Statement by the Press Secretary on the President's Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

President Obama met with Foreign Minister Lavrov today and discussed a range of bilateral and international issues.  The President thanked the Foreign Minister for his efforts to complete a new bilateral agreement on visa liberalization as well as a new agreement on adoptions, both of which will touch many lives in Russia and the United States.  President Obama expressed his support for Russia’s efforts to mediate a political solution in Libya, emphasizing that the United States is prepared to support negotiations that lead to a democratic transition in Libya as long as Qadhafi steps aside. Both parties discussed the need to continue cooperation towards a peaceful transition in Sudan and South Sudan.  They also discussed the challenge presented by Iran’s failure to live up to its obligations with regard to its nuclear program, the role of the international community in preventing further violence and pressing for political change in Syria and Yemen, and next steps on Middle East Peace in the wake of the Quartet meetings earlier in the week.  President Obama thanked Foreign Minister Lavrov for his efforts regarding Nagorno-Karabakh and underscored the U.S. commitment to achieve a framework agreement.  President Obama and Foreign Minister Lavrov also discussed the opportunities for cooperation on missile defense in Europe.  President Obama reaffirmed his strong support for Russia’s efforts to complete its WTO accession process this year, and discussed the necessity of granting Russia Permanent Normalized Trade Relations.   President Obama and Foreign Minister Lavrov also discussed issues of democracy and human rights, including the tragedy surrounding the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Statement by the President on Attacks in Mumbai

I strongly condemn the outrageous attacks in Mumbai, and my thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and those who have lost loved ones. The U.S. government continues to monitor the situation, including the safety and security of our citizens. India is a close friend and partner of the United States. The American people will stand with the Indian people in times of trial, and we will offer support to India’s efforts to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice. During my trip to Mumbai, I saw firsthand the strength and resilience of the Indian people, and I have no doubt that India will overcome these deplorable terrorist attacks.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Mary B. DeRosa, Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
• Frank E. Loy, Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
• Kendrick B. Meek, Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations

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

• Jack Baylis, Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
• David J. Grain, Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
• Donald R. Knauss, Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
• Constance H. Lau, Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
• Beverly A. Scott, Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council

President Obama said, “These fine public servants both bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles.  Our nation will be well-served by these men and women, 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:

Mary B. DeRosa, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Mary B. DeRosa served as Deputy Counsel to the President and National Security Council Legal Adviser from January 2009 until June 2011. Before joining the Administration, Ms. DeRosa was a staff member on the Obama Biden Transition Team.  Ms. DeRosa was Chief Counsel for National Security for the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2007 to 2008 and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2002 to 2007. From 1994 to 2001, Ms. DeRosa held a number of positions in the Clinton administration, including serving as Special Counsel to the General Counsel at the Department of Defense, Deputy Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, and Special Assistant to the President and Legal Advisor. Prior to joining the government, Ms. DeRosa was in private practice at Arnold & Porter. She holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the George Washington School of Law.

Frank E. Loy, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Frank E. Loy was the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs at the Department of State from 1998 to 2001.  From 1981 to 1995, Mr. Loy was President of The German Marshall Fund of the U.S.  Prior to that, Mr. Loy served at the Department of State as Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs, with personal rank of Ambassador, from 1979 to 1981 and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs from 1965 to 1970.  Mr. Loy also held a number of positions in the business sector including roles as President of Penn Central Company and as Senior Vice President for International Affairs of Pan American World Airways.  Mr. Loy currently serves on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Washington Ballet, Resources for the Future, and the Pew Center for Global Climate Change.  Mr. Loy holds a B.A. from UCLA and L.L.B. from Harvard.

Kendrick B. Meek, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Kendrick B. Meek is the President of KBM Solutions LLC, a consulting firm focusing on disaster recovery, humanitarian assistance, emergency medical relief, and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Politic365, an online news source for policy and politics affecting communities of color.  From 2002 to 2010, Mr. Meek represented the 17th Congressional District of Florida.   During his time in Congress, Mr. Meek served on the House Armed Services and Ways and Means Committees.  He also served as co-chairman of the 30-Something Working Group, and was appointed to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.  Mr. Meek began his career as a Trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol.  He later became a Captain and was assigned to the security detail traveling with Democratic Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay.  Mr. Meek served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998 and in the Florida Senate from 1999 to 2002.   Mr. Meek graduated from Florida A&M University in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

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

Jack Baylis, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
Jack Baylis is the Executive Vice President of Global Water for AECOM Technology Corporation, a global provider of professional, technical and management support services for a range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water, and government.  Previously, he was the U.S. Group Executive for Strategic Development at AECOM.  Prior to joining AECOM, Mr. Baylis was Senior Vice President at CH2M Hill, a global provider for full-service engineering, construction, and operations.  He also served as  Vice President at Brown and Caldwell and as President and Chief Operating Officer of the manufacturing firm Linabond.  Mr. Baylis holds a B.S. from the University of California at Davis.

David J. Grain, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
David J. Grain is the Founder and Managing Partner of Grain Management, LLC, a private equity firm that invests in the telecommunications sector, primarily focused on Federal and state government wireless systems.  Grain Management’s investments include towers, spectrum, and backhaul.  Prior to founding Grain Management, Mr. Grain served as President of Global Signal Inc. from 2002 to 2005.  Before joining Global Signal, Mr. Grain was Senior Vice President of AT&T Broadband's New England Region and was an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley.   He is the Vice Chair of the Investment Advisory Council for the Florida State Board of Administration.  Mr. Grain holds a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross and an M.B.A. from The Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.

Donald R. Knauss, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
Donald R. Knauss is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Clorox Company.  Prior to joining Clorox, Mr. Knauss worked for The Coca-Cola Company from 1994 to 2006.  His executive leadership there included President and Chief Executive Officer of The Minute Maid Company from 2000 to 2003 and President and Chief Operating Officer of Coca-Cola North America from 2004 to 2006. Mr. Knauss previously held a variety of positions in marketing and sales with the Frito-Lay and Tropicana divisions of PepsiCo, Inc.  He began his business career as a brand manager in the paper products division at Procter & Gamble. Prior to that, he served as an officer of the United States Marine Corps.  Mr. Knauss holds a B.A. from Indiana University.

Constance H. Lau, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
Constance H. Lau currently serves as Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer for Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HEI).  She is also Chairman of the Board for Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., an HEI subsidiary.  Since joining HEI in 1984, Ms. Lau has served in various leadership capacities including Assistant Corporate Counsel for the Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Assistant Treasurer and Treasurer of HEI, and Financial Vice President and Treasurer of HEI Power Corp., a former HEI subsidiary.  In addition to her current role at HEI, Ms. Lau has also been serving as the President and Chief Executive of American Savings Bank since 2001.  She previously served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of American Savings Bank from 1999 to 2001.  Ms. Lau began her career as a corporate attorney in San Francisco and has been involved in finance, law, real estate development, investments, and international business.  She holds a B.S. from Yale University, a J.D. from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

 Beverly A. Scott, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council 
 Beverly A. Scott is the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.  She was appointed to this position in 2007, becoming the first female Chief Executive Officer of MARTA.  Prior to her current position, she served as General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Regional Transit District.  Prior to that, she served as the General Manager of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, one of four statewide public transit systems in the United States.  Ms. Scott has also held senior-level positions with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New Jersey Transit Corporation, the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit.  Ms. Scott began her career with the Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority. Ms. Scott holds a B.A. from Fisk University and a Ph.D. from Howard University.

President Obama Nominates Three to Superior Court of the District of Columbia

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Danya Ariel Dayson, Peter Arno Krauthamer, and John Francis McCabe, Jr. to serve as Associate Justices of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

“Throughout their careers these individuals have shown a commitment to justice and public service,” said President Obama.  “I am proud to nominate them to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.”

Danya Ariel Dayson:  Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Danya Ariel Dayson is an attorney with the firm of O’Toole, Rothwell, Nassau & Steinbach where her practice includes litigation in both state and federal courts. She has represented criminal defendants in a wide range of cases ranging from drug offenses to capital cases. Ms. Dayson serves on the Domestic Relations and Paternity and Support Subcommittee of the Family Court Implementation Committee and volunteers as a trainer and worker at the Family Court Self Help Center at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She is a member of the Steering Committee for the Family Court Section of the District of Columbia Bar Association. Ms. Dayson serves as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University School of Law. She received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Russian and Eastern European Studies from Appalachian State University, and earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Following law school, Ms. Dayson served as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert E. Morin of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Peter Arno Krauthamer:  Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Peter Arno Krauthamer is the Deputy Director for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia where he manages a staff of approximately 220, including 110 attorneys. He is also responsible for establishing and implementing policies, participating in the formulation and execution of the budget, and providing advice to the Director on various legislative initiatives. Mr. Krauthamer began his career as a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service in 1983. He was promoted to Chief of the Trial Division in 1990 and Training Director in 1992. From 1994 to 1995, Mr. Krauthamer was a staff attorney with the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia. In 1995, he joined the faculty of the Howard University School of Law as an Assistant Professor and Clinical Supervising Attorney and remained in those positions until 2000. From 2000 to 2004, he served as the Deputy Director for the District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency. Mr. Krauthamer received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University and earned his law degree from Boston University School of Law.

John Francis McCabe, Jr.:  Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
John Francis McCabe, Jr., is a Magistrate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Since his appointment in 2002, he has served in the Family Court and has presided in the Criminal Division in misdemeanor trials, arraignments, and preliminary hearings. Since 2010, he has been the Deputy Presiding Magistrate Judge and the Alternative Chairperson of the District of Columbia Commission on Mental Health. He has also served as co-chair of the Family Court Training Committee. From 1998 to 2002, Judge McCabe worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, and from 1990 to 1998, he was Assistant Corporation Counsel with the Office of the Corporation Counsel (now the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia). From 1989 to 1990, Judge McCabe was a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and from 1986 to 1989, he was an associate at Peterson Young Self & Asselin, in Atlanta, Georgia. Judge McCabe has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Duke University and earned his law degree from Tulane University Law School.