WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
- Marcel Lettre – Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Department of Defense
- Robert M. Simon – Associate Director for Energy and Environment, Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Caroline Kennedy – Ambassador to Japan, Department of State
The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:
- Betty Sutton – Administrator, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
President Obama said, “These fine public servants both bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles. Our nation will be well-served by these individuals, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”
President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Marcel Lettre, Nominee for Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Department of Defense
Marcel Lettre currently serves as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. From 2005 to 2009, he served as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s Senior Defense and Intelligence Advisor and later as his Senior National Security Advisor. From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Lettre served as a Professional Staff Member for the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He was an associate for Booz Allen Hamilton from 2000 to 2001. Mr. Lettre served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Deutch Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction from 1998 to 1999. He was a Senior Staff Assistant in the American University Office of the President from 1995 to 1997, and a Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 1994 to 1995. He received a B.A. from the University of the South and an M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Dr. Robert M. Simon, Nominee for Associate Director for Energy and Environment, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Dr. Robert M. Simon is currently a consultant in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a position he has held since June 2013. Previously, he served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). From 1999 to 2012, Dr. Simon directed the Democratic staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, serving as the committee’s Staff Director from 2007 to 2012. He served as a policy analyst with the Joint Economic Committee from 1998 to 1999 and served on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from 1993 to 1997. Dr. Simon was the Principal Deputy Director of the Office of Energy Research at DOE from 1991 to 1993. He served as the Executive Director of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board from 1990 to 1992. From 1982 to 1989, he served in a number of roles at the National Research Council. In 2006, Dr. Simon was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Simon received a B.S. from Ursinus College and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Caroline Kennedy, Nominee for Ambassador to Japan, Department of State
Caroline Kennedy is President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Chair of the Senior Advisory Committee of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. In September 2012, she was appointed as a General Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. From 2002 to 2012, she served as Vice Chair of the Fund for Public Schools in New York City. She is also on the Board of Directors of New Visions for Public Schools and serves as Honorary Chair of the American Ballet Theater. From 1998 to 2009, she served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund. From 1994 to 2011, she served on the Board of Directors of the Commission on Presidential Debates. She is the editor of several New York Times best-selling books on topics including constitutional law, American history, politics, and poetry. She received a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:
Betty Sutton, Appointee for Administrator, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Betty Sutton most recently served in the U.S. House of Representatives where she represented Ohio’s 13th District from 2007 to 2012. From 2001 to 2006, she worked as an Attorney at Faulkner, Muskovitz, & Phillips LLP. Ms. Sutton was a Representative in the Ohio State House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000. From 1991 to 1993, she was a member and then Vice President of the Summit County Council. Ms. Sutton served as a member of the Barberton City Council from 1990 to 1991. She received a B.A. from Kent State University and a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law.