This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Search form

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

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:

·       Bruce H. Andrews – Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce

·       Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat – Ambassador to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Department of State

·       Marcus D. Jadotte – Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis, Department of Commerce

·       James D. Pettit – Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Department of State

·       Laura S. Wertheimer – Inspector General, Federal Housing Finance Agency

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

·       Caitlin K. Cahow – Member, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition

·       Steven Croley – Member, Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States

·       Jane Jelenko – Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council

·       Brig. Gen. John S. Kem, USA – Commissioner, Mississippi River Commission

·       George A. Elmaraghy – Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission

·       Tom FitzGerald – Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission

·       Susan Hedman – Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country. 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:

Bruce H. Andrews, Nominee for Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce
Bruce H. Andrews is currently the Chief of Staff for the Department of Commerce, a position he has held since 2011.  Before this, Mr. Andrews served as General Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.  From 2007 to 2009, he served as Vice President of Governmental Affairs for Ford Motor Company.  Mr. Andrews was a Partner at Quinn Gillespie & Associates from 2000 to 2007 and an Attorney at Arnold & Porter from 1997 to 2000.  Prior to that, he was a Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Tim Holden from 1994 to 1997 and a Senior Legislative Assistant from 1993 to 1994.  Mr. Andrews received a B.A. from Haverford College and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
 
Ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, Nominee for Ambassador to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Department of State
Ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is currently Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2012.  She was previously Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau from 2008 to 2011.  She served in the Department of State as Office Director for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs from 2006 to 2008.  From 2004 to 2006, she was the Senior-Level Director and Career Development Officer in the Bureau of Human Resources at the State Department.  Ambassador Bernicat also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados from 2001 to 2004, and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi from 1998 to 2001.  She was Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, Morocco from 1995 to 1998, Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India from 1992 to 1995, and Desk Officer for Nepal and India in the Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs from 1988 to 1990.  Earlier in her career, she was Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead, Consular Officer in Marseille, France, and Political/Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali.  Ambassador Bernicat received a B.A. from Lafayette College and an M.S. from Georgetown University. 
 
Marcus D. Jadotte, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis, Department of Commerce
Marcus D. Jadotte served as the Vice President of Public Affairs and Multicultural Development at NASCAR from 2011 to 2014.  Previously, he held various positions at NASCAR, including Managing Director of Public Affairs from 2006 to 2011 and Senior Manager of Public Relations from 2005 to 2006.  Prior to joining NASCAR, Mr. Jadotte was Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz from 2004 to 2005.  He was Deputy Campaign Manager for the Kerry/Edwards Presidential campaign from 2003 to 2004.  Mr. Jadotte was Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Peter Deutsch from 2001 to 2003 and served as Florida State Director on the Gore/Lieberman Presidential campaign in 2000.  He served at the Department of Labor in various positions, including Intergovernmental Officer from 1999 to 2000 and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary in 2000.  Mr. Jadotte received a B.A. from Florida State University. 
 
James D. Pettit, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Department of State
James D. Pettit, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State, a position he has held since 2010.  Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine from 2007 to 2010, Consul General at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia from 2003 to 2007 and Consul General at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria from 1999 to 2003.  Mr. Pettit was Director of the Office of Post Liaison/Visa Office from 1997 to 1999, Director of the Washington Processing Center of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration from 1995 to 1997, Deputy Consul General of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 1992 to 1994, Desk Officer in the Office of Taiwan Coordination from 1990 to 1992, and Desk Officer in the Office of Cuban Affairs from 1988 to 1990.  He also served as Consular Officer at the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei, General Services/Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and Consular Officer at the Consulate General in Guadalajara, Mexico.  Mr. Pettit received a B.A. from Iowa State University and an M.A. from the National War College.
 
Laura S. Wertheimer, Nominee for Inspector General, Federal Housing Finance Agency
Laura S. Wertheimer is a partner in the Securities Department of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP, a position she has held since 2003.  She is also a member of the firm’s Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice Group.  Previously, she was a partner at the law firm of Shea & Gardner from 1987 to 2003 and an associate at that firm from 1983 to 1987.  From 1981 to 1983, she was a Law Clerk for Chief Judge Spottswood Robinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  Ms. Wertheimer received a B.A. from Yale College and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

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

Caitlin K. Cahow, Appointee for Member, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition

Caitlin K. Cahow was a member of the United States Women’s National Ice Hockey Team from 2005 to 2013.  The Team won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada and a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy.  She was Captain of the Boston Blades in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), and has served on the CWHL board of directors since her retirement in 2013.  She was the Captain of the U.S. Under-22 Select Team in 2006.  Ms. Cahow won gold medals with the U.S. Women’s National Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship in 2008, 2009, and 2011. She received the 2008 USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year award.  In February 2014, she served on the Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.  She is an active advisor to the You Can Play Team.  She received the Shannon McLaughlin Advocacy Award from the Boston College Lambda Law Students Association and the Avian Soifer Award for Public Service Achievement and Leadership from Boston College Law School.  Ms. Cahow received a A.B. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Dr. Steven Croley, Appointee for Member, Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States
Dr. Steven Croley is General Counsel of the Department of Energy. Prior to this, he was Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel from 2012 to 2014.  Previously, he served as Senior Counsel to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel from 2011 to 2012 and Special Assistant to the President for Justice and Regulatory Policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council from 2010 to 2011.  Since 2010, Dr. Croley has been on leave from the University of Michigan Law School where he is the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law.  From 2006 to 2010, he served as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.  Dr. Croley was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan Law School from 2003 to 2006.  He served as a Research Consultant to the Michigan Law Revision Commission from 1996 to 1999, and previously as a Research Consultant to the Administrative Conference of the United States and the U.S. Department of Labor from 1994 to 1995.  He began his teaching career as an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School in 1993 before becoming a Professor of Law in 1998.  Dr. Croley served as a Law Clerk for Judge Stephen Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1991 to 1992.  Dr. Croley received an A.B. from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.   

Jane Jelenko, Appointee for Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council
Jane Jelenko is the Founding President and a board member of Center Dance Arts, the founding support organization for Dance at the Music Center in Los Angeles, California, a position she has held since 2001.  She is the author of Portraits in Black and White: Holocaust Survivors of Café Europa, a collection of stories photographs of Holocaust survivors.  In 1983, Ms. Jelenko became the first female consulting partner at KPMG.  Prior to this, she held various roles at KPMG, including National Industry Director for the Banking and Finance group and leader of the Banking and Investment Services Consulting group.  Ms. Jelenko has been a Director of Cathay General Bancorp since 2012 and serves on the Audit and Risk Committees.  Since 2006, she has served as a Trustee of the SunAmerica Series Trust and Seasons Series Trust.  She also serves on the boards of the Dizzy Feet Foundation and the Gabriella Foundation.  She was a Director of Countrywide Bank from 2003 to 2008, and is a former board member of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, the Music Center of Los Angeles County, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, and KPMG, LLP.  Ms. Jelenko received an A.B. in Mathematics from Barnard College and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
 
Brig. Gen. John S. Kem, USA, Appointee for Commissioner, Mississippi River Commission
Brig. Gen. John S. Kem is Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division, a position he has held since July 2013.  In this role, he oversees the operations of district commands in Portland, Seattle, Walla Walla, Omaha, and Kansas City, Missouri.  Previously, Brig. Gen. Kem was the Director of Engineering, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012, Commander of the Europe District of the Army Corps of Engineers from 2008 to 2011, and Commander of the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division in Iraq from 2003 to 2005.  His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.  Brig. Gen. Kem received a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy, an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and an M.S. in environmental engineering from Northwestern University. 
 
George A. Elmaraghy, Appointee for Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
George A. Elmaraghy is currently Senior Project Manager at Stantec Consulting Ltd., a position he has held since October 2013.  Prior to this, Mr. Elmaraghy served in various roles at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency from 1974 to 2013, including Division Chief of the Division of Surface Water, Assistant Division Chief of the Division of Surface Water, and Assistant Division Chief of the Division of Water Pollution Control.  Mr. Elmaraghy began his career as a Graduate Research Assistant at The Ohio State University Department of Civil Engineering from 1972 to 1974.  He received a B.S. from Cairo University and an M.S. from The Ohio State University.
 
Tom FitzGerald, Appointee for Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
Tom FitzGerald is currently Director of the Kentucky Resources Council, Inc., a position he has held since 1984.  He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Energy and Environmental Law at the Brandeis School of Law since 1986.  From 1980 to 1984, Mr. FitzGerald was a Staff Attorney and Environmental Specialist at the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky.  He was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow from 1980 to 1982.  Mr. FitzGerald received a B.A. from Roger Williams College and a J.D. from University of Kentucky College of Law.
 
Susan Hedman, Appointee for Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
Susan Hedman is the Region 5 Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, a position she has held since 2010.  From 2005 to 2010, Ms. Hedman served as Environment and Energy Counsel and Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.  She was a Senior Policy Advisor on energy issues at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity from 2004 to 2005.  Ms. Hedman served as First Legal Officer for the environmental claims panel at the United Nations Compensation Commission from 2000 to 2004.  From 1993 to 2000, she was a Staff Attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center and an attorney at Howard & Howard in 1992.  She served as a Clinical Assistant Professor at University of Michigan Law School in 1991 and an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs and School of Law from 1988 to 1991.  From 1984 to 1988, Ms. Hedman was an Assistant/Associate Professor at Northland College and was Public Information Officer for the Wisconsin Radioactive Waste Review Board from 1983 to 1984.  Ms. Hedman received a B.A. from Ripon College, an M.A. from the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and a Ph.D. from the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin.