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:

• Daniel B. Baer – United States Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with rank of Ambassador, Department of State
• Michael G. Carroll  - Inspector General, United States Agency for International Development
• James Cole, Jr. – General Counsel, Department of Education
• Keith M. Harper – United States Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, with rank of Ambassador,  Department of State
• Catherine E. Lhamon – Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education
• Stephen W. Preston – General Counsel, Department of Defense

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

• Brigadier General Anthony C. Funkhouser, USA – Commissioner, Mississippi River Commission
• Betsey Stevenson – Member, Council of Economic Advisers

President Obama said, “These men and women have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, 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:

Daniel B. Baer, Nominee for United States Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the rank of Ambassador, Department of State
Daniel B. Baer is a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State.  Prior to joining the Administration in 2009, he was an Assistant Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.  From 2007 to 2008, Dr. Baer was a Faculty Fellow in the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard University.  From 2004 to 2007, he worked at The Boston Consulting Group, first as a consultant and later a project leader.  Dr. Baer received an A.B. from Harvard University, an M.Phil and a D.Phil from Oxford University.

Michael G. Carroll, Nominee for Inspector General, United States Agency for International Development
Michael G. Carroll is Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a position he has held since May 2012.  From October 2011 to May 2012, he was Acting Inspector General at USAID.  From 2006 to 2011, he was Deputy Inspector General, and from 2000 to 2004, he was the Assistant Inspector General for Management at USAID.  Mr. Carroll was the Director of Administration at the Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce from 2004 to 2006.  Previously, he was Deputy Executive Director at the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board from 1995 to 2000.  Prior to that, Mr. Carroll served at the U.S. Information Agency as the Director of Administrative Services from 1992 to 1995, Director of Operations for the Agency’s Exhibits Service from 1987 to 1992, and as a Logistics Manager at its Office of Administration from 1984 to 1987.  Mr. Carroll also worked for the U.S. Coast Guard from 1982 to 1984.  Mr. Carroll received a B.A. from St. John’s University.

James Cole, Jr., Nominee for General Counsel, Department of Education
James Cole, Jr. is the Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation, a position he has held  since 2011.  From 1996 to 2011, he worked at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz in New York, where he was elected as partner in the Corporate department in 2003.  From 1995 to 1996, Mr. Cole clerked for Chief Judge Stephanie K. Seymour of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  From 1990 to 1992, he was an analyst in the Financial Management Program at General Electric Capital Corporation.  He has served on the Board of Directors for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and on the Board of Trustees for Prep for Prep.  He received a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Keith M. Harper, Nominee for Representative of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council, with rank of Ambassador, Department of State
Keith M. Harper is a partner at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, where he is chair of the Native American Practice Group.  He currently serves as a Member on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.  Prior to his current role, Mr. Harper was Senior Staff Attorney for the Native American Rights Fund from 1995 to 2006.  From 2007 to 2008, he served as a Supreme Court Justice on the Supreme Court of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and from 2001 to 2007, he served as an Appellate Justice on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court.  From 1998 to 2001, he was an adjunct professor at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, and from 1999 to 2001, he was a Professorial Lecturer at the American University Washington College of Law.  Mr. Harper was a Law Clerk to the Honorable Lawrence W. Pierce on the Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals.  He began his career as a Litigation Associate with Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York.  He is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.  He received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Catherine E. Lhamon, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education
Catherine E. Lhamon is currently the Director of Impact Litigation at Public Counsel, a position she has held since October 2009.  Prior to this, she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California as Assistant Legal Director in 2009, Racial Justice Director from 2005 to 2009, and Okrand/Wirin Attorney from 1999 to 2005.  From 1997 to 1999, she was a Supervising Attorney in the Appellate Litigation Program at the Georgetown University Law Center.  She clerked for the Honorable William A. Norris on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles, California from 1996 to 1997.  California Lawyer honored Ms. Lhamon as an Attorney of the Year for Civil Rights in 2004.  The Daily Journal named her one of the Top 20 California Lawyers Under 40 in 2007 and she was honored as one of the State’s Top Women Litigators in 2010 and 2007.  Ms. Lhamon received her B.A. from Amherst College and her J.D. from Yale Law School. 

Stephen W. Preston, Nominee for General Counsel, Department of Defense
Stephen W. Preston is General Counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency.  Prior to his appointment in 2009, he was a partner at WilmerHale, where he was Co-Chair of the Defense and National Security Practice.  He joined WilmerHale in 1986, and later returned in 2001 after serving at both the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Justice.  From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Preston was General Counsel of the Department of the Navy.  From 1995 to 1998, he was Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice.  From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Preston was Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defense, during which time he also served as Acting General Counsel.  Mr. Preston received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

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

Brigadier General Anthony C. Funkhouser, USA, Appointee for Commissioner, Mississippi River Commission
Brigadier General Anthony C. Funkhouser is Commander of the United States Army Engineer Division, Northwestern, based in Portland, Oregon.  His military service includes an assignment as the Commander of the Tulsa Engineer District and service in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.  He was a Commander of the 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, and served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  From 2005 to 2006, he was Chief of Staff at the United States Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.  He has received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.  Brigadier General Funkhouser received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy, an M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri-Rolla, an M.S. in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and an M.M.A.S. in Advanced Military Studies from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

Dr. Betsey Stevenson, Appointee for Member, Council of Economic Advisers
Dr. Betsey Stevenson is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, a position she has held since 2012.  From 2004 to 2012, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.  During her tenure at Wharton, she took leave from 2011 to 2012 to serve as a Visiting Assistant Professor and Visiting Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University.  In addition, Dr. Stevenson was on leave to serve as Chief Economist at the Department of Labor from 2010 to 2011.  From 2001 to 2004, she was a Senior Consumer Research Advisor at Forrester Research.  Dr. Stevenson is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Law and Economics Association and as an Advisor at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity.  Dr. Stevenson received a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.