Appointments and Resignations
Office of Legal Counsel: Who is Dawn Johnsen?
Dawn E. Johnsen is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s use of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)—a key part of the Department of Justice that she once led on an interim basis during the Clinton presidency and has been asked to lead aga... read more
Solicitor General: Who is Elena Kagan?
Elena Kagan, the first woman to serve as solicitor general, brings with her a reputation for defending civil liberties while also asserting the power of the presidency. Her nomination stirred mild controversy because the solicitor general represen... read more
Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Who is Gary Gensler?
Gary Gensler, Barack Obama’s choice to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is a longtime player on Wall Street and in Democratic circles in Maryland and Washington, DC, who has donated substantially to his party. The Commodity Futures ... read more
Environmental Protection Agency: Who is Lisa Jackson?
Lisa Jackson, the first African American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is faced with the task of restoring morale to an agency whose scientific advisers and staff were often overruled by the Bush administration on issues rangi... read more
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Jane Lubchenco
Jane Lubchenco, one of the nation’s most prominent marine biologists, has devoted much of her career to encouraging scientists to become more engaged in public policy debates, and is a vocal proponent of curbing greenhouse gases linked to global w... read more
Director of National Intelligence: Who is Dennis Blair?
Former Navy admiral Dennis Blair is no stranger to controversy, thanks to a career that has included water skiing behind a combat vessel, ignoring orders from civilian officials by offering the Indonesian dictatorship military assistance without ... read more
Council on Environmental Quality: Who is Nancy Sutley?
Nancy Sutley’s selection as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality not only pleased environmentalists, but gay rights activists as well—thanks to Sutley’s “green” credentials and the fact that she is openly gay. Throughout her c... read more
Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton was the first First Lady to be elected to Congress and will be the first First Lady to serve in a cabinet position.
Born Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947, in Chicago, IL, Clinton was raised by her parents, Hugh Ellswort... read more
Chair of the SEC: Who is Mary Schapiro?
Mary L. Schapiro is Barack Obama’s choice to take over the Securities and Exchange Commission—a demoralized agency that failed repeatedly to head off financial disasters involving Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Bernard Madoff. Some observers co... read more
Bush Gives His Staff Jobs for Obama Era
In a going away present to some of his most trusted aides, President Bush has appointed 45 individuals to positions that will expire in the midst of Barack Obama’s term, or afterwards. He has appointed 12 individuals to 5-year terms on the United ... read more
Secretary of the Interior: Who is Ken Salazar?
After years of watching industry-friendly appointees of the Bush administration run roughshod over environmental concerns, conservationists had hoped Barack Obama’s election would bring a new day at the Department of the Interior. But the selectio... read more
National Security Advisor: Who is James L. (Revolving Door) Jones?
In selecting James L. Jones to be his national security advisor, Barack Obama has chosen a former Marine Corps general who, at the time of his nomination, sat on the board of directors of a leading oil company (Chevron), a leading weapons manufact... read more
Secretary of Commerce: Who WAS Bill Richardson?
Bill Richardson’s 30-year career in politics has included several controversies, including “pay to play” allegations that forced him to withdraw his nomination for Secretary of Commerce.
Born William Blaine “Bill” Richardson III on November 15... read more
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Who is Eric Shinseki?
The highest ranking Asian-American in US military history, Eric K. Shinseki became a visible critic of the Bush administration’s force plan for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, correctly forewarning a problem that would haunt American military planne... read more
Secretary of Transportation: Who is Ray LaHood?
In selecting former Republican Congressman Ray LaHood for Secretary of Transportation, Barack Obama fulfilled his promise to make his cabinet bipartisan. The centrist GOP lawmaker was not above the partisan fray, however, when it came to Bill Clin... read more
US Trade Representative: Who is Ron Kirk?
Barack Obama’s choice for US Trade Representative is Ron Kirk, one-time mayor of Dallas and a former lobbyist and a key supporter of Obama’s in Texas during the presidential race.
The youngest of four children, Kirk was born in Austin, TX, on ... read more