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:

·         Kathleen Ann Doherty – Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus, Department of State

·         Hans G. Klemm – Ambassador to Romania, Department of State

·         Jeffrey Prieto – General Counsel, Department of Agriculture

·         Lucy Tamlyn – Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Department of State

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

·         Wanda M. Austin – Member, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

·         Thomas O. Melius – Commissioner, United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission  

President Obama said, “These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles.  I look forward to working with them.” 

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

Kathleen Ann Doherty, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus, Department of State

Kathleen Ann Doherty, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy, a position she has held since 2013.  Previously, Ms. Doherty served at the Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2011 to 2013 and as Director of the Office of European Union  and Regional Affairs from 2010 to 2011.  Prior to that, she served as Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in London, United Kingdom from 2008 to 2010, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia from 2006 to 2008, Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center in 2005, and Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy from 2000 to 2004.  After joining the Foreign Service in 1990, her early assignments included posts in the Dominican Republic and Brazil.  Ms. Doherty received a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics.

Hans G. Klemm, Nominee for Ambassador to Romania, Department of State

Hans G. Klemm, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of State, a position he has held since January 2015.  Previously, Ambassador Klemm served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department’s Bureau of Human Resources from 2012 to 2015.  Before that, he was Senior Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in 2012, and Senior Coordinator for Rule of Law and Law Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012.  He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste from 2007 to 2010.  Prior to that, Ambassador Klemm served as Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan from 2006 to 2007, and as Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Career Development in the Bureau of Human Resources from 2004 to 2006.  He was a participant in the Senior Seminar at the Department’s Foreign Service Institute from 2003 to 2004, Director of the Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Affairs in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs from 2001 to 2003, and Deputy Director of the Office of European Union and Regional Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2000 to 2001.  Ambassador Klemm’s earlier assignments with the Department of State included postings in Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago.  Ambassador Klemm received a B.A. from Indiana University and an M.A. from Stanford University.

Jeffrey Prieto, Nominee for General Counsel, Department of Agriculture

Jeffrey Prieto serves as Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Agriculture, a position he has held since June 2014.  Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Executive Officer and General Counsel in the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2012 to 2014.  From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Prieto served as ENRD’s Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General at DOJ.  Previously, he was a Trial Attorney with ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section from 1999 to 2010.  From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Prieto was an Attorney-Advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water.  From 1997 to 1998, he was a White House Fellow assigned to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Mr. Prieto received a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Lucy Tamlyn, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Department of State

Lucy Tamlyn, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan in the Department of State, a position she has held since 2013.  Previously, Ms. Tamlyn served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal from 2011 to 2013, Economic Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France from 2009 to 2010, and as Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader in Erbil, Iraq from 2008 to 2009.  Prior to that, Ms. Tamlyn was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena, Chad from 2005 to 2008, Alternate Permanent Representative and Deputy Director in the United Nations Economic and Social Council Section of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2003 to 2005, and Alternate Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Italy from 2000 to 2003.  Since joining the Foreign Service in 1982, she has also served at posts in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, and Mozambique.  Ms. Tamlyn received a B.A. from Saint John’s College and an M.A. from Columbia University.

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

Dr. Wanda M. Austin, Appointee for Member, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Dr. Wanda M. Austin is President and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, positions she has held since 2008.  She has held various positions at The Aerospace Corporation starting in 1979, including Senior Vice President of the National Systems Group from 2004 to 2007, Senior Vice President of the Engineering and Technology Group from 2001 to 2003, and General Manager of the MILSATCOM Division from 1999 to 2001.  Before joining The Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Austin was a Member of the technical staff at Rockwell International from 1977 to 1979.  She became a member of the Defense Science Board in 2010 and served as a Member on the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee in 2009. Dr. Austin is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the NASA Advisory Council, and she is an Honorary Fellow of The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  She also serves on the boards of the University of Southern California, National Space Foundation, and National Geographic Society.  Dr. Austin received a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College, an M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.

Thomas O. Melius, Appointee for Commissioner, United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Thomas O. Melius is the Midwest Regional Director at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), a position he has held since 2008.  He was Regional Director in Alaska at the FWS from 2006 to 2008.  Mr. Melius was Assistant Director for External Affairs at the FWS from 2003 to 2006, was Assistant Director for Migratory Birds and State Programs at the FWS from 2000 to 2003, and was first Assistant Director for External Afairs at the FWS from 1998 to 2000.  Mr. Melius was the Director of Conservation Policy and Senior Advisor at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation from 1997 to 1998.  He was a senior professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation from 1995 to 1997.  Mr. Melius was a professional staff member on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries from 1985 to 1995.  Mr. Melius received a B.S. and M.A. from South Dakota State University.