Weekly Address: Restoring Opportunity for All

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, the President discussed the goals he laid out in the State of the Union address to expand opportunity for all so that every American can get ahead and have a shot at creating a better life for their kids.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
February 1, 2014

Hi, everybody. 

This week, I delivered my State of the Union Address. Today, here’s the three-minute version.

After four years of economic growth with eight million new private sector jobs, our unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in more than five years.  And with the economy speeding up, companies say they intend to hire more people this year. 

But while those at the top are doing better than ever, average wages have barely budged.  Inequality has deepened.  Too many Americans are working harder and harder just to get by.  And too many still aren’t working at all.

Our job is to reverse those trends.  It’s time to restore opportunity for all people – the idea that no matter who you are, if you work hard and live up to your responsibilities, you can make it if you try.

The opportunity agenda I laid out on Tuesday has four parts. This week, I took them on the road.

Job one is more new jobs: jobs in construction and manufacturing, jobs in innovation and energy.

In Wisconsin, I talked with plant workers at GE about part two: training more Americans with the skills to fill those new jobs.

In Tennessee, I talked with students about part three: guaranteeing every child access to a world-class education, from early childhood, through college, and right into a career.

And with steelworkers in Pittsburgh, and retail workers in Maryland, I laid out part four: making sure hard work pays off for men and women, with wages you can live on, savings you can retire on, and health insurance that’s there for you when you need it.

These ideas will strengthen the middle class and help more people work their way into the middle class.  Some of them will require Congress.  But wherever I can take steps to expand opportunity for more families on my own, I will.  I’m going to ask business leaders, education leaders, and philanthropic leaders to partner with us to advance these goals. 

And every single day, I’m going to fight for these priorities – to shift the odds back in favor of more working and middle-class Americans, and to keep America a place where you can always make it if you try.

Thanks.  Have a great weekend.  And enjoy the Super Bowl.

FACT SHEET: Opportunity For All – The President’s Call to Action to Give the Long-Term Unemployed a Fair Shot

Click here to see a list of best practices on recruiting and hiring the long-term unemployed -- and a list of signers.

Read a report on the importance of addressing the negative cycle of long-term unemployment.

Year of Action: Making Progress Through Executive Action

Today, following up on his call to action, the President is meeting with CEOs whose companies have agreed to take steps to help give the long-term unemployed a fair shot at a job, and will announce new steps to expand partnerships that connect the long-term unemployed to good jobs.

• Partnering With Leading Companies to Give the Long-Term Unemployed a Fair Shot. Research shows that the long-term unemployed are frequently overlooked and sometimes excluded from job opportunities – with one study finding that long-term unemployed workers with otherwise identical resumes were called back for interviews at rates 45 percent lower than the short-term unemployed

• New Best Practices for Hiring and Recruiting the Long-Term Unemployed. As part of an ongoing effort that began several months ago, the Administration has engaged with America’s leading businesses to develop best practices for hiring and recruiting the long-term unemployed to ensure that these candidates receive a fair shot during the hiring process. 

• Over 300 Hundred Companies Have Signed On. More than 80 of the nation’s largest businesses have signed on, including 20 members of the Fortune 50 and over 45 members of the Fortune 200, as well as small- and medium-sized businesses. In the coming months, the President will encourage other business leaders to adopt these practices.

• Presidential Memorandum to Make Sure the Federal Government Does the Same. The President will also lead by example and use his executive authority to sign a Presidential Memorandum to make sure that individuals who are unemployed or have faced financial difficulties through no fault of their own receive fair treatment and consideration for employment by federal agencies. 

• $150 Million for “Ready to Work” Partnerships That Support Innovative Public-Private Efforts to Help the Long-Term Unemployed Get a Fair Shot. The Administration is launching a grant competition through the Department of Labor to support and scale innovative partnerships among employers and non-profits in states and cities across the country that are helping to prepare and place the long-term unemployed into good jobs.

• Focus on Job Placement Assistance, Work-Based Training and Employer Engagement. These partnerships will employ strategies that have demonstrated success or high promise, including job placement assistance, work-based training, and employer engagement.

• New Private Commitments to Scale Models That Help the Long-Term Unemployed. Foundations are also announcing new commitments to help the long-term unemployed, including providing new support to applicants for federal grant programs as well as new grants to rural and urban communities to upgrade the skills of the long-term unemployed.

FURTHER DETAIL ON EXECUTIVE ACTIONS THE PRESIDENT IS TAKING TO GIVE THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED A FAIR SHOT

After the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, our economy has made significant progress, as businesses have added 8.2 million jobs over the past 46 months. But a remaining legacy of the recession is the crisis of long-term unemployment. Too many Americans who found themselves out of a job through no fault of their own have struggled to return to work. At a time when we as a nation should be helping those who are long-term unemployed find new jobs, we should never have taken an abrupt step backwards by cutting off their unemployment insurance, which has already hurt 1.6 million Americans since the end of last year and is estimated to hurt 4.9 million workers by the end of 2014. The President urges members of both parties to come together right now to extend emergency unemployment insurance. And, the President will continue to work with Congress as well as to take executive action to address the challenge of the long-term unemployed.

• Partnering With Leading Companies to Give the Long-Term Unemployed a Fair Shot. Research shows that the long-term unemployed are frequently overlooked and sometimes excluded from job opportunities – even when they may have identical or superior resumes to other candidates.

• Long-Term Unemployed Are Frequently Overlooked in Recruiting and Hiring Practices. One recent study showed that the interview “callback” rate for otherwise identical resumes falls sharply as the length of unemployment rises, with callbacks 45 percent lower for those unemployed for eight months compared to those unemployed for just one month. Another study found that those unemployed for seven months need to send an average of 35 resumes to online job postings to receive just one interview, compared to just 10 resumes per interview for those unemployed for only one month. 

• New Best Practices for Hiring and Recruiting the Long-Term Unemployed. As part of an ongoing effort that began several months ago, the Administration has engaged with America’s leading businesses to develop best practices for hiring and recruiting the long-term unemployed to ensure that these candidates receive a fair shot during the hiring process. 

---- Ensuring advertising does not discourage or discriminate against the unemployed 

---- Reviewing screening and other recruiting procedures so that they do not intentionally or inadvertently    disadvantage individuals based solely on their unemployment status 

---- Using recruitment practices that cast a broad net and encourage all qualified candidates to apply 

---- Sharing best practices for success in hiring the long-term unemployed within their companies and across their supply chains and the greater business community 

• Over 300 Hundred Companies Have Signed On. More than 80 of the nation’s largest businesses have signed on, including 20 members of the Fortune 50 and over 45 members of the Fortune 200, as well as small- and medium-sized businesses. In the coming months, the President will encourage other business leaders to adopt these practices. 

• Additional Support for Human Resource Professionals in Implementing Best Practices. The Society for Human Resource Management, which helped develop these best practices, has developed additional guides for human resource professionals and long-term unemployed job-seekers and will be an ongoing resource to provide technical support for companies seeking to implement these practices. 

• Presidential Memorandum to Make Sure the Federal Government Does the Same.  The President will also lead by example and use his executive authority to issue a Presidential Memorandum to ensure the long-term unemployed receive a fair shot in the Federal hiring process. The Memorandum directs federal agencies to review their recruiting and hiring practices to determine whether these practices put long-term unemployed individuals at an undue disadvantage and report the results to the Office of Personnel Management. This process will help to make sure the unemployed or individuals who have faced financial difficulties (a common side-effect of long-term unemployment) are fairly considered for jobs. 

• $150 Million for “Ready to Work” Partnerships to Support Innovative Public-Private Efforts to Help the Long-Term Unemployed Get a Fair Shot. Today, the President and Department of Labor are announcing $150 million in existing resources from the H-1B fund to support high performing partnerships between employers, non-profit organizations and America’s public workforce system that will help provide long-term unemployed individuals with the range of services, training, and access they need to fill middle and high-skill jobs. A solicitation for applications for these “ready to work” partnerships be available in February and awards will be made in mid-2014. In particular, these grants will reward partnerships with the following key features:

• Focus on Reemploying Long-Term Unemployed Workers.  Programs will have to recruit long-term unemployed workers and employ strategies that are effective in getting them back to work in middle to high-skill occupations. These strategies could include assessments, job placement assistance, training, mentoring and supportive services such as financial counseling and behavioral health counseling. 

• Work-based Training That Enables Earning While Learning Through Models Such as On-the-Job Training (OJT), Paid Work Experience, Paid Internships and Registered Apprenticeships. Incorporating work-based training into these projects will afford employers the opportunity to train workers in the specific skill sets required for open jobs. 

• Employer Engagement and Support in Program Design – Including Programs That Commit to Consider Hiring Qualified Participants. Training programs funded by these grants must address the skills and competencies demanded by employers and high-growth industries, and ultimately lead to the employment of qualified participants. Preference will be given to applicants with employer partners that make a commitment to consider candidates who participate in these programs.

CONTINUING TO WORK WITH CONGRESS ON THE PRESIDENT’S EXISTING PROPOSALS TO GET THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED BACK TO WORK

• Continuing to Work With Congress to Extend Emergency Unemployment Insurance for Americans Looking for Work. At a time when we as a nation should be helping those who are long-term unemployed find new jobs, we should never have taken a step backwards by abruptly cutting off their unemployment insurance, which has already hurt 1.6 million Americans since the end of last year and is estimated to hurt 4.9 million workers by the end of 2014. The President urges members of both parties to come together right now to extend emergency unemployment insurance. 

• Working to Put in Place Job-Driven Training Programs that Connect the Long-Term Unemployed to Work. In addition to his broader efforts to support job growth through investment in areas like infrastructure and manufacturing, the President has called for new, targeted efforts to train the long-term unemployed and connect them to jobs. In the American Jobs Act, for example, and in his subsequent budgets, the President has proposed new, temporary programs that would offer reemployment and training for the long-term unemployed and low-skilled workers. The President’s budget also proposed consolidating and improving the two programs that serve displaced workers in order to double the number of workers that are able to receive training after losing a job through no fault of their own.

NEW PRIVATE COMMITMENTS TO EXPAND MODELS THAT HELP THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED GET BACK TO WORK

• LinkedIn.  LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, has committed to support select grantees and states from the Administration’s new $150 million fund for Ready to Work Partnerships to help them identify, connect and support the long-term unemployed in their region. 

• Skills for America’s Future. Skills for America’s Future, an industry-led initiative launched in partnership with the White House in 2009, is announcing its intention to offer technical support to applicants for the new grants being announced today by the Department of Labor, including the provision of on-line informational resources and briefings. SAF will seek to offer prospective applicants with strategies and approaches reflecting best practices in demand-driven employment strategies that meet employer needs and ensure labor market success for job seekers and the long-term unemployed. SAF and Skills for Chicagoland's Future, the first regional adaptation of SAF's demand-driven workforce development principles, is announcing efforts to support the expansion of SCF's promising model program. SAF has provided Skills for Chicagoland's Future with a grant to launch a new web portal to support the needs of employers and organizations interested in learning more about demand-driven intermediary work or in replicating the SCF model.  SAF also announced a grant to the Indianapolis-based Workforce Investment Board, “Indy,” in support of the adoption of demand driven workforce development practices targeting the long-term unemployed. Finally, SAF is announcing its plans to undertake research agenda designed to identify and promulgate a set of best practices for how to effectively engage employers in demand-driven training and employment programs. 

• National Fund for Workforce Solutions. With support from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) and matching funds from a dozen national philanthropies, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS) will be awarding $2.5 million in grants this month to 21 rural and urban regions across the U.S.  Local communities will match this grant on at least a dollar-for-dollar basis, creating an investment pool of more than $5 million. These resources will be invested in addressing the occupational needs of small/middle-market companies and institutions in key regional industries. Funding will be targeted to upgrade the skills of the long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged populations. Training priorities will be established based on the competency requirements as defined by the hundreds of employers participating in the National Fund’s sectoral industry partnerships.  

• Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.  Skills for Chicagoland’s Future will lead a groundbreaking expansion of their work including a unique partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation and announcement of a new two-year $600,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase’s landmark New Skills at Work program which will increase the number of unemployed served in 2014 by 20%.  SCF will expand their practice of obtaining annual signed commitments from a multitude of employers to hire the unemployed through SCF.  SCF will also launch a new web portal for organizations that have an interest in replicating a demand driven model or companies seeking information on opportunities to address long term unemployment.  SCF’s innovative model and approach led to the job placement of nearly 600 unemployed in 2013 with 75% being long term unemployed. 

• Per Scholas. Per Scholas is announcing that as of February 3, 2014, it will open a fourth location. Located in downtown Silver Spring, MD, this free IT-Ready job training will serve 80 dislocated workers in its inaugural year, ultimately training over 1,000 area residents by 2020. IT-Ready graduates will be equipped with the IT job skills needed by community employers, which were consulted in preparation for opening. This program will be supported the Creating IT Futures Foundation, Per Scholas’ national expansion partner, and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, who helped find and furnish the new site, and will be a primary referral partner ensuring that residents from the region receive the support services needed most. 

• Goodwill Industries. Goodwill Industries International is announcing its partnership with Accenture to launch GoodProspects® for Credentials to Careers in order to help more Americans, including the long-term unemployed, gain the skills needed for college and career success. The program, which is funded by a $1.5 million grant as part of Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative, will help 40 Goodwill® agencies from across the country connect with more than 15,000 people, starting with 10 competitively selected Goodwill agencies that have existing partnerships with community colleges and area businesses. GoodProspects for Credentials to Careers will engage in local credentialing partnerships, conduct regional education and industry summits to develop and strengthen the talent pipeline, and offer Accenture employees and others the opportunity to provide program participants with mentoring and skill-building support.  Goodwill will also leverage local training and educational opportunities through community colleges to help address the skills gap in businesses across the country. Finally, GoodProspects for Credentials to Careers will offer career-readiness services such as resume refinement, job-search assistance, soft-skills workshops and access to technology as well as other wrap-around services such as financial coaching, credentialing opportunities, employer referrals, and childcare and mental health services. 

• JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase & Co. recently announced its New Skills at Work initiative, a five-year workforce readiness and demand-driven training initiative.  Working closely with local businesses, elected officials, academics and community leaders, JPMorgan Chase will use new data and industry intelligence to direct grants and forge partnerships to help close the skills gap.  To achieve this goal, communities need reliable local level data to tell them exactly which skills are needed in which sectors, in order to drive strategic local workforce planning.  The data that supports the workforce system today is inadequate; New Skills at Work will address that challenge by developing new data and research to create regional gap reports that analyze the specific skills needs of each community.  New Skills will begin its work in nine cities -- Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area. As part of a commitment to help the long-term unemployed, JPMorgan Chase is announcing today that the gap reports will include an analysis of the challenges that the long-term unemployed face and a picture of the job opportunities available to those who develop specialized skills through focused and effective training.  With this data in hand, the public, private and non-profit sectors, including Ready to Work grantees, can join together to give aspiring workers the training they need to meet employer demand in their community. 

• AARP Foundation. AARP Foundation is announcing the expansion of its BACK TO WORK 50+ initiative through a new collaboration with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and with generous support from the Walmart Foundation. This program movies low-income, unemployed men and women age 50+ from instability to stability by increasing their income through employment in good jobs in their communities. Originally launched as a demonstration project in Denver, CO in 2013, BACK TO WORK 50+ is designed create local coordination of employment services, public benefits application assistance, financial capability and employer engagement to connect 50+ job candidates to specific in-demand jobs in their communities. Over the next two years, AARP Foundation will invest over $2 million to expand the program and reach thousands more older workers who need these important services.  As part of the BACK TO WORK 50+ expansion the first 11 community colleges that will become part of the network have been selected and an additional four colleges will be added later in 2014.  

• Platform 2 Employment. With support from the AARP Foundation, Citi Community Development and the Walmart Foundation, P2E is announcing the launch of its job readiness program for the long-term unemployed in Orlando, Florida. This caps P2E’s 10 city expansion over the past twelve months that included Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Newark, San Diego and San Francisco. Over the next year, P2E plans to expand its program to 25 additional cities. Tested across multiple cohorts including participants from all socio economic and ethnic backgrounds, P2E has already placed 203 long-term unemployed into work experience opportunities, with 88% or 179 of these individuals moving on to unsubsidized full-time employment.

• PG&E. In 2014, PG&E will build upon its successful workforce development program, PowerPathway™, by conducting two PowerPathway™ workforce development programs for the long-term unemployed, with a focus on long-term unemployed veterans. Together, these two programs, targeting the greater Fresno area,  will provide 48 individuals with resume building and interview skills, technical training, education and other transferrable skills that can be used to help obtain a job in the skilled craft and utility industry. These program will be conducted in partnership with local workforce investment board, community-based and business organizations, and community colleges in the Fresno area, which continues to experience unemployment rates above the state and national average. The energy and transportation industry represents about 10 percent of all employment opportunities in the Fresno region, with many of these jobs requiring specialized skills and education. PG&E’s PowerPathway™ program provides the education and skills training necessary to support individuals seeking not just jobs, but careers in these sectors. PG&E will provide a template to scale and replicate the PowerPathway™ workforce development program targeting the long-term unemployed through state and federal utility organizations, including the California Energy and Utility Workforce Consortia and the Center for Energy Workforce Development.

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:

• Miranda A. A. Ballentine – Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics, Department of Defense
• Norman C. Bay – Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman
• Reggie Brothers – Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security
• William P. Doyle – Commissioner, Federal  Maritime Commission
• Ann Dunkin – Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, Environmental Protection Agency
• Manny Ehrlich – Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
• Mileydi Guilarte – United States Alternate Executive Director, Inter-American Development Bank
• Suzi LeVine – Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Department of State
• Michael McCord – Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Department of Defense
• Brian P. McKeon – Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense
• Christine E. Wormuth – Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense 

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following members to key administration posts:

• Theodore B. Olson – Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships
• Nathalie Rayes – Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country.  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:

Miranda A. A. Ballentine, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics, Department of Defense

Miranda A. A. Ballentine is the Director of Sustainability, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Facilities, and Stakeholder Engagement for Walmart Stores, Inc., a position she has held since 2008.  Previously, she was Vice President of Investor Analysis, Chief Operating Officer, and Senior Consultant for David Gardiner and Associates from 2003 to 2008.  In 2004, she served as the Director of Operations, Assistant Treasurer, and a Member of the Board of Environment2004.  She was the Operations Director for Solar Electric Light Fund from 2001 to 2004.  Since 2001, she has served as a guest lecturer at Duke University, George Washington University, and Kenan-Flagler School of Business.  She received a B.S. from Colorado State University and an M.B.A from George Washington University.

Norman C. Bay, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman

Norman C. Bay is the Director of the Office of Enforcement at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a position he has held since 2009.  Prior to this, Mr. Bay was a Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico from 2002 to 2009.  From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Bay was the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico.  He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1989 to 2000, an Attorney-Adviser at the United States Department of State from 1988 to 1989, and a Law Clerk for the Honorable Otto R. Skopil, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1986 to 1987.  Mr. Bay received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Reggie Brothers, Nominee for Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Reggie Brothers is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2009 to 2011, Dr. Brothers was a BAE Systems Director for Mission Applications and Technical Fellow.  From 2007 to 2011, he was a BAE Systems Director for Advanced Programs and Technology.  From 2003 to 2007, Dr. Brothers was a Program Manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.  From 2001 to 2003, he was a Group Leader for the Charles Draper Laboratory, and from 1999 to 2001 he was Chief Architect for Envoy Networks.  Dr. Brothers was Assistant Group Leader and Member of the Technical Staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory from 1988 to 1999.  Prior to 1988, Dr. Brothers was a Program Manager, Microwave Design Engineer, and Analog-Digital Design Engineer for Texas Instruments.  Dr. Brothers received a B.S. from Tufts University, an M.S. from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

William P. Doyle, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission

William P. Doyle currently serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).  Prior to joining the FMC, from 2011 to 2013, Mr. Doyle served as the Chief-of-Staff for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association from 2011 to 2013.  From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Doyle was the Director of Permitting, Scheduling, and Compliance at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects from 2008 to 2011, and was the Deputy General Counsel and Director of Government and Legislative Affairs for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association from 2002 to 2008.  Mr. Doyle received a B.S. from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law.

Ann Dunkin, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, Environmental Protection Agency

Ann Dunkin is the Chief Technology Officer for the Palo Alto Unified School District, a position she has held since 2012.  Prior to this, Ms. Dunkin was the Director of Technology for the Palo Alto Unified School District from 2009 to 2012.  She held a number of positions at the Hewlett-Packard Company including Senior R&D Program Manager from 2006 to 2008, IT Director and Senior Manager from 2001 to 2005 and IT Operations Director from 1999 to 2001.  Since 2012, she has served on the Consortium on School Networking (CoSN) SmartIT Advisory Board and the CoSN CTO Council since 2013.  Ms. Dunkin received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an M.S. from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Manny Ehrlich, Nominee for Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

Manny Ehrlich is the Principal at ESP Consulting, a position he has held since 2002.  Mr. Ehrlich was a Site General Manager for Pitt Penn Corporation from 2007 to 2009.  He served as the General Manager of the Emergency Response Training Center from 2006 to 2007 and was the Vice President of Health, Safety, and Labor Relations at International Specialty Products from 1998 to 2003.  He served as the Director of Emergency Response at BASF Corporation from 1989 to 1998 and the Assistant Plant Manager at BASF’s Geismar Electrolytics Plant from 1980 to 1981. From 1976 to 1980, Mr. Ehrlich was the Assistant Site Manager at Wyndotte Electrolytics under the BASF Corporation.  He received a B.S. from the Drexel Institute of Technology and an Ed.M. and M.A. from Columbia University.

Mileydi Guilarte, Nominee for United States Alternate Executive Director, Inter-American Development Bank

Mileydi Guilarte serves as an International Cooperation Specialist in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a position she has held since 2011.  From 2010 to 2011, she was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID.  Ms. Guilarte held numerous positions at the United Nations from 2007 to 2010, including Special Assistant to the Resident Representative in the Republic of the Maldives and Human Rights Officer on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in East Timor.  From 2004 to 2007, Ms. Guilarte held a number of assignments in the Social Development Department and in the Civil Society Team of the Latin America and the Caribbean Region at the World Bank.  She worked as a contractor for the International Monetary Fund from 2003 to 2004.  Ms. Guilarte received a B.A. from the University of Florida and an M.A. from American University.

Suzi LeVine, Nominee for Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Department of State

Suzi LeVine was Director of Strategic Partnerships for Student Developers and Director of Communications for Education at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington from 2009 to 2012.  Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Expedia’s luxury travel division from 2003 to 2005 and Director of Marketing at Expedia, Inc. from 1998 to 2002, and Product Manager at Microsoft from 1993 to 1999.  She co-founded and serves as Chair of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.  She co-founded and served as President of the Kavana Cooperative in Seattle and was a member of the Obama for America National Finance Committee, Co-Chair for Tech for Obama and Women for Obama, and the Northwest Regional Co-Chair.  Ms. LeVine received an A.B. and an Sc.B. from Brown University. 

Michael McCord, Nominee for Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Department of Defense

Michael McCord is the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), a position he has held since 2009.  From 1987 to 2004, Mr. McCord served in a number of roles in the Senate Armed Service Committee, including as a professional staff member.  As majority staff lead, Mr. McCord served as lead analyst for both the overall defense budget and the Quadrennial Defense Review.  As minority staff lead, Mr. McCord was responsible for oversight of over $100 billion in annual DOD operation maintenance funding and related policy matters.  In 2003, he served as the Budget Analyst for defense and veterans issues for the Committee on the Budget in the U.S. House of Representatives.  From 1985 to 1986, Mr. McCord was an Assistant Analyst in the Budget Analysis Division of the Congressional Budget Office.  He received a B.A. from the Ohio State University and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Brian P. McKeon, Nominee for Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense

Brian P. McKeon is Deputy Assistant to the President, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council, and Chief of Staff for the National Security Staff at the White House, a position he has held since 2012.  He served as the Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President from 2009 to 2012.  Mr. McKeon was on the Presidential Transition’s State Department Agency Review Team, and served as the Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1997 to 2009, serving under then Senator Joe Biden.  Mr. McKeon was previously a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Robert Doumar and also worked on the Clinton-Gore 1996 campaign.  Earlier in his career, Mr. McKeon served in Senator Biden’s personal office in various capacities from 1985 to 1995, including seven years as a Legislative Assistant for Foreign Policy and Defense.  Mr. McKeon received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Christine E. Wormuth, Nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense

Christine E. Wormuth is Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Strategy, Plans, and Forces) at the Department of Defense (DOD), a position she has held since 2012.  Prior to this, she was Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Defense Policy on the National Security Staff from 2010 to 2012.  Previously, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2009 to 2010.  Before joining the Administration, she was a Senior Fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2004 to 2009.  Ms. Wormuth was a Principal at DFI Government Services, managing homeland and defense policy contracts for clients from 2002 to 2004.  She served as Country Director for France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in the Office of European Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy at DOD from 2001 to 2002.  She was the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for Programs and Legislation from 2000 to 2001.  Prior to this, she served as Senior Assistant for Strategy Development in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Threat Reduction from 1998 to 2000.  She was a Presidential Management Intern in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1996 to 1997 and a Senior Research Assistant at the Henry L. Stimson Center in 1995.  Ms. Wormuth received a B.A. from Williams College and a M.P.P. from the School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland.

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

Theodore B. Olson, Appointee for Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

Theodore B. Olson is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Washington, D.C. office, a firm he first joined in 1965.  He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law Group and its Crisis Management Team.  He is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.  Mr. Olson served as Solicitor General of the United States from 2001 to 2004, and was Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1981 to 1984.  He was appointed by President Obama as a Member of the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States in 2010.  Mr. Olson is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts.  In 2010, he was selected by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.  Mr. Olson received a B.A. from the University of the Pacific and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

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

Nathalie Rayes is currently the U.S. National Public Relations Director for Azteca America, a Grupo Salinas Company, where she has worked since 2006.  She is also Executive Director of Fundación Azteca America, the company’s philanthropic arm.  Previously, Ms. Rayes served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, and as a Senior Policy Advisor to Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Feuer.  In 1998, she was a Department of State Fellow in the Economic/Political Section of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.  She serves on the Advisory Board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and 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 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 M.P.P. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

President Obama Signs Oklahoma Disaster Declaration

Today, the President declared a major disaster in the State of Oklahoma and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by the severe winter storm during the period of December 5-6, 2013.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm in the counties of Choctaw, Le Flore, McCurtain, and Pushmataha. 

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Sandy Coachman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.