WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
- Walter Barrows – Member, Railroad Retirement Board
- Sim Farar – Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
- David S. Shapira – Governor, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
- Denise Moreno Ducheny – Member, Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission and the North American Development Bank
- Kyle Hipsley – United States Commissioner, International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada
- Robert Stanton – Member, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Jody Williams – Commissioner, Bear River Commission
President Obama said, “These men and women bring extraordinary dedication to their roles and will serve the American people well. 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:
Walter Barrows, Nominee for Member, Railroad Retirement Board
Walter Barrows currently serves as the Member of the Railroad Retirement Board representing employees, a position he has held since 2011. From 2004 to 2011, he served as a labor trustee overseeing the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust Fund. Mr. Barrows served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) from 1999 to 2011. He served as a Trustee on BRS’ Grand Board of Trustees from 1996 to 1999. Mr. Barrows also served the BRS as the General Chairman and General Secretary-Treasurer for the Norfolk Southern General Committee from 1991 to 1999 and as the Norfolk Southern General Committee’s Assistant General Chairman from 1987 to 1990. From 1974 to 1979, Mr. Barrows worked for the Norfolk & Western Railroad in various positions including Signal Helper, Signal Maintainer and Signal Test Man.
Sim Farar, Nominee for Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Sim Farar is currently a private investor at JDF Investment Company, LLC., a position he has held since 2000. He has served as a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy since 2011. Mr. Farar was President of IFC Financial Services Inc. from 1984 to 2010, and served as U.S. Representative to the 54th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations from 1999 to 2000. He was President of American Home Developers Co., Inc. from 1985 to 1998 and served as a Member of the Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during the Clinton Administration. Mr. Farar received an A.A. from the College of the Desert.
David S. Shapira, Nominee for Governor, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
David S. Shapira is Executive Chairman of Giant Eagle, Inc., a position he has held since 2012. Previously, he was CEO and Chairman of Giant Eagle from 1980 to 2012 and was also the company’s President from 2005 to 2012. He serves as a Trustee of Oberlin College and is past Chair and a current Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Director of EQT Corporation and a member of the Advisory Board of Aquatech International. He is a former Director of Mellon Bank Corporation. He previously served on the boards of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Mr. Shapira received a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. from Stanford University.
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Denise Moreno Ducheny, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission and the North American Development Bank
Denise Moreno Ducheny currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego, a position she has held since 2013. From 2012 to 2013, Ms. Ducheny was a Senior Analyst for Sustainable Economic Development with the University of San Diego’s Trans-Border Institute. In 2011, she served as a Member of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Prior to this position, Ms. Ducheny served as a Member of the California State Senate from 2002 to 2010, during which she also chaired the Border Legislative Conference in 2010. From 2000 to 2002, Ms. Ducheny was a Presidential Fellow with San Diego State University and a Regents Lecturer at the University of California. She served as a Member of the California State Assembly from 1994 to 2000. From 1979 to 1994, she was a practicing attorney focusing on immigration, family law, criminal defense, and juvenile dependency cases. Ms. Ducheny received a B.A. in History from Pomona College and a J.D. from Southwestern University Law School.
Kyle Hipsley, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada
Kyle Hipsley is currently the U.S. Deputy Commissioner of the International Boundary Commission (IBC), U.S. and Canada, a position he has held since 2002. He has served as Acting U.S. Commissioner since 2009. Mr. Hipsley served as the Lead Engineering Technician with the IBC from 2001 to 2002, having worked as an engineering technician with the Commission since 1986. He has also led each of the three IBC field offices in Maine, Minnesota, and Montana. He was a geodetic surveyor while serving in the U.S. Army, and subsequently worked for the National Geodetic Survey, the State of Florida, and the Defense Mapping Agency.
Robert Stanton, Appointee for Member, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Robert Stanton is a Visiting Executive Professor at Texas A&M University. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior from 2010 to 2014. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center from 2011 to 2012. Mr. Stanton was an Executive Professor at Texas A&M University from 2004 to 2009, a Visiting Professor at Howard University in 2005 and 2007, and a Visiting Professor at Yale University in 2002. He served as Director of the National Park Service from 1997 to 2001 and as Regional Director of the National Park Service’s National Capital Region from 1988 to 1997. He received the Chair’s Award from the Natural Resources Council of America, the Founder’s Award from the Student Conservation Association, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Department of the Interior. Mr. Stanton received a B.S. from Huston-Tillotson University.
Jody Williams, Appointee for Commissioner, Bear River Commission
Jody Williams is currently a Partner at Holland & Hart LLP, a position she has held since 2011. Prior to joining Holland & Hart LLP, she served as a Partner and Executive Committee Member for Holme Roberts & Owen LLP from 2002 to 2011. From 1993 to 2002, Ms. Williams was a Director at Kruse Landa & Maycock LLC. She was Counsel to Anderson & Watkins from 1992 to 1993. Ms. Williams acted as an attorney and in-house counsel for PacifiCorp from 1981 to 1992. In 1981, she was an attorney at Giauque & Williams. From 1980 to 1981, Ms. Williams served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable David K. Winder in the United States District Court for the District of Utah. She was a Research Attorney for the Honorable D. Frank Wilkins of the Utah Supreme Court from 1978 to 1980. She has served as a Member of the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission since 1996. Ms. Williams received a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Utah.