Engineering Technology at Kansas Technical Institute.  From 1978 to 1979, he was a Mathematics teacher at Shawnee Mission South High School.  From 1977 to 1978, he was a Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry teacher at Wabaunsee County High School.  Dr. Peterson was an Associate Engineer for Black & Veatch Consulting Engineers in 1975.  He was first appointed as a Member of the National Science Board in 2008.  Dr. Peterson received two B.S.s and an M.S. from Kansas State University, and a Ph. D. from Texas A&M University.

Dr. Diane L. Souvaine, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

Dr. Diane L. Souvaine is currently Vice Provost for Research, Professor of Computer Science, and Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University, positions she has held since 2012, 1999, and 2002, respectively.  From 1986 to 2000, Dr. Souvaine served as an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor within the Department of Computer Science at Rutgers University.  From 1992 to 1994 she served in the directorate of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science.  Dr. Souvaine worked as a Research Assistant within the Department of Computer Science at Princeton University from 1985 to 1986.  She served as a Member of the National Science Board from 2008 to 2014 and was elected Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery in 2011.  Dr. Souvaine received an A.B. from Harvard University, an A.M.L.S from Dartmouth College, and a M.A., M.S.E. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Virgil Trujillo, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust

Virgil Trujillo is a life-long resident of the Genizaro Pueblo, located in Abiquiu, New Mexico.  He is a livestock producer and runs livestock on a number of properties, including the Santa Fe National Forest, Bureau of Land Management areas, and the Merced del Pueblo Abiquiu.  Mr. Trujillo has also held various natural resource management positions.  He was first appointed to the Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust in 2009.  Mr. Trujillo is a member of the Santo Tomas El Apostol Parish, Merced del Pueblo Abiquiu, Northern New Mexico Livestock Association, Quivira Coalition, and New Mexico Cattle Growers.

FACT SHEET: Standing Up for Women’s Civil Rights, 20 Years After VAWA

“The original law had three simple goals: make streets safer for women; make homes safer for women; and protect women’s civil rights.” – Senator Biden, 1990

“In its totality, the Violence Against Women Act was the first federal law that directly held violence against women as a violation of basic civil rights and fundamental human dignity.” –Vice President Biden, 2013

Nearly 20 years ago, the Vice President first brought to national attention the need to end domestic violence and sexual assault by championing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Today, recognizing the 20^th Anniversary of VAWA, the Vice President is taking two significant actions as part of the Administration’s ongoing commitment to put an end to this senseless violence.

First, the Vice President is announcing a Summit on Civil Rights and Equal Protection for Women, which will bring together legal scholars, state and local prosecutors, and the Department of Justice to find a way to let survivors sue their abusers in federal court—which VAWA allowed but the Supreme Court rejected.

Second, the Vice President’s office is releasing a comprehensive report detailing how far we’ve come since VAWA first passed while noting there are many challenges ahead.  

Twenty years after VAWA first became law, it has helped change a prevailing culture from a refusal to intervene to a responsibility to act – where violence against women is no longer accepted as a societal secret and where we all understand that one case is too many.  There are still many challenges to overcome, and this week’s anniversary is a reminder of the important work ahead.

The report, “1 is 2 many,” shows the marked progress in VAWA’s twenty year existence:

• Lives saved: Yearly domestic violence rates dropped dramatically—by 64% from 1993 to 2010.  From 1993 to 2012, the number of individuals killed by an intimate partner declined 26% for women and 48% for men.
• Money saved: VAWA has helped save the country billions of dollars.  One study estimated $12.6 billion in net averted social costs in the first 6 years alone.
• Justice gained, via higher prosecution rates: Evidence collected by VAWA-funded specialized police units is more likely to be useful for prosecution—meaning higher rates of prosecution, conviction, and sentencing.  And specialized domestic violence prosecution programs generally translate to the highest rates of successful prosecution.
• Better services: Victims who receive comprehensive services and advocacy like those funded by VAWA are more likely to achieve their goals of safety, healing, and economic security than women not receiving such support and services.
• Improved tools: Forensic evidence collection has been improved by special sexual assault nurse examiner programs and communities that are testing old rape kits are apprehending serial offenders.

Still, as the report shows, many challenges remain:

• Rates of violence are too high: We know this violence is preventable—and zero-tolerance must be our aim.
• Young women are at risk: If one in five young women suffered from a disease, we as a nation would find a solution to that problem; but when it comes to violence against young women, we have known this statistic for 20 years.
• Bias still exists in the justice system: No one says that men who are robbed or slashed went to the wrong place or wore the wrong clothes.  At the workplace or in schools, the law calls these stereotypes by the name of sex discrimination and inequality; so they should bear this name in our criminal justice system, too.
• Health and social costs are high: Violence in the home may beget more violence in the home and the streets; this violence distorts the lives and minds of children; and resulting health costs are enormous, even though small investments in preventing this violence can have enormous rewards.

The need for a new look at a civil rights remedy:

In calling for a renewed national effort, the Summit on Civil Rights and Equal Protection for Women will highlight the connection between sexual assault (as well as sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination) cases and civil rights violations.  The remedy is important for several reasons:

• Sexual discrimination violates the Civil Rights Act.  The Supreme Court has long held that sex discrimination, including sexual violence, is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• Despite that, the persistence of violence against women remains and the state justice system’s response can be discriminatory.  We must bring together legal scholars, state and local prosecutors, and the Department of Justice to revisit the civil rights remedy that VAWA included, but the Supreme Court rejected. 
• Only a federal civil rights remedy can provide equal protection throughout the nation.  When state justice systems fail to respond to this violence, it violates equal protection.  
• For example, the Department of Justice has done laudable work finding patterns of sex bias in the handling of rape cases in Montana and domestic violence cases in cities. 

• The Department’s findings included: failure to investigate domestic violence cases, declining to prosecute non-stranger rape, gender-based assumptions and stereotypes influencing responses to reports of sexual assault, and using “blaming” questions and stereotypes in victim interviews.

The Obama Administration’s Record on Violence against Women: Highlights:

• In 2011, Vice President Biden kicked off the 1 is 2 Many campaign focusing on the high rates of dating violence and sexual assault experienced by teens and young women.  Through 1 is 2 Many, the National Dating Abuse Helpline expanded to digital services, and new mobile apps were created to help prevent sexual assault and support survivors.
• In 2011, the Department of Education sent new guidance to schools, colleges, and universities about their obligations under federal civil rights law to respond to and prevent sexual assault.
• Leading by example, in 2012 President Obama directed federal agencies to develop policies to address domestic violence in the federal workforce and to assist survivors.
• In 2013, Vice President Biden and Attorney General Holder announced a new initiative to prevent domestic violence homicides.  Using evidence-based lethality assessment tools, the initiative identifies victims at high risk and links them with immediate services.
• On March 7, 2013, President Obama signed the third reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act creating new protections for LGBT victims and Native American women.  The legislation also expands housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, and directs resources towards improving the criminal justice response to sexual assault.
• On January 22, 2014, President Obama established the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.  On April 29, the Task Force released its first report with new recommendations for schools to prevent and respond to sexual assault and new steps by federal agencies to improve enforcement of federal laws.  The work of the Task Force is ongoing.
• Every year, the Justice Department administers more than $400 million to VAWA grant programs around the country.

Statement from the Press Secretary

The President will deliver an address to the nation from the State Floor of the White House Wednesday night at 9:00 PM EDT to discuss with the American people the threat posed by ISIL and to lay out the United States’ strategy for degrading and ultimately destroying the terrorist group.

FACT SHEET: Build America Infrastructure Investment Summit

Convening U.S. and Global Infrastructure Leaders to Catalyze Growth in the U.S. Infrastructure Market

Investing in 21st century American infrastructure is an important part of the President’s plan to build on the progress our economy is making by creating jobs and expanding opportunity for all hardworking Americans. That’s why earlier this summer the President launched the Build America Investment Initiative, a government-wide effort to increase infrastructure investment and economic growth by engaging with state and local governments and private sector investors to encourage collaboration, expand the market for public-private partnerships (PPPs), and put federal credit programs to greater use.    

Today, as part of the Build America Investment Initiative, the Obama Administration will host the Infrastructure Investment Summit at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. At the Summit, over 100 leaders from industry, finance, philanthropy, and local and state governments will convene with senior Administration officials to highlight the growth in the U.S. infrastructure market, build partnerships, and develop strategies for increasing investment in sectors like transportation, water, telecommunications, and energy.  Highlights include:

• The Summit brings together investors intending to deploy more than $50 billion in U.S. infrastructure. The Summit brings together global investment and advisory firms, dedicated infrastructure investors, international asset managers, utilities and construction companies, and pension funds collectively representing more than $50 billion of projected private capital investment in the U.S. infrastructure market over the next five years.

• The federal government, local and state governments, philanthropists and others announce investments to expand infrastructure development. The Obama Administration and other stakeholders are announcing a series of investments and commitments at the Summit, including:
  • A $950 million loan for the Orlando, Florida I-4 Ultimate highway project from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the largest loan ever completed for a public-private partnership from the TIFIA program. 
  • $518 million in loans for electricity infrastructure from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  • The creation of a new partnership for infrastructure innovation by the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.
• The Department of Transportation and the Transportation Investment Center announce new tools and policies. This July, President Obama launched the Build America Transportation Investment Center at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The Center has already taken significant steps forward to advance best practices and promote innovative approaches and tools.

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The President has been clear that we need to do more to improve our roads, bridges, water systems, electrical grids, and other vital infrastructure systems. That means increasing public support for infrastructure and making investments for the long-term. But it also means encouraging partnership between the public and private sector; and right now there is a real opportunity to put private capital to work revitalizing U.S. infrastructure.

Today’s Summit highlights some of the important steps that leaders from the public and private sectors are taking together as part of the Build America Investment Initiative.

Investors intending to deploy more than $50 billion in investment in U.S. infrastructure

The Summit brings together global investment and advisory firms, dedicated infrastructure investors, international asset managers, utilities and construction companies, and pension funds collectively representing more than $50 billion of projected private capital investment in the U.S. infrastructure market over the next five years. The California State Teachers Retirement System, for example, is announcing a new multi-billion dollar global syndicate to invest in US infrastructure. Ullico, a labor-owned insurance and investment company, will invest $300 million in the coming five years exclusively in domestic projects. These investments complement previous public commitments this summer like CoBank’s new $10 billion rural infrastructure fund. The diversity of financial players gathered at the Summit is evidence of the growing momentum of the U.S. infrastructure sector – and the enormous potential that leaders in U.S. and global finance see in the U.S. market.

Other private sector participants include:

• Global investment and advisory firms such as Blackrock, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, CIBC, Goldman Sachs, KKR, Morgan Stanley, and Oaktree Capital;
• Infrastructure investors including Brookfield Asset Management, CoBank-Capital Peak Asset Management, IFM Investors, JPMorgan Asset Management Infrastructure Fund, Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, Meridiam, and Ullico Infrastructure;
• International asset managers such as the Development Bank of Japan, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and Swiss Re;
• Utilities and construction companies including American Water, Fluor, and Walsh Group;
• Pension funds including the California State Teachers Retirement System, the Employment Retirement System of Texas, the Illinois State Board of Investment, and the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Fund.

The federal government, local and state governments and philanthropists announcing investments to expand infrastructure development

In addition to a growing pool of available private capital, the federal government, local and state governments, and philanthropists are announcing a number of investments and commitments to support U.S. infrastructure investment.

• I-4 Ultimate TIFIA Loan. On September 4, DOT signed a $950 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the I-4 Ultimate project, a 21.1 mile roadway through Orlando, Florida. The project reconstructs and expands the capacity of 21.1 miles of Interstate 4 through downtown Orlando, replacing or improving 15 interchanges, 71 existing bridges, and adding 4 new express toll lanes. This is the largest TIFIA loan ever completed for a public-private partnership. The project benefited from engaging with DOT early in the process and using a new, streamlined PPP process that includes a standard term sheet.
• $518 million in loans for electricity infrastructure. Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing $518 million in loans for 22 electric projects around the country.
  • More than $23 million of the funds are targeted for smart grid improvements, which better manage and increase efficiencies in our nation’s electric system.
  • The loans announced today will build or improve more than 5,600 miles of electrical line in rural areas. 
• The creation of a new partnership for infrastructure innovation. Today, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation are announcing an initial joint investment of over $1 million to support innovations in U.S. infrastructure. The new partnership will expand the infrastructure pipeline by incubating innovative public private collaborations, including:
  • Support the research, design, and launch of a predevelopment fund for job-creating, resilient and other cutting-edge projects, proving new infrastructure innovations and demonstrating the benefits of increased predevelopment funding;
  • Provide seed capital for promising regional collaboration models, including regional infrastructure exchanges, that make it easier for localities to attract private finance; and
  • Support research and design work on how to most effectively implement and scale these and other solutions.

  Recognizing that well-designed infrastructure projects have multiple benefits, the initiative will advance intertwined social, environmental, and economic goals. The partnership will also work closely with the private sector to ensure alignment with the investor community. 

• $20 million for transit project planning. Today, DOT’s Federal Transit Administration is announcing $20 million in competitive funds for comprehensive planning associated with new projects seeking funding under FTA’s Capital Investment Grants Program. The new Pilot Program for Transit Oriented Development Planning supports complex planning work that complements major transit projects by examining ways to improve economic development and ridership, enhance multimodal access to transit stations and enable mixed-use development in station areas.
• Municipalities highlighting long-term investments in water infrastructure. Today, 30 cities and public water utilities are announcing plans to collectively invest $233 billion in operating and improving their municipal water systems over the next ten years. The 30 city consortium is also releasing a study today that highlights the benefits of water infrastructure investments for job creation and economic growth.

DOT and the Build America Transportation Investment Center making new tools available

This July, President Obama launched the Build America Transportation Investment Center at DOT. The Center is a one-stop shop for state and local governments, public and private developers, and investors seeking to utilize innovative financing strategies for transportation infrastructure projects. The Center is already helping to advance best practices and strategies to support U.S. infrastructure, building on recent Administration successes. Among other measures, the Center and DOT are:

• Promoting tools and resources for innovative finance. The Build America Transportation Investment Center is providing a range of educational and technical assistance resources to support project sponsors who are considering PPPs and other forms of innovative finance. Today, the Department is releasing the first in a series of new model contract provisions to serve as a guide for highway toll concession PPP contract agreements. A subsequent guide in this series will address availability payment concession PPP contract agreements. The Department is also publishing a series of new “Project Highlights” that provide a plain language account of how project sponsors assembled the funding and financing necessary to complete public private partnerships.
• Supporting PennDOT rapid bridge replacement. DOT recently approved measures to support the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in pursuing replacement of more than 500 small bridges under a single, innovative PPP that bundles the projects to facilitate private investment. The project will benefit from both a $1.2 billion private activity bond allocation, as well as targeted flexibility with respect to NEPA implementation that will enable the developer play a significant role in ensuring compliance with environmental requirements.
• Improving the permitting process.  DOT continues to take steps to improve its permitting processes. For example, the Department has recently developed and deployed eNEPA, a secure, online collaboration and project development tool to make the environmental review process faster and more efficient. In addition, DOT is working to finalize a rulemaking that will address the use of ‘categorical exclusions’ and programmatic environmental analysis to speed up permitting for certain projects.