President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

• Alan Cohen – Member, Social Security Advisory Board 

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

• Thomas R. Nides – Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Laura Paulson – Member, Committee for the Preservation of the White House
• Quyen D. Chu – Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation
• Anhlan P. Nguyen – Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation 

President Obama said, “The extraordinary dedication these men and women 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 nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Alan Cohen, Nominee for Member, Social Security Advisory Board

Alan Cohen served as the Senior Budget Advisor and Chief Counselor for Social Security for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance from 2001 to 2012.  From 1993 to 2001, Mr. Cohen served as Senior Advisor for Budget and Economics to the Secretary of the Treasury.  During this period, from 1999 to 2000, he was detailed to be a Budget Advisor in the Domestic Policy Office in the Office of the Vice President.  From 1992 to 1993, he served as the Budget Economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.  From 1983 to 1992, Mr. Cohen was first the Senior Economist, and then the Assistant Staff Director for Budget Priorities on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee.  From 1979 to 1983, Mr. Cohen worked as a Policy Analyst/Economist at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Mr. Cohen received a B.A. from Grinnell College, an M.P.P. from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

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

Thomas R. Nides, Appointee for Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Thomas R. Nides is Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley, a position he has held since 2013.  Previously, he served as Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources at the Department of State from 2010 to 2013.  Prior to joining the Administration, Mr. Nides was the Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley from 2005 to 2010.  Prior to this, he was Worldwide President and Chief Executive Officer of Burson-Marsteller, Chief Administrative Officer of Credit Suisse First Boston, Senior Vice President of Fannie Mae, and Chief of Staff to the United States Trade Representative.  He has served on the boards of New York Cares, the Urban Alliance Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and the Advisory Board of the National Zoo.  Mr. Nides received a B.S. from the University of Minnesota. 

Laura Paulson, Appointee for Member, Committee for the Preservation of the White House

Laura Paulson is Chairman of Americas at Christie’s and a Senior International Director in Post-War and Contemporary Art.  She is an expert in the appraisal and evaluation of Impressionist works, Modern Art, Old Masters, American Paintings, and Decorative Arts.  Before joining Christie’s in 1989, Ms. Paulson was Director of the Luhring Augustine Gallery and worked at the David McKee Gallery in New York City.  She is a member of the Professional Fine Arts Committee for Fine Arts and Preservation in the Embassies, and a National Committee member of the American Friends of the Israeli Museum.  She serves on the Advisory Board for the Hunter College Foundation Board and the Board of Visitors of the University of Oregon.  Ms. Paulson received a B.A. in Art History from the University of Oregon.

Quyen D. Chu, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation

Quyen D. Chu is Chief of Surgical Oncology at LSU Health Science Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.  He is also Director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies Program and Charles Knight, Sr. Endowed Professor of Surgery at Louisiana State University.  His involvement with the Vietnam Education Foundation includes serving as host and coordinator of the 2012 Annual Conference, held in Shreveport, Louisiana.  In 2013, he received the Vietnamese-American Youth Excellence Recognition Award from the Vietnamese Culture & Science Association.  He was named among “Top Doctors” by U.S. News & World Report and Castle Connolly, and in 2009 and 2010, he was named “Most Influential Doctor” by USA Today.  Dr. Chu received a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.B.A. from Centenary College, and an M.D. from Brown University’s School Of Medicine.

Anhlan P. Nguyen, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation

Anhlan P. Nguyen is an IT Portfolio Manager at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a position she has held since 2002.  She was first appointed to the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation in 2012.  From 1995 to 2002, she was an IT principal consultant and project manager at Metro Information Services/Keane, Inc. in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Nguyen has been Chair of the Board of Directors of the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association since 2005, and in 1990, she founded the Vietnamese Youth Center of Toronto.  She received the Women’s Leadership Empowerment Award from the Texas Women Empowerment Foundation in 2011.  Ms. Nguyen received a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.