Appointments and Resignations
Arlington Cemetery Official Quits before Senate Testimony
Either Thurman Higginbotham couldn’t wait to go on vacation, or he wanted nothing to do with testifying before Congress about the controversy at Arlington National Cemetery.
Higginbotham, who had served as deputy superintendent for the nationa... read more
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA): Who Is David Michaels?
The deaths of eleven workers in the explosion of BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil platform Deepwater Horizon, has highlighted the importance of worker safety on the job. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency responsib... read more
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: Who Is Ann Stock?
More than six months after President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Judith Ann Stock to be Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), she was finally confirmed on June 17, 2010, and pub... read more
Goodbye to Comptroller of the Currency: Who was John Dugan?
A native of Washington, DC, John C. Dugan was sworn in as the 29th Comptroller of the Currency in August 2005. On July 8, 2010, he announced that he would step down when his five-year term ends on August 14, 2010. Considering that his job was to r... read more
Ambassador to Brazil: Who is Thomas Shannon?
Most confirmation hearings for ambassador nominees go off without a hitch. But this was not the case with Thomas A. Shannon Jr., President Barack Obama’s choice for ambassador to Brazil.
The veteran diplomat irked Republican Senator Charles Gr... read more
President, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae): Who Is Ted Tozer?
Theodore W. (Ted) Tozer, President Barack Obama’s choice to take the helm as President of the Government National Mortgage Association, also known as Ginnie Mae, was sworn in February 24, 2010. Established by Congress in 1968, Ginnie Mae was desig... read more
Acting Head of the National Cemetery Administration: Who is Steve Muro?
Steve L. Muro, who was named Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs on January 21, 2009, has spent more than 30 years working for the nation’s military cemeteries, rising from auto mechanic to acting head of the National Cemetery Administrati... read more
Administrator of USAID: Who is Rajiv Shah?
Chosen by President Barack Obama to rebuild the dwindling (both in terms of size and reputation) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is Rajiv Shah, a doctor and researcher formerly with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was c... read more
Ambassador to Syria: Who is Robert Ford?
On February 16, 2010, President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Robert Stephen Ford as the next U.S. ambassador to Syria. This was a significant gesture because the United States has been without such an official for five years, e... read more
Veterans Health Administration: Who is Robert Petzel?
On November 17, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Robert A. (Randy) Petzel to be Under Secretary for Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Petzel was officially sworn in by Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki on April 23, 2010, takin... read more
Ambassador to Dominican Republic: Who is Raul Yzaguirre?
President Barack Obama can only hope Raul Humberto Yzaguirre, Sr., nominated to serve as ambassador to the Dominican Republic, does not do to him what the outspoken civil rights advocate has done to other presidents, namely blast them in public fo... read more
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: Who is Rajen Anand?
A college professor, Indian-American community activist and Democratic Party player, Rajen Anand was chosen by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to return to his leadership role at the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion in the U.S. Departme... read more
Ambassador to Germany: Who is Philip Murphy?
A former powerbroker on Wall Street, Philip D. Murphy was confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to Germany August 7, 2009, after spending several years during the mid-1990s as head of Goldman Sachs’ Frankfurt office. His familiarity with the German eco... read more
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor: Who is Michael Posner?
If there’s one thing the new head of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor knows, it is human rights. Sworn in as Assistant Secretary October 19, 2009, Michael L. Posner has spent the past 30 years dedicating himself t... read more
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability: Who is Patricia Hoffman?
The assistant secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Patricia A. Hoffman, was nominated for the position December 9, 2009, and finally confirmed June 22, 2010. Hoffman is no stranger to the office, having held num... read more
National Institute of Standards and Technology: Who is Patrick Gallagher?
Patrick M. Gallagher has spent virtually his entire career at the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is best known for setting America’s clock by providing the nation’s standard time service. Gall... read more