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:

  • Miranda A. A. Ballentine – Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics, Department of Defense
  • Norman C. Bay – Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman
  • Reggie Brothers – Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security
  • William P. Doyle – Commissioner, Federal  Maritime Commission
  • Ann Dunkin – Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, Environmental Protection Agency
  • Manny Ehrlich – Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
  • Mileydi Guilarte – United States Alternate Executive Director, Inter-American Development Bank
  • Suzi LeVine – Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Department of State
  • Michael McCord – Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Department of Defense
  • Brian P. McKeon – Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense
  • Christine E. Wormuth – Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following members to key administration posts:

  • Theodore B. Olson – Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships
  • Nathalie Rayes – Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country.  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:

Miranda A. A. Ballentine, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics, Department of Defense

Miranda A. A. Ballentine is the Director of Sustainability, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Facilities, and Stakeholder Engagement for Walmart Stores, Inc., a position she has held since 2008.  Previously, she was Vice President of Investor Analysis, Chief Operating Officer, and Senior Consultant for David Gardiner and Associates from 2003 to 2008.  In 2004, she served as the Director of Operations, Assistant Treasurer, and a Member of the Board of Environment2004.  She was the Operations Director for Solar Electric Light Fund from 2001 to 2004.  Since 2001, she has served as a guest lecturer at Duke University, George Washington University, and Kenan-Flagler School of Business.  She received a B.S. from Colorado State University and an M.B.A from George Washington University.

Norman C. Bay, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman

Norman C. Bay is the Director of the Office of Enforcement at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a position he has held since 2009.  Prior to this, Mr. Bay was a Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico from 2002 to 2009.  From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Bay was the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico.  He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1989 to 2000, an Attorney-Adviser at the United States Department of State from 1988 to 1989, and a Law Clerk for the Honorable Otto R. Skopil, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1986 to 1987.  Mr. Bay received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Reggie Brothers, Nominee for Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Reggie Brothers is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2009 to 2011, Dr. Brothers was a BAE Systems Director for Mission Applications and Technical Fellow.  From 2007 to 2011, he was a BAE Systems Director for Advanced Programs and Technology.  From 2003 to 2007, Dr. Brothers was a Program Manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.  From 2001 to 2003, he was a Group Leader for the Charles Draper Laboratory, and from 1999 to 2001 he was Chief Architect for Envoy Networks.  Dr. Brothers was Assistant Group Leader and Member of the Technical Staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory from 1988 to 1999.  Prior to 1988, Dr. Brothers was a Program Manager, Microwave Design Engineer, and Analog-Digital Design Engineer for Texas Instruments.  Dr. Brothers received a B.S. from Tufts University, an M.S. from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

William P. Doyle, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission

William P. Doyle currently serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).  Prior to joining the FMC, from 2011 to 2013, Mr. Doyle served as the Chief-of-Staff for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association from 2011 to 2013.  From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Doyle was the Director of Permitting, Scheduling, and Compliance at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects from 2008 to 2011, and was the Deputy General Counsel and Director of Government and Legislative Affairs for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association from 2002 to 2008.  Mr. Doyle received a B.S. from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law.

Ann Dunkin, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, Environmental Protection Agency

Ann Dunkin is the Chief Technology Officer for the Palo Alto Unified School District, a position she has held since 2012.  Prior to this, Ms. Dunkin was the Director of Technology for the Palo Alto Unified School District from 2009 to 2012.  She held a number of positions at the Hewlett-Packard Company including Senior R&D Program Manager from 2006 to 2008, IT Director and Senior Manager from 2001 to 2005 and IT Operations Director from 1999 to 2001.  Since 2012, she has served on the Consortium on School Networking (CoSN) SmartIT Advisory Board and the CoSN CTO Council since 2013.  Ms. Dunkin received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an M.S. from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Manny Ehrlich, Nominee for Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

Manny Ehrlich is the Principal at ESP Consulting, a position he has held since 2002.  Mr. Ehrlich was a Site General Manager for Pitt Penn Corporation from 2007 to 2009.  He served as the General Manager of the Emergency Response Training Center from 2006 to 2007 and was the Vice President of Health, Safety, and Labor Relations at International Specialty Products from 1998 to 2003.  He served as the Director of Emergency Response at BASF Corporation from 1989 to 1998 and the Assistant Plant Manager at BASF’s Geismar Electrolytics Plant from 1980 to 1981. From 1976 to 1980, Mr. Ehrlich was the Assistant Site Manager at Wyndotte Electrolytics under the BASF Corporation.  He received a B.S. from the Drexel Institute of Technology and an Ed.M. and M.A. from Columbia University.

Mileydi Guilarte, Nominee for United States Alternate Executive Director, Inter-American Development Bank

Mileydi Guilarte serves as an International Cooperation Specialist in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a position she has held since 2011.  From 2010 to 2011, she was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID.  Ms. Guilarte held numerous positions at the United Nations from 2007 to 2010, including Special Assistant to the Resident Representative in the Republic of the Maldives and Human Rights Officer on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in East Timor.  From 2004 to 2007, Ms. Guilarte held a number of assignments in the Social Development Department and in the Civil Society Team of the Latin America and the Caribbean Region at the World Bank.  She worked as a contractor for the International Monetary Fund from 2003 to 2004.  Ms. Guilarte received a B.A. from the University of Florida and an M.A. from American University.

Suzi LeVine, Nominee for Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Department of State

Suzi LeVine was Director of Strategic Partnerships for Student Developers and Director of Communications for Education at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington from 2009 to 2012.  Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Expedia’s luxury travel division from 2003 to 2005 and Director of Marketing at Expedia, Inc. from 1998 to 2002, and Product Manager at Microsoft from 1993 to 1999.  She co-founded and serves as Chair of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.  She co-founded and served as President of the Kavana Cooperative in Seattle and was a member of the Obama for America National Finance Committee, Co-Chair for Tech for Obama and Women for Obama, and the Northwest Regional Co-Chair.  Ms. LeVine received an A.B. and an Sc.B. from Brown University.

Michael McCord, Nominee for Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Department of Defense

Michael McCord is the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), a position he has held since 2009.  From 1987 to 2004, Mr. McCord served in a number of roles in the Senate Armed Service Committee, including as a professional staff member.  As majority staff lead, Mr. McCord served as lead analyst for both the overall defense budget and the Quadrennial Defense Review.  As minority staff lead, Mr. McCord was responsible for oversight of over $100 billion in annual DOD operation maintenance funding and related policy matters.  In 2003, he served as the Budget Analyst for defense and veterans issues for the Committee on the Budget in the U.S. House of Representatives.  From 1985 to 1986, Mr. McCord was an Assistant Analyst in the Budget Analysis Division of the Congressional Budget Office.  He received a B.A. from the Ohio State University and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Brian P. McKeon, Nominee for Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense

Brian P. McKeon is Deputy Assistant to the President, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council, and Chief of Staff for the National Security Staff at the White House, a position he has held since 2012.  He served as the Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President from 2009 to 2012.  Mr. McKeon was on the Presidential Transition’s State Department Agency Review Team, and served as the Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1997 to 2009, serving under then Senator Joe Biden.  Mr. McKeon was previously a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Robert Doumar and also worked on the Clinton-Gore 1996 campaign.  Earlier in his career, Mr. McKeon served in Senator Biden’s personal office in various capacities from 1985 to 1995, including seven years as a Legislative Assistant for Foreign Policy and Defense.  Mr. McKeon received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Christine E. Wormuth, Nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense

Christine E. Wormuth is Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Strategy, Plans, and Forces) at the Department of Defense (DOD), a position she has held since 2012.  Prior to this, she was Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Defense Policy on the National Security Staff from 2010 to 2012.  Previously, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2009 to 2010.  Before joining the Administration, she was a Senior Fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2004 to 2009.  Ms. Wormuth was a Principal at DFI Government Services, managing homeland and defense policy contracts for clients from 2002 to 2004.  She served as Country Director for France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in the Office of European Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy at DOD from 2001 to 2002.  She was the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for Programs and Legislation from 2000 to 2001.  Prior to this, she served as Senior Assistant for Strategy Development in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Threat Reduction from 1998 to 2000.  She was a Presidential Management Intern in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1996 to 1997 and a Senior Research Assistant at the Henry L. Stimson Center in 1995.  Ms. Wormuth received a B.A. from Williams College and a M.P.P. from the School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland.

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

Theodore B. Olson, Appointee for Member, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

Theodore B. Olson is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office, a firm he first joined in 1965.  He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law Group and its Crisis Management Team.  He is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.  Mr. Olson served as Solicitor General of the United States from 2001 to 2004, and was Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1981 to 1984.  He was appointed by President Obama as a Member of the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States in 2010.  Mr. Olson is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts.  In 2010, he was selected by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.  Mr. Olson received a B.A. from the University of the Pacific and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Nathalie Rayes, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Nathalie Rayes is currently the U.S. National Public Relations Director for Azteca America, a Grupo Salinas Company, where she has worked since 2006.  She is also Executive Director of Fundación Azteca America, the company’s philanthropic arm.  Previously, Ms. Rayes served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, and as a Senior Policy Advisor to Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Feuer.  In 1998, she was a Department of State Fellow in the Economic/Political Section of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.  She serves on the Advisory Board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and on the Boards of Directors of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, Los Angeles Universal Preschool, and the U.S. – Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and is a founding member of the Public Policy Alumni Council at the University of California, Los Angeles.  Ms. Rayes received an A.A. from Santa Monica College, and a B.A. and M.P.P. from the University of California, Los Angeles.