Jump to main content

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 The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.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

Briefing Room

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2015

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:

  • Mark Cohen –  Member, Merit Systems Protection Board, and upon appointment to be designated Vice Chairman
  • G. Kathleen Hill – Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, Department of State

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

  • Lynne Benioff – Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
  • Paula Robinson Collins – Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
  • Nicola Miner – Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
  • Janet Reilly – Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
  • Eric Ortner – Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
  • Shervin Pishevar – Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
  • Steven Spinner – Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

President Obama said, “I am pleased to announce that these experienced and committed individuals have decided to serve our country.  I look forward to working with them.”

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

Mark Cohen, Nominee for Member, Merit Systems Protection Board, and upon appointment to be designated Vice Chairman
Mark Cohen is the Principal Deputy Special Counsel at the Office of Special Counsel, a position he has held since 2011.  Mr. Cohen was Executive Director of the Government Accountability Project (GAP) from 2007 to 2011 and the Director of the Food and Drug Safety Program at GAP from 2005 to 2007.  From 2003 to 2005, he was Principal at the Law Office of Mark P. Cohen and Managing Editor at Law Reporters, Inc. from 1996 to 2003.  Mr. Cohen was National Bureau Chief at LAWCAST from 1994 to 1997, and he served as Director and Chief Counsel of the Financial Crimes Unit of the National Association of Attorneys General from 1990 to 1994.  He was Senior Legal Consultant in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1989.  Mr. Cohen received a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, a J.D. from the Antioch School of Law, and an L.L.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

G. Kathleen Hill, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, Department of State
G. Kathleen Hill, a Career Member of the Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, is Senior Advisor in the Office of the Executive Secretary at the Department of State.  She previously held positions as Deputy Executive Secretary and Executive Director of the Office of the Executive Secretary from 2013 to 2015, Deputy Executive Director of the Executive Directorate for the Bureaus of European Affairs and International Organizations from 2012 to 2013, and Supervisory Post Management Officer in the Executive Directorate for the Bureaus of Near Eastern Affairs and South and Central Asian Affairs from 2010 to 2012.  Before that, Ms. Hill was a Political Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver, Canada from 2007 to 2010 and a Management Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Milan, Italy from 2004 to 2007.   She was a Human Resources and Budget and Fiscal Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004.  Ms. Hill previously held positions at the Department of State as Post Management Officer in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2000 to 2002, Watch Officer in the Operations Center from 1999 to 2000, Assistant General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1997 to 1999, and Political and Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia from 1995 to 1997.  Ms. Hill received a B.A. from the University of Denver and an M.A. from Columbia University.

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

Lynne Benioff, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
Lynne Benioff is an independent marketing consultant and philanthropist active with several health care and community foundations.  Previously, Ms. Benioff was Director of Public Relations Campaigns at OutCast Communications from 1998 to 2003.  Ms. Benioff co-founded Star Community Home in 2011, a short-term residential community for homeless families in San Francisco.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of Hampton Creek, the Board of Overseers of the University of California San Francisco Foundation, the Board of Directors of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and the Board of Directors of Common Sense Media.  Ms. Benioff was honored by Mayor Ed Lee as one of San Francisco’s “Women of the Year” in 2014.  She received a B.S. from the University of Washington.

Paula Robinson Collins, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
Paula Robinson Collins is the former CEO of WDG Ventures, Inc., a position she held from 1988 to 2015. Ms. Collins is also the former President of Portfolio Real Estate Consulting, a position she held from 2004 to 2015.  She is a Founder and Director of Presidio Bank in San Francisco, positions she has held since 2006.  Ms. Collins is a member of the National Board of the Automobile Association of America, a former member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Visiting Committee for the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and a former member of the Board of Special Olympics of Northern California.  She was named to the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame in 2014, received the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment in 2011, and received the Silver Spur Award from San Francisco Planning and Urban Research in 2007.  She was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust in 2012 and currently serves as its Vice Chair.  Ms. Collins received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and an M.C.P. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Nicola Miner, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
Nicola Miner is a philanthropist for several cultural and educational foundations.  Ms. Miner is also President of the Miner-Anderson Family Foundation, a position she has held since 2010.  She was Co-Founder of Quotidian Gallery from 1999 to 2005 and is a member of the Board of The Baker Street Foundation.  Ms. Miner is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Ballet, and San Francisco University High School.  Ms. Miner received a B.A. from Brown University, an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and an M.A. from Mills College.

Janet Reilly, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust
Janet Reilly is Producer and Host of The Mix with Janet Reilly on NBC Bay Area.  Ms. Reilly is Co-Founder of Clinic by the Bay, a Volunteers in Medicine clinic providing free health care for the working uninsured established in 2010.  She was Director of Public Relations for Mervyn’s Department Stores from 1997 to 2001.  Ms. Reilly was District Representative for then-Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan from 1993 to 1995.  She was an Anchorwoman-Reporter for CBS-affiliate KGWN-TV in Cheyenne, Wyoming from 1990 to 1992.  Ms. Reilly is President of the Board of Directors of Clinic by the Bay and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of San Domenico School.  She is a former President and member of the Board of Directors of Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District and a former member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Art Museum.  Ms. Reilly received a B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles and an M.S. from the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.

Eric Ortner, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Eric Ortner is Principal Partner of Live Nation Entertainment’s VECTOR OMG and President of The Ortner Group.  He was a Journalist and Producer with NBC News, ABC News, and CBS News.  He was also Senior Producer of Good Morning America and a Producer of the Today show.  Mr. Ortner was a Director and Crew Chief with the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps from 1992 to 2006, and was an Operations Officer and Advanced Life Support Technician with Brighton Volunteer Ambulance from 1994 to 1998.  He is a member of the Board of the Global Poverty Project.  He was a Co-Chair of Entertainment for the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee and was a member of Obama for America’s 2012 National Finance Committee.  Mr. Ortner received a B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Shervin Pishevar, Appointee for Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
Shervin Pishevar is Co-Founder and Chairman of Hyperloop Technologies Inc. and Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sherpa Ventures.  Mr. Pishevar was a Managing Director and Venture Advisor of Menlo Ventures from 2011 to 2014.  He also helped launch the Menlo Talent Fund in 2011.  Mr. Pishevar was Founding President and Chief Operating Officer of Webs, Inc. from 2005 to 2011.  He was co-Founder, President, Director, and Head of Product, Business Development and Sales for Ionside Interactive from 2001 to 2004.  Mr. Pishevar also co-Founded Application Corporation and Seges Capital in 2001 and was Founder and CEO of WebOS from 1997 to 2001.  He is a member of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council and was honored by the Department of Homeland Security as an “Outstanding American by Choice” in 2012.  Mr. Pishevar received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Steven Spinner, Appointee for Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships
Steven Spinner is an entrepreneur, start-up advisor and investor for technology, media, retail, and consumer ventures.  He served as a Program Analyst on the Stimulus Team at the Department of Energy from 2009 to 2010.  Mr. Spinner was Founder and CEO of Sports Potential, Inc. from 2002 to 2006 and Senior Vice President for Business Development and Corporate Strategy at NotifyMe Networks, Inc. from 2000 to 2001.  Mr. Spinner held various roles at NBC Internet, Inc. between 1998 and 2000, including Senior Vice President for Business and Channel Development, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, Business  and Channel Development, and Senior Director for Strategic Development.  He also held several positions at National Broadcasting Company, Inc. between 1996 and 1998, including Director for Business Development, NBC Interactive Media, Manager of Strategic Development for NBC Cable and Worldwide Business Development, and Manager of Business Development, NBC Interactive Media.  Mr. Spinner worked at Atlanta Centennial Olympic Properties, Inc. as Program Manager for Marketing in 1994 and as a Business Evaluations Associate from 1992 to 1994.  He was a Business Analyst with McKinsey & Company, Inc. as a Henry Luce Scholar from 1991 to 1992.  Mr. Spinner is a member of the Board of the Las Lomitas Education Foundation and is a past Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.  He was a member of the Obama for America National Finance Committee in 2012 and 2008.  Mr. Spinner received a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.