President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Peter B. Lyons, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy

• Denise E. O’Donnell, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice

• Stephanie O’Sullivan, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Directorate of National Intelligence

• David Shear, Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Department of State

The President also announced his intent to appoint Harvey S. Wineberg as a Member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.  His biography is below.

President Obama said, “The American people will be greatly served by the talent and dedication these individuals will bring to their new roles.  I am proud to have them serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

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

Peter B. Lyons, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Department Energy
Dr. Peter B. Lyons is currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy (2009-present). Previous to this appointment, Dr. Lyons served as a Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2005 until his term ended in 2009. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Lyons served as Science Advisor on the staff of U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where he focused on military and civilian uses of nuclear technology, national science policy, and nuclear non-proliferation. From 1997 to 2003, Dr. Lyons was assigned by the Los Alamos National Laboratory to serve as Science Advisor on the staff of U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he focused on military and civilian uses of nuclear technology, national science policy, and nuclear non-proliferation. From 1969 to 1996, Dr. Lyons held several positions at the Los Alamos National Laboratory including: Director for Industrial Partnerships, Deputy Associate Director for Energy and Environment, and Deputy Associate Director-Defense Research and Applications. Dr. Lyons has published more than 100 technical papers, holds three patents related to fiber optics and plasma diagnostics, and served as chairman of the NATO Nuclear Effects Task Group for five years. Dr. Lyons is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology (1969) and his undergraduate degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Arizona (1964).

Denise E. O’Donnell, Nominee for Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice
Denise E. O’Donnell recently served as New York State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, where she oversaw 11 homeland security and criminal justice agencies with a combined annual budget of $4.7 billion.  From 2007 to 2010, Ms. O’Donnell served as Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, where she managed several crime reduction efforts, including the collection and analysis of crime data, criminal background investigations, juvenile justice, and the administration of state and federal criminal justice grants.  Prior to her appointment, Ms. O’Donnell was a litigation partner at Hodgson Russ, LLP.  During the Clinton Administration, she was appointed as United States Attorney for the Western District of New York (1997-2001).  Ms. O’Donnell joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District in 1985 as a prosecutor and was later promoted to First Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1993.  Earlier in her career, she served as a law clerk to the late Justice M. Dolores Denman of the New York Appellate Division, Fourth Department.  Ms. O’Donnell is currently active on various legal and professional organizations, including the New York State Justice Task Force, the Criminal Justice Council of the New York City Bar Association, and the Criminal Justice Section of the New York State Bar Association.  She has lectured at the SUNY Buffalo School of Law and with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Education.  Ms. O’Donnell holds a B.A. from Canisius College and an M.S.W and J.D., summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Stephanie O’Sullivan, Nominee for Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Stephanie O’Sullivan serves as the Associate Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Prior to this role, Ms. O’Sullivan led the Directorate of Science and Technology (DS&T), the part of the Agency responsible for developing and deploying innovative technology in support of intelligence collection and analysis. Earlier in her career, she held various management positions in the DS&T, where her responsibilities included systems acquisition and research and development in fields ranging from power sources to biotechnology. Ms. O’Sullivan joined the CIA in 1995, after working as an engineer for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Before that she was a member of the technical staff at TRW, a former corporation involved in the aerospace, automotive and credit reporting industries, among others. She holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Missouri School of Mines.

David Shear, Nominee for Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Department of State

David Shear is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Since 2009, he has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Previously, he was Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Other overseas assignments include Tokyo, Beijing, and Sapporo. Washington assignments include Deputy Director, Office of Korean Affairs; Special Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs; Desk Officer, Office of Japanese Affairs; Deputy Director, East Asia Office of Regional Affairs; Desk Officer, Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs; and Third Secretary, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Mr. Shear received a B.A. from Earlham College and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

Harvey S. Wineberg, Appointee for Member, President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability
Harvey S. Wineberg is the founding partner of Wineberg Solheim Howell & Shain, P.C., a Chicago based CPA firm offering a wide range of accounting and financial services to individuals and small businesses.  Mr. Wineberg is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has been designated by them as a Personal Financial Specialist and is a member of the Illinois Society of Certified Public Accountants.  He is also a member of the Illinois Bar.  For 30 years he served as a Director and member of the Audit Committee of the Mid-Town Bank of Chicago.  He was also President of the Board of the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the Illinois ACLU, a member of the Columbus Hospital of Chicago Foundation Board, and served as the Treasurer of President Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign.  In 1998, Mr. Wineberg authored a book about his life and his practice entitled “Thanks For Your Trust.”  He served in the U.S. Navy as a Commissary and Fiscal Officer.