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Readout of the Vice President’s Meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk

The Vice President met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk this morning at the White House.  The Vice President commended the Prime Minister for the Ukrainian government’s commitment to move forward to stabilize Ukraine and its economy.  He reiterated that the United States stands firmly behind Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  The Vice President underscored the continued strong support of the United States, and his personal support, as Ukrainians chart their own course for a democratic future.

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Office of the Press Secretary

Statement by the Press Secretary

We are pleased Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have come together around an agreement to extend emergency unemployment benefits for the more than 2 million Americans who have been fighting every day to find a job. The President has repeatedly called on Congress to take action on a compromise solution to extend this vital lifeline for millions of hard-working Americans as they look for work and support their families. This is not just the right thing to do for these Americans looking for work, it’s the right thing to do for our economy. The President urges the Senate to pass the bill and for the House to do the same so that he can sign it into law.

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Office of the Press Secretary

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE:

Judith M. Davenport, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for a term expiring January 31, 2020, vice David H. Pryor, term expired.

Bradford Raymond Huther, of Virginia, to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, vice Douglas A. Criscitello.

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Office of the Press Secretary

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE:

Deirdre M. Daly, of Connecticut, to be United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for the term of four years, vice David B. Fein, resigned.

John W. deGravelles, of Louisiana, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana, vice James J. Brady, retired.

James Walter Frazer Green, of Louisiana, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana for the term of four years, vice Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr., resigned.

Ronald Lee Miller, of Kansas, to be United States Marshal for the District of Kansas for the term of four years, vice Walter Robert Bradley, retired.

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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:

  • Judith M. Davenport – Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Brad Huther – Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development

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

  • Peter C. Groff – Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
  • Joyce A. Mader – Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  • Horacio Rodiles – Member, United States Section of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission
  • John E. Huerta – Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • Barry W. Karas – Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • Ronnie Planalp – Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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:

Dr. Judith M. Davenport, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Dr. Judith M. Davenport co-founded Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation with her husband, Ronald Davenport, in 1973.  Dr. Davenport also worked as a dentist in private practice from 1979 to 2000.  She is a Director of Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation and of The Heinz Endowments.  She serves on the boards of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Art Museums, and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.  She is a past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Carlow University, and served on the board of The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Foundation and the Washington Regional Selection Panel for the President’s Commission for White House Fellowships.  Dr. Davenport received a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.P.H. and D.M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Brad Huther, Nominee for Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Brad Huther served as Senior Advisor in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) from 2010 until 2013.  From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Huther worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a Director, Consultant, and Senior Director.  In addition, Mr. Huther was President and CEO of the International Intellectual Property Institute from 2004 to 2009.  From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Huther was a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce.  From 1999 to 2002, he was Consultant and then Special Attaché for the World Intellectual Property Organization.  From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Huther was the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Bureau of the Census.  Mr. Huther previously held roles at the PTO as Associate Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer from 1994 to 1997 and as Assistant Commissioner for Finance and Planning from 1981 to 1993.  He is a recipient of three Presidential Meritorious Rank Awards and a Presidential Distinguished Rank Award.  He was elected in 1996 as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.  Mr. Huther received a B.B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.P.A from American University. 

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

Peter C. Groff, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Peter C. Groff is the Principal of MCG2 Consulting, a position he has held since 2011.  Mr. Groff served as a Visiting Fellow for the Johns Hopkins University School of Education from 2011 to 2012.  From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Groff was President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and from 2009 to 2010, he served as Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  Mr. Groff served in the Colorado General Assembly as a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2003, as a Senator from 2003 to 2009, and as President of the Senate from 2008 to 2009.  Mr. Groff served as a Lecturer in the Institute for Public Policy at the University of Denver from 1998 to 2009.  He also served as Director of the Center for African-American Policy at the University of Denver from 1997 to 2009.  Mr. Groff received a B.A. from the University of Redlands and a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law.

Joyce A. Mader, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Joyce A. Mader is currently a partner at O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue LLP, where she has represented multi-employer pension, health, and other employee benefit plans for more than 30 years.  Ms. Mader served as a Member of the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation from April 2011 to February 2014.  She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Labor and Employment Law and serves as the Council’s Liaison to the Section’s Employee Benefits Committee.  In 2000, she was inducted as a Charter Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.  Ms. Mader received a B.A. from Dickinson College and a J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America.

Dr. Horacio Rodiles, Appointee for Member, United States Section of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission
Dr. Horacio Rodiles is a physician at the Balboa Nephrology Medical Group, a position he has held since 2006.  Previously, he was Chairman of the Acute Hemodialysis Committee at El Centro Regional Medical Center.  He was President of Kidney Medical Associates of Imperial County, Inc. from  2003 to 2006, and worked in private practice from 1988 to 2002.  From 1971 to 1987, he was a Physician Partner at Nephrology Specialists Medical Group, Inc.  He served as Chairman for the Imperial Valley Community Health Resources Organization from 1998 to 2006.  Earlier in his career, Dr. Rodiles held teaching positions at the University of California, Irvine from 1968 to 1998.  In 2007, he received the Frederick K.M. Plessner Memorial Award from the California Medical Association for his outstanding achievements in medicine in a rural community.  Dr. Rodiles received a B.S.A. and an M.D. from the University of Buenos Aires.

John E. Huerta, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John E. Huerta served as a consultant to the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino from 2009 to 2011.  Previously, he was General Counsel of the Smithsonian Institution from 1995 to 2008.   From 1990 to 1995, he was counsel at the Western Center on Law & Poverty in Los Angeles, and was a Partner at Gronemeier, Barker & Huerta from 1985 to 1990.  He served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice from 1977 to 1980, and was acting Law Professor at the University of California, Davis from 1973 to 1977.  He is a member of the boards of the National Park Conservation Association and Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.  Mr. Huerta received a B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of California School of Law.

Barry W. Karas, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Barry W. Karas is the founder of three retail apparel businesses, which he operated from 1974 to 2000.  Mr. Karas served on the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Campaign from 1991 to 2011 and the Board of Directors of Sarasota AIDS Support from 1980 to 1990.  From 1971 to 1972, he served as a Vista Volunteer at the San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation.  From 2010 to 2012, he was a member of the Obama for America National Finance Committee and the LGBT Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee.  He served on the Board of Directors of Project Angel Food and Congregation Kol Ami, and served on the Mid-City West Community Council in Los Angeles.  Mr. Karas received a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.

Ronnie Planalp, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Ronnie Planalp is a producer and co-founder of Clear Eye Productions.  She is also an officer of the board of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where she chairs the Governance Committee.  She produced Shakespeare High in 2011 and They Came to Play in 2008.  As a theater producer on Broadway, Ms. Planalp produced The Old Man and the Old Moon in 2013 and The Mountaintop in 2012.  Previously, she worked in London, England as the Director of Film for Europe for the Producers Alliance of Cinema and Television from 2003 to 2004.  Ms. Planalp was Senior Vice President at EMI Recorded Music from 2001 to 2002, and Senior Director at Excite Europe from 2000 to 2001.  From 1996 to 1999, she was Vice President of Business Development at Time Inc., Asia.  She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.  Ms. Planalp received a B.S. from Boston University and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Statement from the President

Today, I signed the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act into law.  This legislation protects a stunning, 35-mile stretch of Lake Michigan’s coastline as a wilderness area, and guarantees public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits.  It also marks the first time Congress has passed a public lands designation in five years – ending the longest period of congressional inaction on Wilderness protection in nearly 50 years.  And it passed with bipartisan support, proving that protecting America’s natural beauty is something leaders from both parties can get behind.
 
Now it’s up to Congress to do even more.  There are currently dozens of conservation proposals before Congress – many supported by Democrats and Republicans – that would protect important lands across the country and help grow our economy.  Congress should act on these proposals, and in the meantime, I will continue to do my part to protect our federal lands for future generations to enjoy.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

President Obama Nominates Two to Serve as U.S. Attorneys

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Deirdre M. Daly and James Walter Frazer Green to serve as U.S. Attorneys. 

“These fine attorneys have extensive legal experience and a shared commitment to public service,” President Obama said.  “I am thrilled that they will continue their service by pursuing justice on behalf of the American people as United States Attorneys.”

Deirdre M. Daly: Nominee for United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut
Deirdre M. Daly has served as the First Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Connecticut since 2010 and as the Acting United States Attorney since May 2013.  Previously, Daly was a partner with the Connecticut law firm Daly & Pavlis LLC from 2001 to 2010 and with the New York law firm Gage & Pavlis from 1997 to 2001.  She served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1985 to 1997 and began her law career as a law clerk for Judge Lloyd F. MacMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1984 to 1985.  Daly received her J.D. in 1984 from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. in 1981 from Dartmouth College.

James Walter Frazer Green: Nominee for United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana
James Walter Frazer Green has served as First Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Louisiana since 2010 and as the Acting United States Attorney since July 2013.  Previously, Green served as Deputy Criminal Chief in the Middle District of Louisiana from 2002 to 2010 and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Nevada from 1998 to 2000.  He has also been a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve since 1989, where he currently holds the rank of Colonel and serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the Environmental Services Division.  He has also served as a United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate since 1994.  Green received his J.D. in 1993 from Tulane Law School and his B.A. in 1989 from Louisiana State University.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

President Obama Nominates Ronald Lee Miller to Serve as U.S. Marshal for the District of Kansas

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama nominated Ronald Lee Miller to serve as United States Marshal for the District of Kansas.

“Ronald Lee Miller has dedicated his career to protecting his fellow citizens,” said President Obama.  “He has displayed courage and persistence in the pursuit of justice, and I am honored to nominate him today to continue his selfless work on behalf of the people of Kansas as a U.S. Marshal.”

Ronald Lee Miller:  Nominee to be United States Marshal for the District of Kansas
Ronald Lee Miller currently serves as the Chief of Police for the City of Topeka, Kansas, a position he has held since 2006.  From 1972 to 2006, Miller worked for the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, where he started as a Patrol Officer and eventually became Chief of Police, a position he held from 2000 to 2006.  Miller has also served as a consultant for the Police Foundation and the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.  He received his M.A. in 1975 from Wichita State University and his B.A. in 1972 from the University of Central Missouri.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

President Obama Nominates John W. deGravelles to Serve on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama nominated John W. deGravelles to serve on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

“I am honored to put forward John W. deGravelles for the federal bench,” President Obama said.  “He will be a distinguished public servant and a valuable addition to the United States District Court.”

John W. deGravelles:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
John W. deGravelles has been a partner at deGravelles, Palmintier, Holthaus & Frugé LLP (and its predecessor firms) for more than 25 years.  He was a solo practitioner from 1986 to 1987, and from 1974 to 1986, deGravelles worked at the law firm of Dué, Dodson, deGravelles, Robinson & Caskey (and its predecessor firms), where he became a partner in 1976.  During his entire legal career, deGravelles has handled a wide variety of civil litigation in both federal and state courts.  He received his J.D. in 1974 from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center and his B.A. in 1971 from Louisiana State University. 

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Office of the Press Secretary

Statement by the Press Secretary on S. 23

On Thursday, March 13, 2014, the President signed into law:

S. 23, the "Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act," which designates approximately 32,557 acres of Federal land and inland water within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan, as the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness.