Appointments and Resignations
Director of the Office of Indian Education: Who Is Joyce Silverthorne?
An enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Joyce Silverthorne was director of the Tribal Education Department for the Tribes from 1999 to 2007, and served two years as Montana Education Superintendent Denise Juneau’s P-20 Education (i.e., preschool to college) policy advisor starting in December 2008. She also served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Montana Board of Public Education for 10 years. read more
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services: Who Is Michael Yudin?
From July 2011 to May 2012, Yudin served as acting assistant secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, overseeing the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. In June 2012, he took over as acting assistant secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
He is listed on the website of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute, a non-partisan, tax-exempt educational and research organization, as an openly gay political leader. read more
Director of the Office of Safe and Healthy Students: Who Is David Esquith?
He was a special advisor to the NIDRR director, as well as NIDRR’s deputy director. After the Department re-organized RSA in 2005, Esquith served as director of the State Monitoring and Program Improvement Division. He also completed an extended detail at the Office of Management and Budget as a program examiner. read more
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS): Who Is Keith Kelly?
President Barack Obama has nominated Keith Kelly, an Army veteran who has been a state-level labor official, as the next Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS), an agency in the Department of Labor that provides resources and services to help veterans locate grants, training, and employment opportunities. read more
Ambassador to Lithuania: Who Is Deborah A. McCarthy?
McCarthy served as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement from 2002 to 2004, senior advisor for Counter Terrorism from 2004 to 2006, and special coordinator for Venezuelan Affairs from 2006 to 2008. She returned to Europe to serve as deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Athens, Greece, from 2008 to 2010. Since September 27, 2010, she has been principal deputy assistant secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. read more
Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians: Who Is Vincent Logan?
Logan worked as a “Private Wealth Associate” in the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch from March 2006 to March 2009, when Merrill Lynch, a casualty of the 2008 financial crisis, was taken over by Bank of America. Undaunted, Logan founded his own firm, The Nations Group, LLC, which works with Native American tribes on asset management, investment strategies, and financial education. read more
Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors: Who Is Jeffrey Shell?
Shell was president of Comcast Programming Group from 2005 to 2011, responsible for Comcast’s national and regional television networks. Since 2011, Jeff Shell has been president, but not CEO, of NBCUniversal, based in London, U.K., and responsible for overseeing International TV Distribution, Global Television Networks, and International Television Production. read more
Director of the United States Mint: Who Is Bibiana Boerio?
Joining Ford Motor Company after graduating with her MBA, Boerio held a number of finance positions in the areas of product development, manufacturing, sales and corporate business planning, from 1976 to 1995. From August 1995 to September 2000, she served as the finance director for Jaguar Cars, Ltd. Retiring from Ford, Boerio transferred to the political realm, serving as chief of staff for Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Pennsylvania) from February 2008 to January 2011. read more
Ambassador from Tajikistan: Who Is Nuriddin Shamsov?
The Central Asian nation of Tajikistan, a one-party state dominated by President Emomali Rahmon, has sent a new diplomat to the U.S. who has significant experience defending his country’s human rights record in global forums. On May 26, 2007, Shamsov was promoted to ambassador to Austria, a post he held until his July 2012 appointment as ambassador to the United States. read more
Ambassador from South Sudan: Who Is Akec Khoc Aciew Khoc?
The world’s newest nation—South Sudan—has sent its first ambassador to the U.S., ironically the same man who recently served as the chief envoy to Washington from Sudan, the country from which South Sudan seceded last year after decades of civil war. Akec Khoc Aciew Khoc, who was Khartoum’s man in Washington from 2006 to 2011, is now Juba’s man in D.C. read more
Ambassador from Burma: Who Is Than Swe?
Than Swe served as director general for the Progress of Border Areas and National Races in the Ministry of Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs from May 2000 to March 2008. He served as deputy permanent representative to the United Nations from March 2008 to March 2009, when he was appointed Burmese ambassador to the U.N., a post he held until his appointment as ambassador to the U.S. read more
Ambassador to Burundi: Who Is Dawn Liberi?
President Obama has nominated an international development expert to be the next ambassador to the central African nation of Burundi, one of the world’s poorest countries. Dawn M. Liberi, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, has specialized in sub-Saharan Africa for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), although she the past few years she has been posted to the hot spots of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. read more
Ambassador from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Who Is Jadranka Negodić?
In January 2008, Negodić was appointed head of Bosnia’s mission to the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium. During her tenure, Bosnia signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU on June 16, 2008, which set Bosnia on the road toward EU membership. She returned to London in December 2008 to serve as ambassador to the UK until 2012. read more
Ambassador from Latvia: Who Is Andris Razāns?
In early 2010, Razāns was nominated to be foreign minister, but withdrew his name in April, the day before Latvia’s parliament was set to approve the appointment, citing “personal family problems.” It was rumored that Latvian President Valdim Zatlers objected to his nomination. Instead, Razāns served as political director and undersecretary of state at the Foreign Affairs Ministry from February 2010 to July 2012. read more
Ambassador to Poland: Who Is Stephen Mull?
Nominated by President Obama on July 10 to be the next ambassador to Poland, Mull was expelled by the communist government there in 1986. He did such a good job of reporting on Solidarity activities that the Polish government accused him of espionage and ordered him to leave the country three weeks before his term was up; he stayed and left on schedule. read more
Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu: Who Is Walter North?
Walter E. North has spent his career at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Most recently, North served as USAID mission director in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 2007 to 2011, and as USAID mission director in Cairo, Egypt, from 2011 to 2012. read more