FRIDAY UPDATED: President Obama to Sign Korea, Panama, Colombia Free Trade Agreements and Trade Adjustment Assistance

WASHINGTON, DC – On Friday, October 21st, President Obama will sign the Korea, Panama and Colombia Free Trade Agreements and the renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance for workers in the Oval Office. There will be a stills only pool spray of the signings. The President will no longer make remarks in the Rose Garden following the signings.

Statement from President Obama on the Senate Vote on Teacher and First Responder Jobs

For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again.  That’s unacceptable. We must do what’s right for the country and pass the common-sense proposals in the American Jobs Act.  Every Senate Republican voted to block a bill that would help middle class families and keep hundreds of thousands of firefighters on the job, police officers on the streets, and teachers in the classroom when our kids need them most.
 
Those Americans deserve an explanation as to why they don’t deserve those jobs – and every American deserves an explanation as to why Republicans refuse to step up to the plate and do what’s necessary to create jobs and grow the economy right now.
 
We must rebuild the economy the American way and restore security for the middle class, based on the values of balance and fairness. Independent economists have said the American Jobs Act could create up to two million jobs next year.  So the choice is clear.  Our fight isn’t over.  We will keep working with Congress to bring up the American Jobs Act piece by piece, and give Republicans another chance to put country before party and help us put the American people back to work.

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:

• Carol J. Galante – Assistant Secretary and Federal Housing Commissioner, Department of Housing and Urban Development
• David J. Chard – Member, Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences
• Larry V. Hedges – Member, Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences
• Hirokazu Yoshikawa - Member, Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences

President Obama said, “I am grateful these accomplished men and women have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles.  I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

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

Carol J. Galante, Nominee for Assistant Secretary and Federal Housing Commissioner, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Carol J. Galante is the Acting Assistant Secretary and Federal Housing Commissioner at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 2009, President Obama appointed Ms. Galante Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Multifamily Housing at HUD.  Prior to joining the Administration, she was President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing, specializing in building mixed-income housing. Ms. Galante spent nearly 25 years of her career at BRIDGE managing large revitalization and economic development projects in partnership with government, private industry, and other nonprofit organizations.   She has also held key leadership positions as the Executive Director for Eden Housing, Inc., and in the housing and planning department of the City of Santa Barbara.  Ms. Galante holds a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master's of City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. David J. Chard, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences
Dr. David J. Chard is the Leon Simmons Endowed Dean and a Professor at the Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, positions he has held since 2007.  Dr. Chard served as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Special Education at the University of Oregon from 2003 to 2005.  He also served as Associate Dean of the College of Education at the University of Oregon from 2005 to 2007, Director of Middle-Secondary Education at the University of Oregon from 2000 to 2003, and Director of Research and Evaluation of the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts from 1997 to 2000.  From 1986 to 1990, Dr. Chard served as a classroom teacher for the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa.  He has served on a number of boards supporting high quality educational opportunities for children including as a member of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, member of the American Mathematical Association, and President for the Division for Research at the Council for Exceptional Children.  Dr. Chard holds a B.S. from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.

Dr. Larry V. Hedges, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences
Dr. Larry V. Hedges has been the Board of Trustees Professor of Statistics and a Faculty Fellow of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University since 2005.  Previously, he was the Stella M. Rowley Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, where he served from 1980 to 2005, variously in the Departments of Education, Sociology, and Psychology, and in the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies.  Dr. Hedges is the current President of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness and is a member of the National Academy of Education. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Statistical Association.  His research focuses on the development of quantitative methods for educational and social research, educational policy studies, large scale educational assessment, and the role of uncertainty in cognitive models. Dr. Hedges received a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and an M.A. and Ph.D. in 1980 from Stanford University.

Dr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences
Dr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa is a Professor of Education and the Academic Dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, positions he has held since 2006 and 2011 respectively.  He is a developmental and community psychologist whose research focuses on the development of young children in ethnically diverse and immigrant families and the effects of public policies and early childhood intervention on children.  Dr. Yoshikawa received the Boyd McCandless Award for early career contributions to developmental psychology from the American Psychological Association, and has served on the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the National Academy of Sciences as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation.  In addition to his research in the U.S., he conducts research in Chile and China, and has consulted with UNICEF, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank concerning early childhood care and education in global contexts.  Dr. Yoshikawa received an M.A. in Psychology, a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from New York University, an M.M. in Piano Performance from The Julliard School, and a B.A.in English Literature from Yale University. 

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Major Private Sector Commitment to Hire 25,000 Veterans and Military Spouses in Support of Joining Forces

270 companies committing to employ veterans and military spouses

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, while visiting Joint Base Langley-Eustis with President Obama on Day Three of the American Jobs Act bus tour, First Lady Michelle Obama announced that the American Logistics Association (ALA) and their 270 affiliate companies have committed to hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013. This commitment is part of the First Lady’s and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative to support veterans and military families.  The ALA’s commitment will fulfill a quarter of the President’s challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013.  The announcement comes as the President and First Lady visit Joint Base Langley-Eustis to discuss the critical importance of hiring America’s veterans.

“We ask our men and women in uniform to leave their careers, leave their families, and risk their lives to fight for our country,” said President Obama.  “The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home.  That’s why I’ve made increasing job opportunities for veterans a critical priority for my Administration and why the American Jobs Act I proposed includes tax credits to make it easier for businesses to hire America’s veterans.”

“The ALA’s commitment today is the largest coordinated effort by the private sector we’ve seen in years, maybe ever. And they’re making these hires not just because it’s the right thing to do or the patriotic thing to do. They’re doing it because it’s good for their bottom line.  They know that these veterans and military spouses represent the best, and they want them on their team,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “And that’s what Joining Forces is about, tapping into all that goodwill that’s out there, all across America, in every sector of society, and channeling it into meaningful action that’s a win-win for everyone.”

Led by the largest consumer packaged goods companies in the United States, the ALA includes major manufacturers such as Tysons Foods, Coca Cola, Unilever and ConAgra along with a multitude of specialty suppliers to the on-base military consumer channel. With annual sales of nearly $20 billion, these companies provide goods and services to a military channel comprised of military commissaries (grocery stores), exchanges (convenience stores, department stores, food concessions, gas stations, communications and electronics, ship’s stores, tactical retail outlets), Morale, Welfare, and Recreation sales and services (restaurants, child care, fitness centers, libraries, auto service) and Veteran’s Canteen Service (retail outlets in VA Hospitals and offices), as well as retail outlets on Coast Guard bases.  To achieve its goal, the Association will be teaming up with several on-going employment programs including the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) and the Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden created Joining Forces to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and take action to support veterans and military families as they serve our country and throughout their lives. The initiative aims to educate, challenge, and spark action from all sectors of society to ensure veterans and military families have the support they have earned. The initiative focuses on key priority areas – employment, education, and wellness while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice, and needs of America’s veterans and military families.

The ALA’s commitment to hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013 will further promote the goal of Joining Forces to create greater connections between the American public and those inspirational men and women who have served and sacrificed so greatly for this country.

For more information about Joining Forces, visit www.joiningforces.gov .