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:

• Tulinabo Salama Mushingi – Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Department of State
• N. Bruce Duthu- Member, National Council on the Humanities
• Wilfredo Martinez – Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute
• Chase Rogers– Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute

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

• Victoria Reggie Kennedy– General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Charles B. Ortner– General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Susan S. Sher– General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Dr. Kenneth W. Mack– Member, Permanent Committee for the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise
• Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler- United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
• Sonia TowerMember, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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

• Captain E. Elliott “Skip” Barker – Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy
• Matice J. Wright - Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy

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

Tulinabo Salama Mushingi, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Department of State
Tulinabo Salama Mushingi, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, is currently U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso, a position he has held since 2013. Previously, Ambassador Mushingi served at the Department of State as Deputy Executive Secretary and Executive Director in the Executive Office of the Secretary from 2011 to 2013. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 2009 to 2011, Counselor for Management Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 2006 to 2009, and Supervisory General Services Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary from 2003 to 2006. He worked as a Management Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, Morocco from 2001 to 2003 and as a Counseling and Assignment Officer in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State from 1999 to 2001. In his career with the Department of State, Ambassador Mushingi has also served in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Department’s Foreign Service Institute, and at U.S. embassies in Mozambique and Malaysia. Before joining the Department of State, he worked for the Peace Corps and lectured at Dartmouth College and Howard University. Ambassador Mushingi received a B.A. and M.A. from the Institute of Education in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, an M.A. from Howard University, and a Ph.D. from Georgetown University.

N. Bruce Duthu, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Humanities
N. Bruce Duthu is the Frank J. Guarini Associate Dean of the Faculty for International Studies and Interdisciplinary Programs and the Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College, positions he has held since 2016 and 2009, respectively. Mr. Duthu served as Chair of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College from 2009 to 2015. He worked at Vermont Law School from 1991 to 2008, where he was Professor of Law, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, and Director of the Sun Yat-sen University Partnership in Environmental Law. He was a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, and has taught at the University of Sydney, the University of Trento, and the University of Wollongong. Mr. Duthu received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans.

Wilfredo Martinez, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute
Wilfredo Martinez is County Court Judge for Orange County, Florida, a position he has held since 1998. Prior to this, Judge Martinez was a solo practitioner at his own firm, Wilfredo Martinez P.A., from 1990 to 1997. From 1987 to 1990, he was In-House Counsel at the firm U. A. & N., Inc. and from 1986 to 1987, he was a Staff Attorney at Rogers, Dowling & Bos P.A. Prior to that, Judge Martinez was a Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association from 1984 to 1986. He has served on the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute since 2011. Judge Martinez received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Chase Rogers, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute
Chase Rogers is currently Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, a position she has held since 2007. Prior to that, Chief Justice Rogers served as a Connecticut Appellate Court Judge from 2006 to 2007, and a Superior Court Judge from 1998 to 2006. Previously, she worked at Cummings & Lockwood as an associate from 1983 to 1991 and then as a partner from 1992 to 1998. She was appointed to the State Justice Institute Board of Directors in 2010 and is currently its Chairperson. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices and has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law since 2012. Chief Justice Rogers received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

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

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Art
Victoria Reggie Kennedy is Senior Counsel at Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Co-Founder and President of the Board of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston. She serves on the Board of Overseers of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Board of Directors of the Leadership Roundtable, and was a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform in Washington, D.C. Ms. Kennedy received a B.A. from Newcomb College and a J.D. from Tulane University Law School.

Charles B. Ortner, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Charles B. Ortner is a Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, where he has worked since 1999. Mr. Ortner also serves as the National Legal Counsel to the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., a position he has held since 2003. Mr. Ortner was a Partner at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker from 1992 to 1999 and at Milgrim Thomajan & Lee from 1984 to 1991. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Born This Way Foundation and the Grammy Museum. Mr. Ortner served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was first appointed to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center in 2010. Mr. Ortner received a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Susan S. Sher, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Susan S. Sher is Senior Adviser to the President of the University of Chicago, a position she has held since 2011. Ms. Sher served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama from 2009 to 2011 and as Associate White House Counsel in 2009. She was Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel at the University of Chicago Medical Center from 1997 to 2008, Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago from 1993 to 1997, and Partner at Mayer Brown & Platt from 1981 to 1985. Ms. Sher is a member of the boards of the Loyola University of Chicago and the Partnership for a Healthier America, and was previously a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the National Advisory Board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Ms. Sher was first appointed to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2014. Ms. Sher received a B.A. from The George Washington University and a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago.

Dr. Kenneth W. Mack, Appointee for Member, Permanent Committee for the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise
Dr. Kenneth W. Mack is the inaugural Laurence D. Biele Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and Co-Director of the Harvard Law School Program on Law and History, positions he has held since 2013. Dr. Mack has been on the faculty at Harvard Law School since 2000. He was a Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, University of Hawaii, Georgetown University, and was a Visiting Scholar at University of Cambridge’s Center for History and Economics. Dr. Mack worked as an Associate with Covington & Burling LLP from 1992 to 1994. From 1991 to 1992, he was a Law Clerk for the Honorable Robert L. Carter of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Dr. Mack received a B.S. from Drexel University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler is currently a review panel member for the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program, and an Executive in Residence at the University of Radford. He has more than three decades of experience as a commercial fisherman. Mr. Piñeiro-Soler was first appointed to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in 2013 and previously served as Chair of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council from 2003 to 2016. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Piñeiro-Soler has also served as Chair of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. Mr. Piñeiro-Soler has been a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the U.S. delegation to the International Whaling Commission, and the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. Mr. Piñeiro-Soler received a B.A. from the University of Radford and a J.D. from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

Sonia Tower, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Sonia Tower is Principal of Cultural Development Resources, and serves as Senior Advisor to Ovation TV and The Ovation Foundation, positions she has held since 2015. Ms. Tower was President of The Ovation Foundation and Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations at Ovation TV from 2011 to 2015, and Vice President of Communications for both entities from 2007 to 2011. Ms. Tower worked at Americans for the Arts as Vice President for Development and Special Initiatives from 2000 to 2007, and as Director of Individual Giving and Special Events from 2000 to 2001. She was a member of the Paley Center Media Council from 2014 to 2015 and Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Ventura Cultural Affairs Division from 1993 to 2000. Ms. Tower received a B.A. from California State University-Northridge.

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

Captain E. Elliott “Skip” Barker, Designee for Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy
Captain E. Elliott "Skip" Barker has practiced law since 1972 and currently practices civil litigation with Pilcher & Pilcher, P.C. in Selma, Alabama. Since 1996, Captain Barker has worked as the owner and primary farmer of Barkers' Mill, Inc., a family owned cotton farming business. From 1990 to 1991, he was Chairman and President of the Administrative Board of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, Mobile, Alabama, and from 1979 to 1980, he served as President and Chairman of United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, Alabama. Captain Barker retired from the Navy in 1994 with the rank of Captain after serving 25 years in the Navy Reserves. He joined the Navy in 1966, deploying first to the Western Pacific and later serving in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 as a Swift Boat skipper in the lower Mekong Delta and as a Navy school manager in Saigon. For his service in Vietnam, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal. Captain Barker received a B.A. from Auburn University and a J.D. from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law.

Matice J. Wright, Designee for Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy
Matice J. Wright is a national security consultant and manager at Mantech International, a position she has held since 2015. Ms. Wright also currently serves as a board member at Virginia’s Veterans Services Foundation and The George Washington University VALOR Advisory Board. Ms. Wright worked as an independent national security consultant from 2013 to 2015 and was the Vice President for Strategy at Exelis, a global aerospace, defense, information and services company, from 2012 to 2013. She served as Principal Director for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy at the Department of Defense from 2010 to 2012. Previously, Ms. Wright was a Senior Associate and Defense Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton from 2003 to 2010 and a Marketing and Program Manager for Sikorsky Aircraft from 1999 to 2003. Ms. Wright was a White House Fellow with the Department of Treasury from 1997 to 1998 and a Business Analyst for SRA International from 1996 to 1997. She served as a Naval Flight Officer from 1988 to 1996. Ms. Wright received a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy, an M.P.A. from Harvard University, and an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.