WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
- Michele Thoren Bond – Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Department of State
- Michael Young – Member, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
- Donna L. Brazile – Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
- Maneesh K. Goyal – Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
- Dorothy M. Lowman – United States Commissioner, Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
- Russell F. Smith III – United States Commissioner, International Whaling Commission
- G.P. “Bud” Peterson – Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
- Diane L. Souvaine – Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
- Virgil Trujillo – Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust
President Obama said, “These men and women have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, 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:
Michele Thoren Bond, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Department of State
Michele Thoren Bond is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State (DOS), a position she has held since December 2012. Since April 2014, she has also served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs at DOS. From 2010 to 2012, she served as the Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho and from 2007 to 2010, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Overseas Citizens Services at DOS. From 2006 to 2007, Ms. Bond was the Director of the Office of Policy Coordination and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at DOS. From 2003 to 2006, she served as a Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and she was Managing Director for Overseas Citizens Services at DOS from 2001 to 2003. From 1999 to 2001, Ms. Bond was the Director of Consular Training at the Foreign Service Institute. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1977, she has also served in Guatemala City, Guatemala; Belgrade, Serbia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Moscow, Russia. Ms. Bond received a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and an M.A. from the National War College.
Michael Young, Nominee for Member, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
Michael Young most recently served as a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) from 2008 to 2014. He previously served as a Member of FMSHRC from 2003 to 2008. Prior to joining the Commission, he served as Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Pennsylvania Coal Association from 1997 to 2003. Previously, Mr. Young was a trial lawyer at the firm McElwee and McElwee from 1995 to 1997. From 1993 to 1995, he was a litigator for Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C. Mr. Young served in the United States Air Force in various public affairs officer roles from 1985 to 1990 and was a Legislative Assistant to Representative Nick Rahall from 1981 to 1982. Mr. Young received a B.S. from West Virginia University and a J.D. from Wake Forest University.
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Donna L. Brazile, Appointee for Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
Donna L. Brazile is the Founder and Managing Director of Brazile & Associates LLC. She is a Democratic political strategist, author, syndicated columnist, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She is a regular political analyst and commentator on CNN, a consultant to ABC News, and has lectured at a number of colleges, including Harvard University and the University of Maryland. Ms. Brazile is also Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee. She was the Campaign Manager for Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000. Ms. Brazile received a B.A. from Louisiana State University.
Maneesh K. Goyal, Appointee for Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
Maneesh K. Goyal is Founder and President of MKG, an event marketing agency he started in 2001. In 2013, he co-founded Live in the Grey, a resource and consultancy focused on workplace culture. From 1999 to 2001, he was a Program Officer at the Dyson Foundation, where he built a national program to train pediatricians. He serves on the U.S. Advisory Council for the American India Foundation. He previously served on the Boards of the Empire State Pride Agenda, LifeBeat, the South Asian American Forum, and the Stonewall Community Foundation. Mr. Goyal received a B.A. from Duke University and an M.P.H. from Yale University.
Dorothy M. Lowman, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
Dorothy M. Lowman is the sole proprietor of Lowman and Associates, where she has served as a fishery consultant since 2000. She was appointed to the Pacific Fishery Management Council in 2009 and has served as its Chair since 2013. Previously, Ms. Lowman served as a Staff Economist for the Pacific and Western Pacific Fishery Management Councils and as a Special Advisor for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Ms. Lowman has also served on the Council’s Trawl Individual Quota Committee and on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee at the Department of Commerce. She has also held positions at University of Washington Oceanography Department. Ms. Lowman received a B.S. and an M.S. from the University of Washington.
Russell F. Smith III, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Whaling Commission
Russell F. Smith III is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the Department of Commerce (DOC), a position he has held since 2010. He concurrently serves as a United States Commissioner on the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Mr. Smith is also a United States Commissioner on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Prior to his position at DOC, Mr. Smith held various positions in the Office of the United States Trade Representative between 2002 and 2010, including Director for International Environmental Policy and Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Director for the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the Caribbean. He was an attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice from 1995 to 2002. Prior to joining the government, Mr. Smith was an Associate at Spiegel & McDiarmid. Mr. Smith received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
Dr. G.P. Peterson is currently the President of the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he also serves as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, positions he has held since 2009. Prior to this, Dr. Peterson served from 2006 to 2009 as the Chancellor and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado – Boulder. He worked at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as Provost, Officer of the Institute, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering from 2000 to 2006. Dr. Peterson served in a variety of positions at Texas A&M University from 1981 to 2000, culminating in his role as the Associate Vice-Chancellor and Executive Associate Dean of Engineering from 1996 to 2000. He worked as a Research Scientist at NASA from 1981 to 1982. From 1979 to 1981, Dr. Peterson served as an Associate Professor and Department Head of General Engineering Technology at Kansas Technical Institute. From 1978 to 1979, he was a Mathematics teacher at Shawnee Mission South High School. From 1977 to 1978, he was a Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry teacher at Wabaunsee County High School. Dr. Peterson was an Associate Engineer for Black & Veatch Consulting Engineers in 1975. He was first appointed as a Member of the National Science Board in 2008. Dr. Peterson received two B.S.s and an M.S. from Kansas State University, and a Ph. D. from Texas A&M University.
Dr. Diane L. Souvaine, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
Dr. Diane L. Souvaine is currently Vice Provost for Research, Professor of Computer Science, and Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University, positions she has held since 2012, 1999, and 2002, respectively. From 1986 to 2000, Dr. Souvaine served as an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor within the Department of Computer Science at Rutgers University. From 1992 to 1994 she served in the directorate of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. Dr. Souvaine worked as a Research Assistant within the Department of Computer Science at Princeton University from 1985 to 1986. She served as a Member of the National Science Board from 2008 to 2014 and was elected Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery in 2011. Dr. Souvaine received an A.B. from Harvard University, an A.M.L.S from Dartmouth College, and a M.A., M.S.E. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.
Virgil Trujillo, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust
Virgil Trujillo is a life-long resident of the Genizaro Pueblo, located in Abiquiu, New Mexico. He is a livestock producer and runs livestock on a number of properties, including the Santa Fe National Forest, Bureau of Land Management areas, and the Merced del Pueblo Abiquiu. Mr. Trujillo has also held various natural resource management positions. He was first appointed to the Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust in 2009. Mr. Trujillo is a member of the Santo Tomas El Apostol Parish, Merced del Pueblo Abiquiu, Northern New Mexico Livestock Association, Quivira Coalition, and New Mexico Cattle Growers.