President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 5/19/09

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: Robert Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education; Colin Scott Fulton, General Counsel, Environmental Protection Agency; J. Michael Gilmore, Director, Operational Test & Evaluation, Department of Defense; Bart Chilton, Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and Cranston Mitchell, Commissioner,  U.S. Parole Commission, Department of Justice. The President also announced that he will be designating current Commissioner Isaac Fulwood as Chairman of the U.S. Parole Commission at the Department of Justice.

President Obama said, "These dedicated and talented individuals will be valuable members of our team as we work together to keep our nation safe, strengthen our economy and improve our nation’s schools. I am grateful that they have chosen to join my administration, and I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years."

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:

Robert Perciasepe, Nominee for Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Bob Perciasepe has over 30 years of experience in environmental and Natural resources management, legislative and governmental affairs and creative problem solving. Perciasepe joined Audubon as Senior Vice President for Public Policy and head of the Washington, DC office in 2001. In 2004,he was named COO of Audubon, and in that capacity, he has been responsible for coordinating programs and support services throughout Audubon's national and state offices.  Prior to joining Audubon, Bob served as Assistant Administrator for the EPA, first serving as Assistant Administrator for Water, then Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. From 1990 to 1993, Bob was Secretary of Environment and directed pollution control and environmental protection for the state of Maryland. Previously, he was Baltimore's Assistant Director of Planning, where he oversaw environmental and infrastructure planning and managed the capital budget for the city. Perciasepe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources from Cornell University and master's degree in planning and public administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.

Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education
Dr. Thelma Melendez is currently serving as the Superintendent of Schools in the Pomona Unified School District in Pomona, CA. Her work on improving teaching and learning, and accelerating student performance, also includes work with the Stupski Educational Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation. She has written numerous articles for national education publications, and is an accomplished speaker on the role of school administrators, the achievement gap, women in education, and the issues of race and class.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, at UCLA, a Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Southern California, participated in several graduate programs in school administration and leadership, and was a Broad Urban Superintendents Academy fellow.

Colin Scott Fulton, Nominee for General Counsel, Environmental Protection Agency
On February 4, 2009, President Obama designated Colin Scott Fulton to serve as Acting Deputy Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  In the 1980's, Fulton served as an environmental prosecutor and Assistant Chief in the Environment Division of the United States Department of Justice.  From 1990 to 1995, Fulton held leadership positions in EPA's enforcement program, first as Director of Civil Enforcement and subsequently as Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator.  From 1995 to 1999, he served as EPA's Principal Deputy General Counsel.  From 1999 to 2007, he served as a Judge on EPA's Environmental Appeals Board.  From August of 2007 until his designation as Acting Deputy Administrator, Fulton served as the Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of International Affairs. As such, he led EPA's international environmental policy development and program implementation and represented the United States in various international settings.  Fulton has served on an extended acting basis at the Assistant Administrator level or higher on four occasions, and has received the top two honor awards available to recognize excellence in federal Senior Executives - the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award and the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award.

J. Michael Gilmore, Nominee for Director, Operational Test & Evaluation, Department of Defense
J. Michael Gilmore most recently served as Assistant Director for National Security at the Congressional Budget Office, where he was responsible for CBO's National Security Division, which performs analyses of major policy and program issues in national defense, international affairs, and veterans affairs.  Before joining CBO in 2001, Dr. Gilmore was the Deputy Director for General Purpose Programs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Program Analysis and Evaluation. In that position, he was responsible for developing, formulating, and implementing Secretary of Defense policies on all aspects of Department of Defense general purpose programs. In his 11 years in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he began by analyzing strategic defense and military satellite communications programs and later, as part of the Cost Analysis Improvement Group, directed teams of analysts in preparing estimates of the costs of defense programs. Prior to his career in government, he was a defense analyst for McDonnell Douglas Corporation and a scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he performed research on nuclear fusion.  Dr. Gilmore received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, and a B.S. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bart Chilton, Nominee for Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Chilton was sworn in as CFTC Commissioner in August of 2007. He currently serves as the Chairman of the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC).  His career spans 25 years in government service—working on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, and serving the Executive Branch during the Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations.  Prior to joining the CFTC, Chilton was the Chief of Staff at the National Farmers Union.  In 2005, Chilton served as an Executive Assistant to the U.S. Farm Credit Administration Board.  From 2001 to 2005, Chilton was a Senior Advisor to Senator Tom Daschle, the Democrat Leader of the United States Senate.  From 1995 to 2001, Chilton held several politically appointed positions, including Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman.  From 1985 to 1995, Mr. Chilton worked in the U.S. House of Representatives where he served as Legislative Director for three different Members of Congress and as the Executive Director of the bipartisan Congressional Rural Caucus.  Chilton attended Purdue University (1979-1982) and was a collegiate leader of several organizations.

Cranston Mitchell, Nominee for Commissioner, U.S. Parole Commission, Department of Justice
Cranston J. Mitchell was confirmed by the Senate to serve on the U.S. Parole Commission in 2003.  He was previously a Correctional Program Specialist for the Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in Washington, DC. Prior to the NIC position, he spent approximately twenty five years working for the State of Missouri. His longest tenure in state government was eighteen years with the Missouri Department of Corrections as Chairman and Director of the Board of Probation and Parole. He also worked as a counselor and administrator in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and as a police officer in St. Louis, Missouri for seven years.  Mitchell received a Danforth Fellowship and was selected to attend the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University. He was honored by the Association of Paroling Authorities, International and presented with the Vincent O'Leary Award for his contributions to the field of parole. He also was the recipient of the Jonathan Jasper Wright Community Leadership Award given to him by the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.  Mr. Mitchell is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a B.S. degree in political science.

The President also made the following announcement today:

Isaac Fulwood, Designee for Chairman, U.S. Parole Commission, Department of Justice
Isaac Fulwood, Jr. was confirmed by the Senate to serve on the United States Parole Commission in 2004.  Throughout his career, Fulwood has distinguished himself as an outstanding law enforcement practitioner. He was a member of the Metropolitan Police Department for 29 years and served as the 25th Chief of Police.  He was also appointed Executive Director of the Mayor's Youth Initiative Office.  Fulwood has served as a Senior Marketing Representative for Pepsi Cola and has advised the Systems Planning Corporation on the development of military equipment for use by civilian law enforcement organizations.  Fulwood has also served as an expert on security issues for the law office of Gilbert and Kiernan, is a member on the board of directors for 16 organizations, and chaired the 37th Annual D.C. One Fund Drive.  He has received awards for his public service from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Commanders of the Rite of the Orient of the District of Columbia Prince Hall Affiliated, the District of Columbia City Council, and the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.  Fulwood is a graduate of the George Washington University Contemporary Executive Development Program and a graduate of the National Executive Institute F.B.I. Commissioner Fulwood received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Southeastern University on June 21, 1992.