The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 15, 2011

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Working Together to Create Jobs

WASHINGTON- Speaking to the American people from Detroit, Michigan, President Obama highlighted the landmark trade agreements passed in a bipartisan way this week which will support tens of thousands of American jobs, level the playing field for American workers, and help us meet our goal of doubling our exports.  The President will continue to urge Congress to do more and pass the American Jobs Act so we can grow our economy and create jobs now.  Republicans in Congress will get a chance to support these common-sense measures or explain why they oppose providing tax breaks for working Americans, putting teachers, firefighters, and cops back to work, and repairing our crumbling infrastructure.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
October 15, 2011

I’m here in Detroit visiting workers at a GM plant in the heart of a resurgent American auto industry.  And I brought a guest with me – President Lee of South Korea. 

We’re here because this week, Congress passed landmark trade agreements with countries like Korea, and assistance for American workers that will be a big win for our economy.

These trade agreements will support tens of thousands of American jobs.  And we’ll sell more Fords, Chevys and Chryslers abroad stamped with three proud words – “Made in America.”

So it was good to see Congress act in a bipartisan way on something that will help create jobs at a time when millions of Americans are out of work and need them now.

But that’s also why it was so disappointing to see Senate Republicans obstruct the American Jobs Act, even though a majority of Senators voted “yes” to advance this jobs bill.

We can’t afford this lack of action.  And there is no reason for it.  Independent economists say that this jobs bill would give the economy a jumpstart and lead to nearly two million new jobs.  Every idea in that jobs bill is the kind of idea both parties have supported in the past. 

The majority of the American people support the proposals in this jobs bill.  And they want action from their elected leaders to create jobs and restore some security for the middle class right now.  You deserve to see your hard work and responsibility rewarded – and you certainly deserve to see it reflected in the folks you send to Washington.

But rather than listen to you and put folks back to work, Republicans in the House spent the past couple days picking partisan ideological fights.  They’re seeing if they can roll back clean air and water protections.  They’re stirring up fights over a woman’s right to make her own health care choices.  They’re not focused on the concrete actions that will put people back to work right now. 

Well, we’re going to give them another chance.  We’re going to give them another chance to spend more time worrying about your jobs than keeping theirs. 

Next week, I’m urging Members of Congress to vote on putting hundreds of thousands of teachers back in the classroom, cops back on the streets, and firefighters back on the job.

And if they vote “no” on that, they’ll have to tell you why.  They’ll have to tell you why teachers in your community don’t deserve a paycheck again.  They’ll have to tell your kids why they don’t deserve to have their teacher back.  They’ll have to tell you why they’re against commonsense proposals that would help families and strengthen our communities right now.

In the coming weeks, we’ll have them vote on the other parts of the jobs bill – putting construction workers back on the job, rebuilding our roads and bridges; providing tax cuts for small businesses that hire our veterans; making sure that middle-class families don’t see a tax hike next year and that the unemployed and our out-of-work youth have a chance to get back in the workforce and earn their piece of the American Dream. 

That’s what’s at stake.  Putting people back to work.  Restoring economic security for the middle class.  Rebuilding an economy where hard work is valued and responsibility is rewarded – an economy that’s built to last.  And I’m going to travel all over the country over the next few weeks so that we can remind Congress that’s their job.  Because there’s still time to create jobs and grow our economy right now.  There’s still time for Congress to do the right thing.  We just need to act. 

Thank you.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 14, 2011

President Obama Signs New Jersey Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Jersey and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by the Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee during the period of September 6-11, 2011.
 
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 Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee in the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren.
 
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 William L. Vogel 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

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 14, 2011

Readout of the President's Call with Chancellor Merkel

The President and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone this afternoon, continuing their ongoing consultations on the evolving financial situation in the eurozone. The President and the Chancellor also discussed preparations for the upcoming G-20 Summit in Cannes and agreed to stay in close contact in the run-up to the meetings.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
October 14, 2011

Remarks of Dr. Jill Biden at the OJJDP National Conference

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention National Conference: “Children’s Justice & Safety: Unite, Build, Lead”
Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center
Friday, October 14, 2011
National Harbor, MD

As Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Eric, for that kind introduction. And, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this important conference. And, thank you, General Odierno. You and Linda have been a military family for 35 years, and you have become good friends to Joe and me. Thank you both for your leadership.

And I am especially grateful to the military families here today – you are our true heroes. Thank you for being here, and thank you for your service.

Good morning everyone. I am thrilled to join so many individuals who are committed to improving the lives of our children and teens.

Earlier this week, the Department of Justice announced a partnership with the Department of Defense to award a total of 20 million dollars to organizations providing mentoring services to military children. As a teacher and a military mom and grandmother, I have seen first-hand what a big difference a great mentor can make in the lives of our nation’s military children.

These mentors and so many other individuals and groups across this country are showing all Americans that there are countless ways to help our military families – some large and many small, but all important.

Last year, President Obama directed all government agencies to develop a coordinated Federal Government-wide approach to supporting military families. This mentoring initiative represents a powerful response to that call to action. This partnership also embodies the spirit of the Joining Forces initiative that the First Lady and I launched earlier this year. Our goal is to encourage all Americans to reach out and show appreciation for our military families.

As those of you here on the stage know, military children endure many unique challenges and stresses. Many military families move several times during their tours of duty. And, of course, deployments are especially challenging for children and other family members left behind.

I saw with my own grandchildren just how difficult it is to carry on while you are worried about a parent who is serving in a war-zone.

Most military children will move 6 to 9 times in their school career. That means transferring schools, moving their homes, and leaving their friends every 2 to 3 years. When I meet with our service members who are serving around the country and around the world, their top concern is always the well-being of their family members back home.

Last summer, I visited with Illinois National Guard families and the Chicago organizations that support them. During our visit, a teenager named Angela gave me an essay she had written about her father’s deployment to Afghanistan. Her story has stuck with me ever since. She wrote: “It was just a normal day of school. Then, during my 6th period art class, my teacher told me to go to the office. The first thought in my head was that something bad had happened, so I got very nervous. When I got to the office, I saw my mom was there, and she was crying – which made me start crying right away. Something bad had happened. I asked what was wrong, and she told me that my dad was okay, but we had lost four of our soldiers.…. I remember crying for days.”

Angela and her brother were the only military children in their school. And unfortunately, their story is not unique. There are approximately 700,000 children throughout the country who have parents serving in the National Guard and Reserves – and so many of them do not live anywhere near a military base.

As a mom of a National Guardsman– I know just how important it is for a teacher, a counselor or a fellow classmate to reach out and show support and understanding.

In my travels, I have seen many teachers who are making a real difference for the military children in their classrooms….teachers who arrange parent-teacher conferences by Skype so deployed parents can participate...or teachers like the one in my granddaughter’s classroom who hung up a photo of my son’s deployed unit so the whole class would know that Natalie’s dad was at war.

All military children, even in the face of many challenges, are resilient. They are strong and brave, and they are proud of their parents’ service -- and they deserve the very best.

OJJDP has a long history of providing mentoring services to youth – and a strong mentor can make all of the difference in the lives of our military children.

Chances are that all of you in the audience touch military families in one way or another. While they don’t wear uniforms, they too are on the front lines. They make daily sacrifices in support of their country.

So, think about how you can take part in bringing some stability, guidance, and friendship into their lives.

So congratulations and thank you to the recipients of these grants, for committing your time, expertise, and resources to provide mentoring to these young heroes. Your work is truly what Joining Forces is all about.

Thank you.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 14, 2011

Obama Administration Releases Creating Pathways to Opportunity Report Highlighting Work Done to Help Underserved Communities, Strengthen the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the White House released Creating Pathways to Opportunity, a report highlighting the work the Obama Administration has done to date to help Americans climb the ladder to the middle class and stay there.  The report outlines the critical investments this Administration has made to lift and keep millions of Americans out of poverty, provide critical support to families throughout the economic downturn, and invest in long-term reforms to grow the middle class.  It also outlines the direct impact that the American Jobs Act would have on underserved communities across the country.

“My administration has always been focused on helping more Americans – many of whom were struggling long before this recession hit – reach the middle class and stay there,” said President Obama. “To do that, we can’t just cut our way to prosperity.  We need to do everything we can to create jobs and put more money in the pockets of working Americans.   And that’s why Congress needs to do the right thing and pass the American Jobs Act.”

View the full report, which includes success stories from around the country, HERE

FACT SHEET: CREATING PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY

When President Obama took office, the economy was shedding 750,000 jobs each month and millions of families were finding themselves unable to make ends meet. Over the past two and half years, the Obama Administration has taken decisive action in critical areas aimed at helping vulnerable Americans through the economic crisis and strengthening the economy:

Tax Relief for All Working Americans

  • The President secured the Making Work Pay tax credit in 2009 and 2010 and then a payroll tax cut that amounted to a 2 percent raise for working Americans in 2011.
  • In addition, the President secured historic expansions in refundable tax credits –  such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit for low-income families – that will benefit nearly 16 million American families. 

Expanded and Extended Unemployment Insurance and Nutrition Assistance

  • The expansion of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed through the Recovery Act helped more than 17 million unemployed workers by the end of 2010 and the December tax deal’s extension of unemployment insurance kept 7 million Americans from losing their benefits during 2011.
  • The Administration also expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, a critical program which helped keep an additional 3.9 million people, including 1.7 million children, above the poverty line in 2010.  

Keeping Americans in their Homes During a Housing and Economic Crisis

  • The Administration’s programs, both through their direct and indirect impact on the market, have helped permanently modify the mortgages of more than 4 million families and helped them stay in their homes.
  • Through the Hardest Hit Fund, an additional $7.6 billion supports locally-developed solutions to help unemployed and distressed homeowners in states hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis.
  • Through the Recovery Act, the President provided $1.5 billion for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program to prevent homelessness for 1 million Americans.

Reformed K-12 and Early Education through Innovative, New Programs

  • President Obama created Race to the Top with a historic $4.35 billion investment. As a result of the initiative, more than 40 states have raised standards, improved assessments, and invested in teachers to ensure that all of our children receive a high-quality education.
  • A similar Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge has been developed to raise the quality of and increase access to critical programs that ensure our kids are entering school ready to learn.

Increased College Access and Affordability for Students
The President has made the largest investments in higher education since the passage of the G.I. Bill:

  • Dramatically increased Pell Grant funding, increasing award to millions of eligible students.
  • Created the American Opportunity Tax Credit to ease college costs for over 9 million families this year.
  • Championed bold and comprehensive reform of student loans that will save taxpayers $68 billion over the next decade

Subsidized Jobs for Low-Income Adults and Youth

  • Through the Recovery Act, over 260,000 adults and youth were placed in subsidized jobs and an additional 367,000 low-income youth received summer employment.

Created Economically-Sustainable Neighborhoods

  • The Administration has secured $40 million to Promise Neighborhoods and $126 million to Choice Neighborhoods that provide a continuum of services to combat the challenges facing communities most in need.
  • The new Strong Cities, Strong Communities is helping strengthen cities and regions by increasing the capacity of local governments to execute their economic growth plans, while also delivering federal assistance tailored to the local government’s needs. 

Expanded Support for Small Businesses in Low Income Areas

  • Since the beginning of the Administration, the President has enacted 17 tax cuts for small businesses, including billions of dollars in tax credits, write-offs, and deductions for Americans who start new businesses, hire the unemployed, and provide health insurance for their employees.
  • In addition, through the Small Business Jobs Act and other measures, he has taken steps to expand small businesses’ access to credit – with a particular focus on underserved communities through programs like the Community Development Financial Institutions and the New Markets Tax Credit.

Expanded Health Care Access for Families and Workers

  • Within a month of taking office, the President signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act into law, expanding health coverage to more than 4 million children who would otherwise go uninsured.
  • And the historic Affordable Care Act, when fully implemented, will expand health coverage to 34 million Americans, the majority of whom are low- or moderate-income.
  • Already, nearly one million young adults between the ages of 19 and 25 have gained health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act

Proposed the American Jobs Act to Help Put More Americans Back to Work Now
In order create more jobs now and help struggling families, the President sent to Congress the American Jobs Act – a set of ideas supported by both Democrats and Republicans that Congress must pass immediately.

The American Jobs Act will:

Provide more support for small businesses.

The Jobs Act provides a tax cut for small businesses, not big corporations, to help them hire and expand now, and provides an additional tax cut to any business that hires or increases wages.

Puts more people back to work.

  • Including up to 280,000 teachers at risk of layoffs from state-budget cuts, first responders and veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and construction workers repairing crumbling bridges, roads and more than 35,000 public schools, with projects chosen by need and impact, not earmarks and politics.  
  • Expands job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of low-income youth and adults through a new Pathways Back to Work Fund that supports summer and year round jobs for youth; innovative new job training programs to connect low-income workers to jobs quickly; and successful programs to encourage employers to bring on disadvantaged workers.

Helps out-of-work Americans.

  • Extends unemployment benefits to help them support their families while looking for work and reforming the system with training programs that build real skills, connect to real jobs and help the long-term unemployed.
  • Bans employers from discriminating against the unemployed when hiring, and provides a new tax credit to employers hiring workers who have been out of a job for six months or more.

Puts more money in the pockets of working and middle class Americans by:

  • Cutting in half the payroll tax that comes out of every worker's paycheck, saving the typical family making $50,000 over $1,500 a year.
  • Working on executive action to remove the barriers that exist in the current federal refinancing program (HARP) to help more Americans refinance their mortgages at historically low rates, save money and stay in their homes.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 14, 2011

Background on the President’s Visit to Michigan Today with President Lee of South Korea

Today, President Obama and President Lee of South Korea will travel to Orion Township, Michigan to tour the GM Assembly plant that produces the new Chevrolet Sonic subcompact.  The Chevrolet Sonic is the first GM-engineered subcompact that GM has built in the United States since a vehicle launched nearly four decades ago, and the only subcompact car currently sold in the U.S. that is built in the U.S.  The Sonic was originally engineered for GM Korea, but is now being assembled in Michigan. Two years ago, during GM’s bankruptcy restructuring, the plant the President will visit in Orion, Michigan was set to be closed down.  The subcompact expertise and joint venture with GM Korea has saved the Orion plant and its 1,750 jobs.

At the beginning of his administration, President Obama made the very tough and unpopular decision to restructure GM and Chrysler – a decision that saved over a million American jobs and revitalized an entire American industry. In the year before GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, the auto industry shed over 400,000 jobs.  Since these companies emerged from their restructurings, the American auto industry has created 128,000 jobs.

This week, Congress passed three trade agreements that the President fought to strengthen for American workers, along with Trade Adjustment Assistance.  These agreements will create tens of thousands of American jobs and level the playing field for American automakers.  The President believed that the 2007 agreement with Korea did not go far enough to provide new market access to U.S. auto companies and to level the playing field for American workers.  So the President worked with President Lee to make a number of important improvements to the U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement including strengthening enforcement and protections from sudden, harmful import surges and eliminating non-tariff barriers that severely restricted access to the South Korean market and raised the cost of producing vehicles for that market.   In addition, the Korea agreement will immediately cut Korean tariffs on U.S. autos in half (from 8 percent to 4 percent) and fully eliminate them within five years.  The Korea trade agreement passed with the support of the Big Three, the UAW, and bipartisan members of Congress.

The Sonic enterprise shows not just how the President’s decision to save the American auto industry is keeping plants open across the Midwest, it also illustrates how U.S.-Korea economic ties work for American workers.  That’s what the Korea trade agreement does on a larger scale.  The U.S.-Korea economic relationship is not just about exporting goods and services to Korea, it is about Korea investing in U.S. manufacturing.  For example, LG Chem is making lithium ion batteries in Holland, Hyundai Mobis is building suspension modules in Detroit, and Mando is building a new R&D center for brake and steering systems in Novi.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 13, 2011

President Obama to Travel to North Carolina and Virginia on Second Day of American Jobs Act Bus Tour

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, October 18th, President Obama will travel to North Carolina and Virginia on the second day of his American Jobs Act bus tour where he will discuss jobs and the economy. On the second day of the tour, the President will make stops in Jamestown, North Carolina, Emporia, Virginia, and overnight in Hampton, Virginia. Additional details about President Obama’s trip will be released as they become available.

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
October 13, 2011

Expected Attendees at Tonight’s State Dinner for the President of Korea and Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok

Below is a list of expected attendees at tonight’s State Dinner.

THE PRESIDENT and MRS. OBAMA

His Excellency Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea
Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok

Mr. Charles C. Adams, Jr., Geneva, Switzerland
Mrs. Vera Risteski-Adams    

Ms. Angella Ahn, Performer, Bozeman, MT
Mr. Michael P. Moore 

Ms. Lucia Ahn, Performer, New York, NY
Mr. Christiaan P. Ahn

Ms. Maria Ahn, Performer, New York, NY
Ms. Young Joo Rhee, Cliffside Park, NJ  

The Honorable Brooke Anderson, Washington, DC 

His Excellency Jae Hyun Bae  

His Excellency Jaewan Bahk 

Secretary-General Ki-moon Ban, Secretary General, United Nations, New York, NY
Mrs. Soon-taek Ban

The Honorable Max Baucus, United States Senator
Ms. Melodee Hanes

The Honorable Howard Berman, United States Representative
Mrs. Janis Berman

Mr. James B. Biden, Merion Station, PA
Mrs. Sara Biden

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States
Dr. Jill Biden

The Honorable Stephen Warren Bosworth, Medford, MA
Mrs. Christine H Bosworth

The Honorable Ann W. Brown, Washington, DC
Mr. Don Brown 

The Honorable William J Burns, Deputy Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State
Ms. Lisa Carty 

The Honorable Dave Camp, United States Representative
Mrs. Nancy Camp 

The Honorable Kurt M Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian & Pacific Affairs
The Honorable Lael Brainard, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs 

The Honorable Jay Carney, Press Secretary
Ms. Claire Shipman 

The Honorable Julián Castro, Mayor, San Antonio, TX
Mrs. Erica Lira Castro 

Mr. David Chang, New York, NY
Ms. Chung Hi Chang, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 

Ms. JuJu Chang, New York, NY
Mr. Neal Shapiro 

Mr. John Cho, Los Angeles, CA
Mr. June Jay Cho, San Antonio, TX  

His Excellency Guem Nak Choe 

His Excellency Joong-Kyung Choi 

Mr. Steve Choi, President, Founder and CEO, Korean-American Association, Annandale, VA
Mrs. Leena Prisca Choi 

The Honorable Judy Chu, United States Representative 
The Honorable Mike Eng, California State Assembly, Sacramento, CA 

His Excellency Yungwoo Chun       

The Honorable Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State 

Mr. Bruce Cohen, New York, NY
Mr. Gabriel Catone 

Mr. Jeff Cooper, Edwardsville, IL
Mrs. Francesca Moroney Cooper 

Rev Luis Cortes, Jr., Cheltenham, PA
Mrs. Damaris Cortes 

Ms. Candy Crowley, Bethesda, MD
Mr. Harry Michael Rosselli, Washington, DC  

The Honorable Stephanie Cutter, Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor
Mr. James Matthew Hock 

The Honorable William Daley, Chief of Staff
Ms. Bernadette  Keller 

Mr. D. Scott Davis, Chairman and CEO, UPS, Atlanta, GA 

General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Deanie Dempsey 

The Honorable Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President, National Security Advisor
Ms. Cathy  Russell, Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden 

The Honorable Shaun L.S. Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Ms. Liza Gilbert             

Mr. Blair Effron, New York, NY
Mrs. Cheryl Effron 

The Honorable Michael B.G. Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs
Ms. Nancy Goodman 

Mr. Robert L. Gallucci, PhD, Chicago, IL
Ms. Jennifer Emily Sims, Upperville, VA 

The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Mrs. Carole Geithner 

Mr. Sloan Gibson, Charleston, SC
Mrs. Margaret Duncan Gibson  

The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Washington, DC 

Dr. Douglas Edward Goldman, San Francisco, CA
Mrs. Lisa Goldman 

The Honorable Steve Jay Green, Miami Beach, FL
Mrs. Dorothea Green 

The Honorable Duck-soo Han, Ambassador to the U.S., Government of the Republic of Korea
Mrs. Ah-Young Choi 

The Honorable Orrin G. Hatch, United States Senator
Mrs. Elaine Hatch 

Mr. William Hite, President's Export Council, Annapolis, MD
Mrs. Patricia Hite 

The Honorable Thomas C. Hubbard, Washington, DC
Mrs. Joan Magnusson Hubbard 

Mr. Changsoo Huh, Special Delegation, Republic of Korea 

The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor
Mr. Elvin Charity, Chicago, IL  

Mr. Henry H Kang, Douglas, MA
Ms. Cassi Bryn Michaelik 

The Honorable Sukhee Kang, Mayor, Irvine, CA
Mrs. Joanne Wonhee Kang 

The Honorable Mark Keam, VA House of Delegates, Vienna, VA
Mrs. Alex Seong Keam 

The Honorable John Kerry, United States Senator  

Mr. Fred Khosravi, Mountain View, CA
Mrs. Flora Khosravi 

Ms. Christina Kim, Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Raymond Meier, New York, NY  

His Excellency Dae Ki Kim 

Mr. Chang-beom Kim 

Mr. David Kim, Entrepreneur, C2 Education, Duluth, GA
Ms. Minjae Yuh 

Dr. James Yong Kim, President, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Dr. Youn Sook Lim

His Excellency Kwan Jin Kim

 His Excellency Sung-hwan Kim 

Dr. Tae Hyo Kim 

Ms. Billie Jean King, New York, NY
Ms. Llana Kloss 

Mr. Robert Thompson King, Ann Arbor, MI 
Ms. Kathlene Eugenie King  

The Honorable Ron Kirk, USTR
Mrs. Matrice Ellis-Kirk 

Mr. Harold Koh, Washington, DC
Ms. Mary-Christy Fisher 

The Honorable Howard Kyongju Koh, Washington, DC
Ms. Claudia Anne Arrigg 

Mr. Bon Moo Koo, Chairman of LG 

Mr. Chris Korge, Coral Gables, FL
Mr. Andrew Korge 

Mr. Peter Kraus, Dallas, TX
Mrs. Lisa Kraus 

Mr. Peter Kwon, Washington, DC
Mrs. Jeanie Kwon 

The Honorable Jim Leach, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities, Bethesda, MD
Mrs. Elisabeth Leach 

Mr. John Lechleiter, Indianapolis, IN
Mrs. Sarah Lechleiter 

Dr. Chang-rae Lee, Princeton, NJ
Mrs. Michelle Branca Lee 

Ms. Seung Yun Lee, Daughter of Korean President Lee 

Mr. Won Lee, Washington, DC
Mrs. Young Ja Lee 

The Honorable Sander Levin, United States Representative 
Ms. Pamela Marie Cole 

Mr. James E. Liguori, Wyoming, DE
Mrs. Stephanie I. Liguori  

Mr. Andres W. Lopez, San Juan, PR
Ms. Camelia Garrido 

The Honorable Richard Lugar, United States Senator 
Ms. Deb Lugar 

The Honorable Capricia Penavic Marshall, Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State
Dr. Robert Marshall 

Mr. John P. Marttila, Boston, MA
Mrs. Nancy Ellen Marttila 

Ms. Linda Mason, Manager, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Belmont, MA
Mr. Roger H Brown, President of Berklee College of Music 

The Honorable Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor
Mrs. Karin McDonough 

Ms. Janelle Monáe, Performer
Mr. Nathaniel Irvin 

Mr. Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI
Mrs. Nicki Mulally  

Mr. Scott A. Nathan, Boston, MA
Ms. Laura A. Debonis 

Mr. Mark Nichols, Washington, DC
Ms. Jane Siena

The Honorable Thomas Nides, Dep. Secretary of State for Management and Resources
Ms. Virginia Moseley 

Mr. Spencer Arthur Overton, Professor of Law, GW Law School, Chevy Chase, MD
Mrs. Leslie Collins Overton 

The Honorable Leon E Panetta, Secretary of Defense 

Mr. Deven J. Parekh, New York, NY
Mrs. Monika Parekh  

Mr. Scott Pelley, Darien, CT
Mrs. Jane Boone Pelley

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader, United States Representative
Mr. Paul Pelosi, Jr. 

The Honorable David Plouffe, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor
Ms. Olivia Morgan 

Dr. Peter M. Rhee, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Mrs. Emily Rhee  

The Honorable Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, New York, NY
Mr. Ian Cameron 

Ms. Carla A. Robbins, New York, NY
Mr. Guy B. Gugliotta 

Mr. Lee Rosenberg, President, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Chicago, IL
Mrs. Nancy Rosenberg 

The Honorable Pete Rouse, Counselor to the President, Washington, DC
Ms. Courtney M. Chapin 

The Honorable Kathryn Ruemmler, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President 

Mr. Danny Russel, Chevy Chase, MD
Mrs. Keiko Abo Russel 

Mr. Jin Roy Ryu, Los Angeles, CA
Ms. Helen Lho 

Ms. Sheryl Kara Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook, Palo Alto, CA
Ms. Adele Frances Einhorn Sandberg, North Miami Beach, FL 

Mrs. Elaine Schuster, Osterville, MA
Gerald Schuster 

Mr. Sydney A. Seiler, Director for Korea, NSS, Washington, DC 

Mr. Eugene Sepulveda, Austin, TX
Ms. Suzanne Deal Booth 

Mr. Paull Shin, Washington State Senator, Lynwood, WA
Mrs. Donna Shin 

Mr. Kyung-shik Sohn  

Ms. Unmi Song, Skokie, IL
Ms. Unhae U. Song, Washington, DC 

Mr. Bobby Stein, Jacksonville, FL
Mrs. Mary C. Stein 

The Honorable Kathleen Stephens, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
William C. Harwood, Emeryville, CA 

The Honorable Ann S Stock, Acting Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Mr. Stuart C Stock 

Ms. Kathy Surace-Smith, Bellevue, WA
Mr. Brad Smith 

Ms. Nancy Helen Sutley, Washington, DC
Mrs. Suzanne Beatrice Sutley, Jackson Heights, NY 

The Honorable Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff, Office of the First Lady 

General James D. Thurman, Commander UNC/CFC/USFK, Department of Defense
Mrs. Delia Lee Thurman 

The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Ambassador at Large for Women's Global Issues, Department of State
The Honorable Philip Louis Verveer 

The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary, Department of Agriculture
Mr. Bob Stallman 

Ms. Jai Lee Wong, Executive Director, Women's Leadership Circles, Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Kent Douglas Wong

 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 13, 2011

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Grande Lum – Director, Community Relations Service, Department of Justice
  • Kamilah Oni Martin-Proctor– Member, National Council on Disability
  • Sharon “Shari” Villarosa– Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles, Department of State

President Obama said, “It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join this Administration to serve the American people.  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:

Grande Lum, Nominee for Director, Community Relations Service, Department of Justice

Grande Lum is currently Director of the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Program at the U.S. Small Business Administration, a position he has held since 2010.  Prior to joining the Small Business Administration, Mr. Lum was a clinical professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law and Director of its Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from 2008 to 2010.  Additionally, Mr. Lum was the Managing Director of Accordence Inc., a dispute resolution training firm he founded in 2005.  Prior to founding Accordence, Mr. Lum served as a principal of ThoughtBridge, a mediation firm, and a partner with the consulting firm Conflict Management Inc. He was also an adjunct professor at U.C. Berkeley School of Law and a co-manager of the Alternative Dispute Resolution externship program at Stanford Law School.  Mr. Lum currently serves on the Board of Overseers of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce.  He previously served on the board of directors of the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and the Center for Asian American Media.  In addition, Mr. Lum was a member of the California State Bar Association Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution.  Mr. Lum received his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Kamilah Oni Martin-Proctor, Nominee for Member, National Council on Disability

Kamilah Oni Martin-Proctor is the founder and Executive Director of the Martin Multiple Sclerosis Alliance Foundation (MMSAF).  Ms. Martin-Proctor was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was sixteen.  She founded the MMSAF in 2004  in an effort to promote symptom awareness and education about Multiple Sclerosis in historically under represented and underserved populations. Prior to this, she was a Program Administrator for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program at Howard University since 2003.  Ms. Martin-Proctor worked for the District of Columbia’s Government Neighborhood Services Initiative from 2000 until 2002.  She has worked as a Staff Assistant and Legislative Correspondent for Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee and also as an Executive Assistant in Senator Robert Menendez’s office.   Ms. Martin-Proctor received a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Organizational and Cultural Communication from Howard University.

Sharon “Shari” Villarosa, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles, Department of State

Sharon “Shari” Villarosa, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as Deputy Coordinator for Regional Affairs in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State.   From 2005 to 2008, she served as the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon.  Previously, Ms. Villarosa served as Director of Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore Affairs in the Department of State’s East Asia and Pacific Bureau; Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta; and Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Dili.   Other overseas assignments have included: Songkhla, Thailand; Brasilia, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador; and Bogota, Colombia.  Ms. Villarosa holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from William and Mary School of Law.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 13, 2011

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 771 and H.R. 1632

On Wednesday, October 12, 2011, the President signed into law:

H.R. 771, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Schertz Veterans Post Office; and

H.R. 1632, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Sergeant Chris Davis Post Office.