President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Tommy Beaudreau – Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Department of the Interior
• Thomas A. Burke – Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency
• Neil Kornze – Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior
• Caroline Diane Krass – General Counsel, Central Intelligence Agency
• Ericka M. Miller – Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education
• Stefan M. Selig – Under Secretary for International Trade, Department of Commerce 

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

• Cheryl D. Alston – Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
• Dallas L. Salisbury – Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 

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:

Tommy Beaudreau, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Department of the Interior

Tommy Beaudreau currently serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Department of the Interior.  In addition, he is the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2010 to 2011, he was a Senior Advisor to the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement.  Previously, Mr. Beaudreau was a partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where he practiced from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2010.  He clerked for the Honorable Jerome B. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2000 to 2001.  Mr. Beaudreau received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. Thomas A. Burke, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency

Dr. Thomas A. Burke is the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a position he has held since 2008.  Since 2009, Dr. Burke has concurrently served as the Jacob I. and Irene B. Fabrikant Chair in Health, Risk, and Society.  He has been a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management since 2002, and the Director of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute since 1995.  From 1994 to 2002, he was an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management and previously served as assistant professor.  Dr. Burke held the position of Deputy Commissioner for the State of New Jersey Department of Health from 1986 to 1990, and previously served as the Assistant Commissioner.  From 1980 to 1986, Dr. Burke was the Director of the Office of Science and Research for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and previously served as a Research Scientist in the Office of Cancer and Toxic Substances Research. From 1976 to 1977, he was a Public Health Trainee at the University of Texas Health Science Center at the Houston School of Public Health.  Dr. Burke received a B.S. from St. Peter’s College, an M.P.H. from the University of Texas School Of Public Health, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Neil Kornze, Nominee for Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior

Neil Kornze is the Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the Department of the Interior, a position he has held since 2011.  Previously, Mr. Kornze worked for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a number of roles from 2003 to 2011, including Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Assistant, Director of Nevada Operations, and Senior Policy Advisor.  From 2002 to 2008, he was an International Election Observer at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.  Mr. Kornze received a B.A. from Whitman College and an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics.

Caroline Diane Krass, Nominee for General Counsel, Central Intelligence Agency

Caroline Diane Krass is currently Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, a position she has held since February 2011.  She served as Acting Assistant Attorney General in 2011.  Previously, she served on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President.  From 2007 to 2008, she served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney within the National Security Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  She served as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2007, and previously served as an Attorney-Advisor in that office.  From 1999 to 2000, she served as Deputy Legal Adviser at the National Security Council.  From 1996 to 1997, she served as Special Assistant to the General Counsel at the Department of the Treasury, and  she served as Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the Department of State from 1994 to 1996.  Ms. Krass clerked for the Honorable Patricia M. Wald on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  She received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Dr. Ericka M. Miller, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education

Dr. Ericka M. Miller is the Vice President for Operations and Strategic Leadership at The Education Trust, a position she has held since 2007.  Previously, from 2005 to 2007, Dr. Miller was Vice President and Director for Isaacson, Miller, where she led the K-12 education practice for the executive search firm.  Prior to that, Dr. Miller worked for the McKenzie Group, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2002 to 2005, and as Director for its Division of Organizational Development and Government Relations from 2001 to 2002.  From 1997 to 2001, Dr. Miller was the education legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey.  From 1995 to 1997, Dr. Miller was an assistant professor at Mills College.  Dr. Miller was also an Assistant Managing Editor for the Washingtonian Magazine from 1987 to 1990.  Dr. Miller serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including the George Washington University National Council of Education and Human Development, the George Mason University College of Education and Human Development Advisory Board, and the Board of Trustees of the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.  Dr. Miller received a B.A. from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Stefan M. Selig, Nominee for Under Secretary for International Trade, Department of Commerce  

Stefan M. Selig is currently the Executive Vice Chairman of Global Corporate and Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, a position he has held since 2009.  From 1999 to 2009, he held various leadership roles at Banc of America Securities, including Vice Chairman of Global Investment Banking and Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions.  From 1992 to 1999, Mr. Selig held various senior investment banking positions, including Co-Head of Mergers and Acquisitions for UBS Securities.  In 1988, he was an original member of Wasserstein Perella & Co.  Starting in 1984, he worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group at The First Boston Corporation.  Mr. Selig received a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

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

Cheryl D. Alston, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

Cheryl D. Alston is the Executive Director for the Employees’ Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas.  Ms. Alston began her term as Executive Director in 2004.  In addition, she is a member of the Council of Institutional Investors, the National Council of Public Employee Retirement Systems, the Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems, and the National Association of Securities Professionals.  Ms. Alston is also a Vice-Chair of the Volunteer Center of North Texas.  Ms. Alston was first appointed to the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in 2011.  Ms. Alston received a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Leonard N. Stern School at New York University.

Dallas L. Salisbury, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

Dallas L. Salisbury is President and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).  He first joined EBRI as Chief Staff Executive at its founding in 1978.  Previously, Mr. Salisbury held positions with the Washington State Legislature, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.  Mr. Salisbury previously served on the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation from 1991 to 1994, and again from 2011 to 2013.  He received a B.A. in Finance from the University of Washington and an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

President Obama Nominates Kevin W. Techau to Serve as U.S. Attorney

WASHINGTON, DC- Today, President Obama nominated Kevin W. Techau to serve as U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Iowa. 

" Kevin W. Techau has distinguished himself as a fair, tenacious and respected attorney throughout his careers in both public and private service," President Obama said. "He will serve his country with distinction as U.S. Attorney and it is my honor to nominate him for this esteemed position."

Kevin W. Techau:  Nominee for United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa

Kevin W. Techau is Associate General Counsel at American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company, where he has worked since 2007.  Prior to that, Techau served as a Commissioner of the Iowa Department of Public Safety from 2002 to 2007 and as Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals from 1999 to 2002.  He was an Assistant Federal Public Defender with the Iowa Federal Defender’s Office from 1996 to 1999 and worked in private practice at the law firm of Grefe & Sidney from 1992 to 1996.  From 1985 to 1992, he served as a Judge Advocate with the United States Air Force.  After leaving active duty, Techau served with the Iowa Air National Guard from 1993 to 2011.  In 2011, he retired from the Iowa Air National Guard as a Colonel with 27 years of military service.  Techau received his J.D in 1984 from the University of Iowa College of Law and his B.B.A. degree in 1981 from the University of Iowa.

President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States District Courts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama nominated James D. Peterson, Nancy J. Rosenstengel and Judge Ronnie L. White for District Court judgeships.

"These individuals have demonstrated the talent, expertise, and fair-mindedness Americans expect and deserve from their judicial system," said President Obama.  "I am grateful for their willingness to serve and confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity."

James D. Peterson: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

James D. Peterson is a shareholder at the law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., where he is a member of the litigation and intellectual property practice groups and heads the firm’s intellectual property litigation working group.  Previously, Peterson worked as a law clerk for Judge David Deininger of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals from 1998 to 1999.  Peterson received his J.D. in 1998 from the University of Wisconsin Law School.  Prior to his career in law, Peterson was a faculty member at the University of Notre Dame.  He received his Ph.D. in 1986, his M.A. in 1984, and his B.S. in 1979, all from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Nancy J. Rosenstengel:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

Nancy J. Rosenstengel has served as Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois since 2009.  From 1998 to 2009, Rosenstengel served as a career law clerk to Judge G. Patrick Murphy of the Southern District of Illinois.  Previously, she worked at the law firm of Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard from 1993 to 1998, where her practice primarily involved products liability, medical malpractice and Jones Act litigation.  Rosenstengel received her J.D. cum laude in 1993 from the Southern Illinois University School of Law and her B.A. cum laude in 1990 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Judge Ronnie L. White:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Judge Ronnie L. White has been a partner in the St. Louis law firm of Holloran White Schwartz & Gaertner LLP since 2007.  Since 1996, he has also served as an adjunct professor at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.  From 1995 to 2007, Judge White served as a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court, and he served as Chief Justice from 2003 to 2005.  In 1994, he was appointed to be a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District where he remained until his elevation to the Missouri Supreme Court.  Judge White was appointed City Counselor for St. Louis from 1993 to 1994 and worked at the Law Offices of Cahill, White & Hemphill from 1988 to 1993.  During that same time period, Judge White was elected three times to the Missouri House of Representatives.  From 1987 to 1988, he worked both for the law firm of Young, Russell, Crawford & Black, and for the Office of the Special Public Defender.  He began his legal career by working as a trial attorney in the Office of the Public Defender in St. Louis.  Judge White received his J.D. in 1983 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and his B.A. in 1979 from the St. Louis University. 

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco

On Friday, November 22, President Obama will host King Mohammed VI of Morocco at the White House.  This visit will highlight the long-standing friendship between the United States and Morocco and strengthen our strategic partnership.  The President looks forward to discussing a range of issues of mutual interest with King Mohammed VI, including support for Morocco’s democratic and economic reforms.  This visit is also an opportunity to increase our cooperation on addressing regional challenges, including countering violent extremism, supporting democratic transitions, and promoting economic development in the Middle East and Africa.