WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
- Kevin T. Hanretta – Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security, and Preparedness, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Paula E. Boggs – Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
- Robin L. Diamonte – Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
- John Donahoe – Member, President’s Export Council
- Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler – United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
- Laura M. Ricketts – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Reginald Van Lee – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
President Obama said, “I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Kevin T. Hanretta, Appointee for Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security, and Preparedness, Department of Veterans Affairs
Kevin T. Hanretta is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Emergency Management at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a position he has held since August 2006. He concurrently serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security, and Preparedness at the VA. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Preparedness at the VA. He has held various positions at the VA since 1999, including Deputy Chief of Staff of the Department. Before joining the VA, Mr. Hanretta served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1999, retiring as a Colonel. He received a B.S. from Siena College and an M.S. from Florida Institute of Technology.
Paula E. Boggs, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Paula E. Boggs is a Songwriter and the Lead Vocalist for the Paula Boggs Band. Previously, she was Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of the Starbucks Corporation from 2002 to 2012. She was a Vice President at Dell Corporation from 1997 to 2002 and a Partner at the firm of Preston Gates & Ellis from 1995 to 1997. She served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington from 1988 to 1994 and was a Regular Officer in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1988. She is a member of The Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees, Peabody Institute’s National Advisory Board, a Director of School of Rock LLC, and is Secretary of the Board of KEXP Radio, an affiliate of National Public Radio and the University of Washington. Ms. Boggs served as a Member of the White House Council for Community Solutions from 2010 to 2012, is a former Chair of Legal Aid for Washington, and was a board member of the Seattle Art Museum. Ms. Boggs received a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.
Robin L. Diamonte, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Robin L. Diamonte is the Chief Investment Officer at United Technologies Corporation (UTC), a position she has held since 2004. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing UTC’s global retirement assets. Ms. Diamonte also serves as the Chairwoman of the Committee on the Investment of Employee Benefit Assets. From 1992 to 2004, Ms. Diamonte served in various roles at Verizon Investment Management Corporation, including Co-head of Company Direct Assets, Managing Director of Research & Strategic Relationships, Director of Research & Strategic Relationships, and Manager for Investment Information Systems. Prior to her time with Verizon Investment Management Corporation, Ms. Diamonte was Senior Coordinator of End User Computer Support at GTE Service Corporation. From 1986 to 1991, she held the position of Telecomm Specialist and Product Manager of Data Networking & Communication Products. Ms. Diamonte received a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven.
John Donahoe, Appointee for Member, President’s Export Council
John Donahoe is President and CEO of eBay Inc., a position he has held since 2008. Previously, he served as President of eBay Marketplaces from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Donahoe worked at Bain & Company in a number of roles from 1985 to 2005, becoming President and CEO in 1999. He is on the boards of eBay Inc. and Intel Corporation, and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College. He also served as a Member of the White House Council for Community Solutions from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Donahoe received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler currently serves as Vice Chair of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council and previously served as Chair from 2003 to 2011. Mr. Piñeiro-Soler has also served as Chair of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2012. During his 30 years of commercial fishing experience, Mr. Piñeiro-Soler has participated in 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.
Laura M. Ricketts, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Laura M. Ricketts is Director and a part-owner of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball Club, as well as Chairman of the Board of Chicago Cubs Charities. She is on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee and is a co-founder and advisory board member of LPAC. She also serves on the advisory board of Opportunity Education, and is a member of the leadership councils of Lambda Legal and Housing Opportunities for Women. Ms. Ricketts received an A.B. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Reginald Van Lee, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Reginald Van Lee is an Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he has worked since 1984. He was named Partner at Booz Allen Hamilton in 1993 and Senior Partner in 2003. He was appointed to serve as a Member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2009, is Chairman of the Washington Performing Arts Society, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Howard Theatre Restoration Project. Mr. Van Lee is a Trustee of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation, a cabinet member of Habitat for Humanity International Cabinet, and sits on the Board of Fight for Children and The Washington Ballet. He is Chairman Emeritus of the board of the Evidence Dance Company. Mr. Van Lee received a B.S. and an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.