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Briefing Room

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 25, 2014

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Jill Appell – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • C. Fred Bergsten – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Bill Frenzel – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Leo W. Gerard – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Joseph T. Hansen – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • James P. Hoffa – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Sandra Kennedy – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • David H. Long – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Wade Randlett – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Matthew Rubel – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • David H. Segura – Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
  • Bryan Lourd – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • Barbara Goodman Manilow – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • Bryan Traubert – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms, USAF (Ret) – Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • Liza Gilbert – Member, Commission of Fine Arts

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 appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts: 

Jill Appell, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Jill Appell is a past President of the National Pork Producers Council and the Illinois Pork Producers Association.  She was first appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Ms. Appell is a member of Illinois Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and has served on task forces for the Illinois Farm Bureau.  Ms. Appell is currently a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (U.S.D.A.) Farm Service Agency Illinois State Technical Committee and the U.S.D.A. Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade of Animals and Animal Products.  She previously served as Illinois State Director for Rural Development for the U.S.D.A.

C. Fred Bergsten, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

C. Fred Bergsten is a senior fellow and director emeritus of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.  He was first appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Mr. Bergsten was the Peterson Institute’s  Founding Director from 1981 through 2012.  He served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs from 1977 until 1981, and Assistant for International Economic Affairs to the National Security Council from 1969 to 1971.  Previously, Dr. Bergsten was Chairman of the Competitiveness Policy Council and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s Eminent Persons Group.  Dr. Bergsten received a B.A. from Central Methodist University, and an M.A., an M.A.L.D., and a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. 

Bill Frenzel, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Bill Frenzel is a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution, a position he has held since 1991.  He was first appointed to the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2002 and served as its Chairman from 2002 to 2011.  Previously, Mr. Frenzel served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the state of Minnesota from 1971 to 1991.  While in Congress, he served as the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee and a member of the Ways and Means Committee.  In 1993, Mr. Frenzel was appointed to serve as a Special Advisor to President Clinton, and then appointed to the President’s Social Security Commission in 2001.  He was appointed to the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform in 2005.  Mr. Frenzel is Co-Chairman of the Center for Strategic Tax Reform, the Bretton Woods Committee, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.  He is Chairman Emeritus of the Ripon Society.  Mr. Frenzel received a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College. 

Leo W. Gerard, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Leo W. Gerard is International President of United Steelworkers.  He was first appointed to the Advisory Council on Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  He is a member of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Committee and chairs its Public Policy Committee.  Mr. Gerard is co-chairman of the BlueGreen Alliance and a founder of Apollo Alliance.  He serves on the boards of Campaign for America’s Future and the Economic Policy Institute, and is a member of the executive committees of the IndustriALL.  

Joseph T. Hansen, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Joseph T. Hansen is President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).  He was first appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy & Negotiations in 2010.  Mr. Hansen was elected to serve as UFCW Secretary-Treasurer in 1997 and as President in 2004 and 2008.  He became President of Union Network International in 2003 and was reelected as President in 2005.  He is an AFL-CIO Vice President and Chair of the AFL-CIO International Affairs Committee.  

James P. Hoffa, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

James P. Hoffa is the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a position he has held since 1999.  He was appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Mr. Hoffa served as an attorney for the Teamsters from 1968 to 1993.  In 2002, he was appointed to the President’s Council on the 21st Century Workforce and has also served on the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board.  Mr. Hoffa received a B.S. from Michigan State University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Sandra Kennedy, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Sandra Kennedy is President of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), a position she has held since December 2002.  She was first appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Prior to joining RILA, Ms. Kennedy served as Director of the Leadership Dialogue Series for Accenture.  From 1993 to 2000, she was Senior Vice President of membership services for the National Retail Federation.  Ms. Kennedy received a B.A. from the University of Iowa. 

David H. Long, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

David H. Long is CEO and Chairman of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Inc., a position he has held since 2013.  Previously, he was President and CEO of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Inc. from 2011 to 2013.  Since joining Liberty Mutual in 1985, Mr. Long has held a number of positions within the company’s International Operations, Commercial Markets, Underwriting and Financial, and Mergers and Acquisitions divisions.  He is a member of the Business Roundtable, a Director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s President’s Council, and a Board Member of Tamarack Technologies.  Mr. Long received a B.A. from Hartwick College and an M.S. from Boston College.

Wade Randlett, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Wade Randlett is CEO of the transportation fuels division of General Biofuels, a position he has held since 2013.  He was first appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Mr. Randlett is the President of the governing council of Alice Fong Yu Elementary School in San Francisco, is the Founder of Bay Area Democrats, and a co-founder of Technology Network.  He served as a member of the Obama for America National Finance Committee.  Mr. Randlett received a B.S. from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco. 

Matthew Rubel, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

Matthew Rubel is a Senior Advisor at TPG Capital.  He was first appointed to the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Previously, he was Chairman, President, and CEO of Collective Brands, Inc. from 2005 to 2011.  Mr. Rubel was CEO of Cole Haan from 1999 to 2005, and was Executive Vice President of J. Crew Group and CEO of Popular Club Plan from 2004 to 2009.  Mr. Rubel is active in several industry and civic organizations, including the Jay H. Baker Initiative at the Wharton School, the Young Presidents’ Organization, and serves as Chairman of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the University of Miami, and serves on the Board of Directors of Supervalu, Hudson Bay Corporation, and Home Shopping Network.  Mr. Rubel received a B.S. from Ohio University and an M.B.A. from the University of Miami.

David H. Segura, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

David H. Segura is CEO of VisionIT, an information technology firm he founded in 1997.  He was first appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010.  Mr. Segura is a member of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum and was a founding architect and former Vice Chair of the Hispanic IT Executive Council.  In 2010, he was selected by President Obama as one of 50 CEOs to participate in a White House Forum on Modernizing U.S. Government.  Mr. Segura received a B.S. from the University of Michigan–Dearborn.     

Bryan Lourd, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Bryan Lourd is a partner and managing director of Creative Artists Agency, an entertainment and sports talent agency based in Los Angeles.  Mr. Lourd was appointed to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2009.  He is a member of the boards of InterActiveCorp, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and J/P Haitian Relief Organization, and is a Trustee of the American Film Institute.  Mr. Lourd received a B.A. from the University of Southern California. 

Barbara Goodman Manilow, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Barbara Goodman Manilow is Chairman of the Board of Crown Family Philanthropies in Chicago, an organization supporting the arts, civic affairs, education, conservation, health and human services, service projects, and Jewish Causes.  She is a founding member and director of the Covenant Foundation, and is a member of the board of the Chicago Children’s Museum and the Francis W. Parker School.  Ms. Goodman Manilow received a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. 

Dr. Bryan Traubert, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Dr. Bryan Traubert is a founder and former partner at Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, a position he held from 1986 to 2013.  He is President of the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation and the Chicago Park District, and is a member of the boards of Chicago Public Radio, National Park Foundation, and Partnership for a Healthier America.  Dr. Traubert previously served as President of Marwen and on the boards of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, National Public Radio Foundation, and Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind.  He served on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships from 2009 to 2013.  Dr. Traubert received a B.S. from The Citadel and an M.D. from the University of Illinois.

Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms, USAF (Ret), Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms, USAF (Ret), retired from the United States Air Force in 2014 after 34 years of service.  She was also a NASA astronaut from 1990 to 2002.  She was Commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  Lieutenant General Helms was a crew member on five Space Shuttle missions and was a resident of the International Space Station for over five months in 2001.  Her awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.  In 2011, she was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.  Lieutenant General Helms received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.

Liza Gilbert, Appointee for Member, Commission of Fine Arts

Liza Gilbert is a freelance landscape designer.  She has been a board member of the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy in Washington, D.C. since 2012 and is also Chair of its Signature Project Committee.  Previously, she was a Project Designer and Construction Supervisor at the New York firms of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates from 2006 to 2010 and at Judith Heintz Landscape Architecture from 1997 to 2002.  Earlier in her career, she was a Project Assistant at Giannini & Vagnetti Architetti in Rome, Italy from 1989 to 1990.  She served on the board of Dancing in the Streets from 2003 to 2007.  Ms. Gilbert received a B.A. from Barnard College and an M.L.A. from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.