Appointments and Resignations

U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti: Who Is Tom Kelly?

He was acting assistant secretary (principal deputy assistant secretary) for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. In that role, he worked in coordination with Defense Department officials on regional security issues. Among these were maritime security issues, such as pirates off the coast of Somalia, making him familiar with the region of Africa in which he is to serve. read more

Commandant of the United States Marine Corps: Who Is Joseph Dunford?

Dunford was tapped in 2012 to go back into the field as the commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Because Gen. John Allen, the previous occupant of the job, was under investigation connected to the Gen. George Petraeus probe, Dunford’s nomination was fast-tracked and he took over the job in February 2013. Dunford served in Afghanistan until his nomination as commandant. read more

Director of the Office of Foreign Missions: Who Is Gentry Smith?

In 2000, he went back to Cairo as deputy regional security officer. He was named regional security officer in Tokyo four years later. After his stint in Tokyo, Smith was named director of the Office of Physical Security Programs. His next post was as deputy assistant secretary and assistant director for countermeasures in October 2009 and he held that job until his nomination to lead the Office of Foreign Missions. read more

Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget: Who Is Shaun Donovan?

On June 2, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Shaun Donovan, who had served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since the start of the administration, to be its director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He was confirmed by the Senate on July 10 by a vote of 75-22. read more

Undersecretary for Rural Development: Who Is Lisa Mensah?

Mensah joined the Ford Foundation’s economic development unit in 1989. In 1996, she became deputy director of economic development, remaining in that job for six years. She directed the foundation’s efforts to expand microcredit and women’s economic development. In 2002, Mensah moved to The Aspen Institute to become executive director of its Initiative on Financial Security (IFA). The IFA works to encourage savings and wealth-building for working-poor families in the United States. read more

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis: Who Is Marcus Jadotte?

Jadotte moved away from public service in 2005, becoming vice president for public affairs and multicultural development for NASCAR. Jadotte spent much of his time with NASCAR leading diversity programs for the organization, working to bring in minority drivers, pit crew and other team members. He did continue to dabble in politics, acting as an advisor to Organizing for America, the 2012 Obama campaign. read more

Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities: Who Is William “Bro” Adams?

Adams remained at Colby College for 14 years, with one of his achievements being a $376 million capital campaign for the college. Adams was also a director of Maine Public Broadcasting from 2002 to 2012. One of Adams’ biggest challenges will be to keep the NEH in business. Congress has slashed its funding and the latest budget proposal from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) would kill it altogether. read more

Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission: Who Is Elliot Kaye?

While at CPSC, Kaye has done extensive work to minimize brain and head injuries resulting from youth football. Another project of Kaye’s was warning about the risks of coin, or button, batteries. These batteries are often swallowed by children, resulting in severe chemical burns. read more

Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission: Who Is Edith Ramirez?

Ramirez was born in San Clemente, California, to parents who were immigrants from Mexico. She went on to attend Harvard Law School, where she worked with Obama on the Harvard Law Review. Since joining the FTC, Ramirez has focused on children’s privacy issues and other electronic privacy issues. read more

Tunisia’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Mohamed Ezzine Chelaifa?

Chelaifa was sent to Australia in 2010 to become his country’s first ambassador to that country. He was there only a short time before returning to Madrid as ambassador to Spain in 2011, a position he held until coming to Washington. Chelaifa will probably serve only a short time in the United States as he was just more than a year from retirement age upon assuming the post in Washington. read more

São Tomé and Principe’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Carlos Agostinho das Neves?

As international oil companies began to show interest in drilling in São Tomé and Principe’s territorial waters, Neves served as president of the assembly’s increasingly important oil and gas commission from 2004 to 2006. He served as advisor to the assembly from 2008 to 2009. Subsequent to that, Neves was director of the national petroleum agency’s administrative and public department until being named ambassador to the UN in 2012. read more

Central African Republic’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Stanislas Moussa-Kembe?

Since December 2012, CAR has been wracked by civil war and sectarian massacres. Moussa-Kembe was first appointed as ambassador to the U.S. by President François Bozizé, who fled his country in March 2013. Since that time, Moussa-Kembe has remained in North America and kept a relatively low profile. read more

Bahrain’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Khalifa?

Al Khalifa is a member of Bahrain’s royal family and is seen as a hardliner in the ruling Sunnis’ dealings with the restive Shiite majority in the country. There were anti-government protests in 2011 in the capital of Manama and sporadic ones since, causing some officials in Washington to reconsider the status of the U.S. Navy base there, something Al Khalifa would like to avoid. read more

U.S. Ambassador to Qatar: Who Is Dana Shell Smith?

In 2013, Susan Johnson, president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post decrying s a breakdown in the Foreign Service system in favor of political appointees and regular civil service employees. Shell Smith and another Foreign Service officer circulated a letter expressing disagreement with the op-ed. In response, 11 former AFSA presidents asked the Senate Foreign Relations Committee not to approve Shell Smith’s nomination. read more

Colombia’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Luis Carlos Villegas?

he was instrumental in negotiations with FARC, the rebel army that had taken over much of Colombia’s interior. He did this despite FARC’s kidnapping of his daughter Juliana in 2000 from his alma mater, Javeriana, where she was studying political science. She was held three months before being released unharmed in March 2001 and later worked as a political consultant. read more

Monaco’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Maguy Maccario Doyle?

In 1995, Prince Rainier III appointed Maccario Doyle consul in New York and two years later she was named Monaco’s consul general, a position she held until being named to the Washington post. read more