Statement by the President on the Observance of World AIDS Day

This Saturday, December 1st, on World AIDS Day, we will come together as a global community to stand with people affected by HIV/AIDS, to remember those we have lost, and to renew our commitment to ending the pandemic once and for all.  We have made great strides in combating this disease, and an AIDS-free generation is within sight.  Here in the United States we are implementing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy and concentrating our efforts in communities where HIV rates are highest, including among gay men, Latinos, and African Americans. We are investing in comprehensive HIV prevention and care, including through the Affordable Care Act, to prevent infection and ensure that all people living with HIV have access to life-extending treatment.  Testing for HIV remains a top priority, and thanks to ongoing scientific advancements, finding out your HIV status has never been easier and treatment is more effective than ever.
 
Today, I am pleased my Administration will make public new data that demonstrates we are on track to meet the ambitious treatment and prevention targets I announced on World AIDS Day a year ago.  As of today, we are treating over 5 million people with lifesaving medicines for AIDS, up from 1.7 million in 2008, and, as I pledged last year, we are on track to treat 6 million people by the end of 2013.  This year, we have also reached over 700,000 HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral drugs that will prevent them from passing the virus to their children.  As we meet these new targets, we are joined by a growing number of countries and the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, who share our commitment to doing more so that more may live.  As we continue this important work with our partners around the world and here at home, let us remember the lives we have lost to AIDS, celebrate the progress we have made, and, together, recommit to ourselves to achieving our shared vision of an AIDS-free generation.
 

President Obama Signs New Hampshire Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Hampshire and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Sandy during the period of October 26 to November 8, 2012.

Federal funding is available for 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 Hurricane Sandy in the counties of Belknap, Carroll, Coos, Grafton, and Sullivan.

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 James N. Russo 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

Statement by the President on the Anniversary of the Birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

I send my best wishes to all those here in America and around the world who are observing the anniversary of birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru.  As always, this is a time to celebrate the principles of equality, respect, service and interfaith cooperation that are the core of the Sikh faith, and to recognize the extraordinary contributions that Sikh Americans make to our country every day.  This year, we also remember the innocent lives that were lost  in the unspeakable violence directed against the Sikh congregation at the gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.  I can think of no better way to honor their memory, and to join our Sikh friends as they mark this sacred time, than to recommit ourselves to the spirit of pluralism, equality and compassion that define both the Sikh community and our nation.   

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Edward S. Itta – Member, Arctic Research Commission
• James J. McCarthy – Member, Arctic Research Commission
• Waded Cruzado – Member, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
• Brady J. Deaton – Chairman, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
• Harold L. Martin, Sr. – Member, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
• Lisa Green Hall – Member, Community Development Advisory Board
• Ed Stockwell  – United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

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 appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Edward S. Itta, Appointee for Member, Arctic Research Commission
Edward S. Itta served as the Mayor of the North Slope Borough of Alaska from 2005 to 2011.  Before serving as mayor, Mr. Itta held a variety of project management and development positions for Arctic Slope World Services and the Arctic Slope Consulting Group from 1998 to 2004, where he was involved in the engineering and coordination of the North Slope Village water and sewer construction program.  Previously, from 1995 to 1998, Mr. Itta served as President of LCMF, Inc., a design and engineering subsidiary of the Barrow Village Corporation.  From 1977 to 1995, Mr. Itta worked for the North Slope Borough, ultimately serving in a number of leadership positions including Chief Administrative Officer, Public Works Director, Planning Director, and Director of Capital Improvement Program Management.  Mr. Itta is currently a member of the Barrow Whaling Captains Association, where he served as President from 1989 to 1990.  He previously served as President of Inuit Circumpolar Council - Alaska, Vice Chairman of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, and has served on the Board of Directors of Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation, the village corporation of Barrow, Alaska.  Mr. Itta was trained as an electronics technician at the Griswold Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1969.

Dr. James J. McCarthy, Appointee for Member, Arctic Research Commission
Dr. James J. McCarthy is the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University, having served on the faculty since 1974. From 1982 to 2002, he served as the Director of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.  For the past two decades, Dr. McCarthy has worked as an author, a reviewer, and a co-chair with the Nobel Peace Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He was the founding editor of Global Biogeochemical Cycles and the first Chair of the International Geosphere - Biosphere governing committee. Dr. McCarthy is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and served as President of AAAS from 2008 to 2009. In addition, he was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Dr. McCarthy received a B.S. in Biology from Gonzaga University and a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Dr. Waded Cruzado, Appointee for Member, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
Dr. Waded Cruzado is President of Montana State University.  Previously, from 2007 to 2010, she served as Executive Vice President and Provost of New Mexico State University, including a one year appointment as Interim President.  She joined New Mexico State University in 2003, and served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences until 2007.  From 1990 to 2002, she held a series of faculty and administrative positions at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, including her appointment as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1998.  Dr. Cruzado received a B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Arlington.

Dr. Brady J. Deaton, Appointee for Chairman, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
Dr. Brady J. Deaton is Chancellor of the University of Missouri, a position he has held since 2004.  He joined the University of Missouri in 1989, where his previous roles included Provost, Deputy Chancellor, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, and Chair of Agricultural Economics.  Dr. Deaton is Chairman of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, having first been appointed to this position in April 2011.  From 1978 to 1989, he worked at Virginia Tech, where he served as Associate Director of the Office for International Development from 1985 to 1989.  Dr. Deaton began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand.  He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Economics and an M.A. in Diplomacy and International Commerce from the University of Kentucky, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr., Appointee for Member, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr. is Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T).  Previously, from 2006 to 2009, he was Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of North Carolina.  From 2000 to 2006, he served as the Chief Administrator and Chancellor at Winston Salem State University.  Dr. Martin began his career with NC A&T, serving in a number of roles including Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs (1994-1999), Dean of the College of Engineering (1989-1994), Electrical Engineering Program Chair (1985-1987), and Acting Electrical Engineering Program Chair (1984-1985).  Dr. Martin received a B.S. and an M.S. from NC A&T and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Lisa Green Hall, Appointee for Member, Community Development Advisory Board
Lisa Green Hall is the President and CEO of Calvert Foundation, a nonprofit focused on social and financial return on investment.  She joined Calvert Foundation in 2005 as Chief Lending Officer before becoming CEO in 2011.  With over 25 years of experience, Ms. Hall has held positions in real estate and community development finance with Fannie Mae, the Enterprise Foundation, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Travelers Insurance.  In 1999, she served in the Clinton Administration as a Senior Policy Advisor in the National Economic Council.  Ms. Hall serves on the Boards of The Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, the Tides Foundation, the Executive Committee of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, and the Board of Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School in Washington, DC.  She received a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

Ed Stockwell, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Ed Stockwell worked for StarKist Seafoods, Inc. for 29 years before retiring in 2000 as Vice President of Global Procurement and Government Relations.  From 1986 to 1996, he served as StarKist’s General Manager for Procurement and Government/Industry Relations.  Mr. Stockwell’s career at StarKist also included serving as a General Manager for Production Planning/Inventory Control and a Plant Superintendent.  Before joining StarKist in 1971, Mr. Stockwell was a General Manager for the Union Fisherman’s Cooperative Packing Company.  He began his career in 1970 with Peter Pan Seafoods.  Mr. Stockwell received a B.A. in Business Administration from Boise State University.