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:

• Rick Lowe – Member, National Council on the Arts
• Tulinabo Salama Mushingi – Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Department of State 

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

• Eric P. Schwartz – Member, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

President Obama said, “The extraordinary dedication these individuals bring to their new roles will greatly serve the American people.  I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration 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:

Rick Lowe, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Arts
Rick Lowe is founder of Project Row Houses, an arts and cultural community located in Houston, Texas.  He has participated in national and international art exhibitions and programs since 1995.  In 2012, Mr. Lowe was an artist in residence at the Community Innovators Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tensta Konsthall in Stockholm, Sweden.  Previously, he was a Master Artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in 2011, a Visiting Artist at the Otis College of Art in Los Angeles, CA in 2010, and a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 2001 to 2002.  Mr. Lowe serves as a board member of the Menil Foundation.  He received the Creative Time’s Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art & Social Justice in 2010, the United States Artists Fellowship in Design in 2009, and the Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities in 2002. 

Dr. Tulinabo Salama Mushingi, Nominee for Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Department of State
Dr. Tulinabo Salama Mushingi, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, is Deputy Executive Secretary and Executive Director of the Executive Office of the Secretary of State.  Previously, from 2009 to 2011, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  From 2006 to 2009, he was Counselor for Management Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  Other overseas posts include: Management Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca, Morocco (2001-2003) and General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique (1994-1996).  His Washington assignments include: Supervisory General Services Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary (2003-2006) and Counseling and Assignment Officer in the Bureau of Human Resources (1999-2001).  He began his career as a language and cultural trainer for the U.S. Peace Corps.  Dr. Mushingi received a B.A. and an M.A. from the Institut Superieur Pedagogique in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, and received an M.A. from Howard University and a Ph.D. from Georgetown University.

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

Eric P. Schwartz, Appointee for Member, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Eric P. Schwartz is Dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2009 to 2011, he was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.  Mr. Schwartz served as the United Nations Secretary General’s Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery from 2005 to 2007, and as Chief of Office in Geneva for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2003 to 2004.  From 1993 until 2001, he was on the staff of the National Security Council, and from 1986 to 1989, he served as Washington Director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.  Mr. Schwartz received a B.A. from Binghamton University, an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

First Lady Michelle Obama to Address 2013 Graduating Seniors

This year, First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver commencement addresses at Eastern Kentucky University, Bowie State University, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering at Historic Pearl High (MLK).

The First Lady will be speaking at Eastern Kentucky University as part of her Joining Forces initiative because of its outstanding record supporting veterans and military families; she will be speaking at Bowie State University because of its legacy as Maryland's oldest historically black university; and she will be speaking at MLK Magnet as it is consistently ranked among the best public schools in the nation for its academic rigor and high graduation rate.

The commencement addresses will be open press, but space is limited. Members of the media who wish to cover the commencements must RSVP directly to the schools. Contact information is below.

Eastern Kentucky University
Mrs. Obama will deliver remarks at the Eastern Kentucky University commencement in Richmond, KY on Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 PM, where she will address graduates from the College of Education and the College of Business and Technology in the last of three ceremonies that day. The First Lady will be speaking at EKU as part of her Joining Forces initiative to support veterans and military families. The University has received national recognition in recent years for its commitment to helping veterans further their education. The university, one of only 16 Tillman Military Scholar Partner Universities in the nation, is recognized for its Veterans Success Center that is a one-stop-shop for numerous services, from specialized job placement for veterans to full-time advisors and counselors dedicated to serving their community. EKU is also a recipient of the “Best for Vets” honor by the Military Times EDGE magazine, as well as the “Military Friendly Schools” for G.I. Jobs Magazine, placing Eastern among the top colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide for embracing America’s student veterans. Already home to more than 1,275 veterans and their families. EKU is ranked 16th nationally among the 2013 “Best for Vets: Business Schools” by Military Times EDGE magazine.

To RSVP for this event, please contact the school.
Marc C. Whitt
Associate Vice President for Public Relations and Chief Communications Officer
859-622-2301
marc.whitt@eku.edu

 
Bowie State University
The First Lady will speak at the commencement ceremonies for Bowie State University, in Bowie, MD, on the morning of Friday, May 17. Bowie State University is part of the rich legacy of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that have been instrumental in educating generations of African Americans. The President and First Lady both have recognized the important contributions of HBCUs across the country and have delivered commencement addresses to highlight their successes. This year commemorates Bowie State University's 148th anniversary as Maryland's oldest historically black university and one of the oldest in the nation. The University educates students from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high quality and affordable public comprehensive university. Bowie State places special emphasis on the disciplines of science, technology, teacher education, business, and nursing within the context of a liberal arts education.

To RSVP for this event, please contact the school.
Damita Chambers
301-860-4311
dchambers@bowiestate.edu

Martin Luther King Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering
Mrs. Obama will deliver the commencement address to graduates of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering at Historic Pearl High in Nashville, TN on May 18 at 1:00 PM. The school serves approximately 1,200 students in grades 7 through 12 with a curriculum that emphasizes mathematics and science. Housed in the historic Pearl High School building, MLK is consistently ranked among the best public schools in the nation for its academic rigor and high graduation rate. The school recently unveiled a community-supported wellness center and students have been active in planting and caring for a community garden at the nearby community center; both efforts align with First Lady Michelle Obama’s and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean’s healthy lifestyle initiatives. MLK is part of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the nation’s 42nd largest district, which is preparing more than 81,000 students to excel in higher education, work and life with the goal of being the first choice for Nashville’s families.

To RSVP for this event, please contact the school.
Meredith Libbey
Special Communications Assistant to the Director Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
615-259-8656
Meredith.Libbey@mnps.org

 
In 2009, Mrs. Obama spoke at the graduation of University of California Merced’s first full senior class. She also addressed the Washington Math and Science Tech Public Charter High School Graduation in Washington DC. In 2010, Mrs. Obama addressed graduates of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the George Washington University, and the Anacostia Senior High School. In 2011, Mrs. Obama delivered commencement addresses at the University of Northern Iowa, Spelman College, and Quantico Middle High School. The First Lady also spoke to graduates and families at West Point. In 2012, Mrs. Obama spoke at the graduation of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T), and Oregon State University (OSU).

Readout of the President’s Call with University of Louisville Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Pitino

Yesterday, President Obama called Rick Pitino to congratulate him and the University of Louisville men’s basketball team on their 2013 NCAA championship victory.  The President told Coach Pitino that it was an exciting game to watch and that he’s built quite an impressive team over the last few years.  The President congratulated Coach Pitino on his recent induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame and said that he and the First Lady were very proud of Kevin Ware and the way he handled his injury with grace.  The President told Coach Pitino that he looks forward to congratulating the team in person at the White House. 

Sequestration Order for Fiscal Year 2014

By the authority vested in me as President by the laws of the United States of America, and in accordance with section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (the "Act"), as amended, 2 U.S.C. 901a, I hereby order that, on October 1, 2013, direct spending budgetary resources for fiscal year 2014 in each non-exempt budget account be reduced by the amount calculated by the Office of Management and Budget in its report to the Congress of April 10, 2013.

All sequestrations shall be made in strict accordance with the requirements of section 251A of the Act and the specifications of the Office of Management and Budget's report of April 10, 2013, prepared pursuant to section 251A(11) of the Act.

BARACK OBAMA