Press Release - President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Seth Harris – Director, AMTRAK Board of Directors
• Rachel A. Meidl – Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
• Michael P. Leary – Inspector General, Social Security Administration
• Robert P. Storch – Inspector General, National Security Agency

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Victor Santiago Pineda – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
• Shelley Siegel – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
• Karen Tamley – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
• Maxwell Barrows – Member, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
• Ryan Easterly – Member, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
• Marvin Johnson – Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
• David Walker – Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
• Kenneth R. Feinberg – Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission
• Elaine R. Jones – Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission
• Yo-Yo Ma – Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission
• JackKennedy Schlossberg – Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission
• Billy W. Altom – Member, National Council on Disability
• Rabia Belt – Member, National Council on Disability
• Wendy S. Harbour – Member, National Council on Disability
• Benro T. Ogunyipe – Member, National Council on Disability
• Clyde Terry – Member, and upon appointment to be designated Chairperson, National Council on Disability

President Obama said, "I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them."

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Seth Harris, Nominee for Director, AMTRAK Board of Directors

Seth Harris serves as Counsel for the Public Policy and Regulation practice and the Employment and Labor practice at Dentons, a position he has held since 2014. He is an Executive-in-Residence at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. He is the former Deputy Secretary of Labor, serving from 2009 to 2014, including six months as the Acting Secretary of Labor. He was a Professor and the Director of Labor & Employment Law Programs at New York Law School from 2000 to 2009. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Life Without Limits Project of the United Cerebral Palsy Association and a member of the National Advisory Commission on Workplace Flexibility. He served as the Chair of Obama for America's Labor, Employment, and Workplace Policy Committee and a Co-Chair of its Disability Policy Committee. During the Clinton Administration, he served as Counselor to the Secretary of Labor and Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy, among other positions. Before joining the Clinton Administration, he was a law clerk to Judge William Canby of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and to Judge Gene Carter of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. Mr. Harris received a B.S. from Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Dr. Rachel A. Meidl, Nominee for Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

Dr. Rachel A. Meidl currently serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs in the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration at the Department of Transportation, a position she has held since 2015. Previously, she served as the Director of Regulatory and Technical Affairs at the American Chemistry Council from 2012 to 2015. Prior to that, she served in a number of positions at the University of California, San Diego from 2003 to 2012 including as the Supervisor for Environment Health & Safety, a Hazardous Waste Specialist, and Chemist. She began her career as a Contract Manager and Senior Field Chemist at Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Inc. from 1997 to 2003. Dr. Meidl received two B.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin, an M.Ed. from National University, an M.S. from the University of Denver, and a Ph.D. from Northeastern University.

Michael P. Leary, Nominee for Inspector General, Social Security Administration

Michael P. Leary is a member of the Senior National Intelligence Service in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where he has served since 2006. During his tenure at ODNI, he has held a number of senior executive and staff intelligence positions, including assignments at the National Intelligence Council, the Office of the National Counter Intelligence Executive, and the National Counter Proliferation Center. He is currently on detail with the Central Intelligence Agency's Office of Inspector General. Prior to joining ODNI, Mr. Leary served as a Senior Attorney Advisor at Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2004 to 2006 and Associate Deputy Director at the Department of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2004. From 2001 to 2003, he was a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Enforcement at the Department of the Treasury. Prior to his role at Treasury, Mr. Leary served as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia and Boston from 1996 to 2001. Mr. Leary served as a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps in both active and reserve service from 1978 until his retirement in 2016. He served combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan and is a recipient of the Bronze Star medal. Mr. Leary received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School.

Robert P. Storch, Nominee for Inspector General, National Security Agency

Robert P. Storch is Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ), a position he has held since 2015. Mr. Storch also serves as the Whistleblower Ombudsman in the Office of the Inspector General at DOJ and as Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Whistleblower Ombudsman Working Group. He previously was Senior Counsel and Counselor to the Inspector General from 2012 to 2015, and served concurrently as Acting Deputy Inspector General from 2014 to 2015. He worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of New York from 1995 to 2012, most recently as Deputy Criminal Chief from 2011 to 2012 and as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Storch also served as a Resident Legal Advisor in Ukraine from 2007 to 2009 and as Chief of the Appellate Division and Senior Litigation Counsel at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of New York from 2004 to 2005. Earlier in his career, he was an attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division at DOJ and also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Florida. Mr. Storch received an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda is Founder and President of World ENABLED and The Pineda Foundation, positions he has held since 2003. Dr. Pineda was an Adjunct Professor in City and Regional Planning and the Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, positions he held in 2012. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the World Institute on Disability in 2011 and a Principal Investigator at the Department of Education in 2009. Dr. Pineda was a Researcher at the Institute for Urban and Regional Development in 2005 and at the University of California, Berkeley's Kujacic Endowment in 2004. He was a member of the Youth Advisory Committee of the National Council on Disability in 2003 and received the AAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award in 2009. He was first appointed to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board in 2015. Dr. Pineda received a B.A., B.S., and an M.C.P. from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Shelley Siegel, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

Shelley Siegel is Founder and President of Universal Design & Education Network, LLC, positions she has held since 1991. Ms. Siegel is also Consulting Designer of the Siegel Design Group, Inc., where she has worked since 1972. Ms. Siegel is a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers and a member of the Design Alliance for Accessible and Sustainable Environments. She is a former member of the Advisory Panel for the National Universal Design Program of the American Society of Interior Designers, the Florida Coordinating Council on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs ADA Advisory Board. She was first appointed to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board in 2016. Ms. Siegel received an A.S. from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, a B.L.S. from Barry University, and an M.A. from Nova Southeastern University.

Karen Tamley, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

Karen Tamley is Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities for the City of Chicago, a position she has held since 2005. Ms. Tamley is Co-Founder of the Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing, where she also served as a National Organizer from 1994 to 2004. She was Director of Programs at Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago from 1996 to 2005, Housing Director at Atlantis Community, Inc. from 1992 to 1996, and Executive Assistant at the National Disability Action Center from 1990 to 1992. Ms. Tamley is a member of the Executive Committee of Meals on Wheels Chicago, the Board of Directors of Pace Suburban Bus, and the Transit Access Advisory Committee of the Regional Transportation Authority. Ms. Tamley received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Maxwell Barrows, Appointee for Member, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Maxwell Barrows is Outreach Director for Green Mountain Self-Advocates, a position he has held since 2007. Mr. Barrows served as Region 8 Representative at Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered from 2008 to 2016, and also served as the organization's Vice President from 2010 to 2012. He is Co-Founder of Capitol Advocates Together and serves on the State Program Standing Committee for Development Services. Mr. Barrows was recognized as a White House Champion of Change in 2015.

Ryan Easterly, Appointee for Member, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Ryan Easterly is Co-Founder and Director of Northern California Community Relations at MySupport, Inc, positions he has held since 2015. Mr. Easterly served in several roles at The HSC Foundation from 2007 to 2015, including Manager and Senior Coordinator of the National Youth Transitions Initiative, and Program Coordinator. Mr. Easterly was Program Assistant for the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy from 2006 to 2007. He serves on the boards of Community Resources for Independent Living, Special Hope Foundation, and Ala Costa Centers. Mr. Easterly received a B.S. from Troy University.

Marvin Johnson, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

Marvin Johnson is Executive Director of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, which he founded at Bowie State University in 1986. He has been a Mediator, Arbitrator and Trainer with Accormend Associates since 1984. Mr. Johnson was Assistant and Associate Professor of Labor Relations, Law, and Dispute Resolution at Bowie State University from 1983 to 2000 and was Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law from 2008 to 2012. He served as a Member of the Foreign Service Grievance Board from 2005 to 2007. Mr. Johnson has served on numerous boards and panels, including the Association for Conflict Resolution, the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, the International Academy of Mediators, the American Arbitration Association, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Mr. Johnson currently serves as a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP), a position he has held since 2015. He previously served on FSIP from 1999 to 2002 and from 2009 to 2012. Mr. Johnson received a B.B.A. from Kent State University, an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin, and a J.D. from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

David Walker, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

David Walker currently serves on the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Roster of Arbitrators, a position he has held since 2004. Mr. Walker was on the Central Florida/South Florida/Suncoast Expedited Arbitration Panel of the United States Postal Service and the National Mail Handlers Union from 2002 to 2005. From 1968 to 2003, he was an attorney in private practice specializing in labor relations. As an arbitrator, he was a member of the American Arbitration Association Construction Disputes Panel throughout the 1970s. Mr. Walker was also a member of the National Panel of Arbitrators maintained by the American Federation of Government Employees, and served as an arbitrator for the Social Security Administration. Mr. Walker also served as Lieutenant in the United States Air Force from 1962 to 1965. He has served as a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel since 2015. Mr. Walker received a B.S. from Louisiana State University, an M.A. from George Washington University, and an L.L.B. from Harvard Law School.

Kenneth R. Feinberg, Appointee for Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission

Kenneth R. Feinberg is Founder and Managing Partner of The Law Offices of Kenneth R. Feinberg, PC, positions he has held since 1993. Mr. Feinberg was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts and the Mayor of Boston to administer The One Fund Boston for victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, and served as the Federally-appointed Administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund in 2010. He served as the Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Feinberg worked as Chief of Staff to Senator Edward Kennedy from 1978 to 1980. He received the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Law in 2014 and was named "Lawyer of the Year" by the National Law Journal in 2004. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Mr. Feinberg received a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law.

Elaine R. Jones, Appointee for Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission

Elaine R. Jones is Counsel Emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF). Ms. Jones was President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP LDF from 1993 to 2004. She held various leadership roles at the NAACP LDF from 1970 to 1993, with the exception of her service as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Transportation from 1975 to 1977. She was the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Virginia School of Law, and was subsequently the first African American to serve on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association. Ms. Jones has received numerous awards, including the Jefferson Medal in Law and the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. Ms. Jones received a B.A. from Howard University and a J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law.

Yo-Yo Ma, Appointee for Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission

Yo-Yo Ma is a world-renowned cellist and Founder of Silkroad, an arts organization he created in 1998. Mr. Ma is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, a position he has held since 2010. He was appointed Artistic Advisor-at-Large to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2016. Mr. Ma was appointed as a U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2006 and as a CultureConnect Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State in 2002. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 and the National Medal of Arts in 2001. Mr. Ma was appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2009. Mr. Ma attended The Juilliard School and received a B.A. from Harvard College.

Jack Kennedy Schlossberg, Appointee for Member, John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission

Jack Kennedy Schlossberg served as a Staff Assistant in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in 2016. Mr. Schlossberg also worked in the Global Business Development Division at Suntory Holdings, Ltd. in 2016. He was an Emergency Medical Technician from 2013 to 2015, and an Environmental Technician at Clean Harbors in 2014. He is a member of the John F. Kennedy Library New Frontier Award Committee and the Profiles in Courage Award Committee. Mr. Schlossberg received a B.A. from Yale University.

Billy W. Altom, Appointee for Member, National Council on Disability

Billy W. Altom is Executive Director of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, a position he has held since 2007. Mr. Altom was Executive Director for Delta Resource Center for Independent Living from 1996 to 2007 and Program Director for Spa Area Independent Living Services, Inc. from 1993 to 1996. He serves on the National AgrAbility Project Advisory Committee and the National Disability Leadership Alliance Steering Committee. He previously served as Chair of the Rail Vehicles Accessibility Advisory Committee of the U.S. Access Board. Mr. Altom received a B.A. from the University of Arkansas.

Dr. Rabia Belt, Appointee for Member, National Council on Disability

Dr. Rabia Belt is an Assistant Professor at Stanford Law School, a position she has held since 2016. Dr. Belt was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Georgetown University Law Center from 2014 to 2015 and a Graduate Student Instructor at the University of Michigan from 2007 to 2010. She was named a Kathryn T. Preyer Scholar in 2014. Dr. Belt received an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.A., J.D., and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Wendy S. Harbour, Appointee for Member, National Council on Disability

Dr. Wendy S. Harbour is Director of the National Center for College Students with Disabilities, Coordinator for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Disability Consortium, and Advisor for Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring, positions she has held since 2015. Dr. Harbour held various positions at Syracuse University from 2009 to 2015, including the Lawrence B. Taishoff Professor of Inclusive Higher Education, Executive Director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, Co-Director of the Center on Human Policy, Co-Coordinator of the Disability Studies Program, and Coordinator of the American Sign Language Program. Dr. Harbour was an Adjunct Professor at the Boston Teacher Residency Program at the University of Massachusetts-Boston from 2006 to 2008 and at the American Sign Language Program at Northeastern University in 2007. She was a Disability Specialist from 1995 to 2001 and an Academic Assistance and Testing Coordinator from 1995 to 1998 in Disability Services at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Dr. Harbour received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and an Ed.M. and Ed.D. from Harvard University.

Benro T. Ogunyipe, Appointee for Member, National Council on Disability

Benro T. Ogunyipe is an Accessibility Specialist for the Illinois Department of Human Services, a position he has held since 2004. Mr. Ogunyipe was President of the National Black Deaf Advocates, Inc. from 2011 to 2013 and Vice President and Chairman of the organization's Board from 2007 to 2011. He was Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission from 2007 to 2012 and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago. Mr. Ogunyipe was appointed to the Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force by the Governor of Illinois in 2016. He was first appointed to the National Council on Disability in 2014. Mr. Ogunyipe received a B.A. from Gallaudet University and an M.P.A. from DePaul University School of Public Service.

Clyde Terry, Appointee for Member, and upon appointment to be designated Chairperson, National Council on Disability

Clyde Terry is Chief Executive Officer of Granite State Independent Living, a position he has held since 2002. Mr. Terry worked at the New Hampshire Developmental Disabilities Council as Executive Director from 2001 to 2002 and as Director of Policy and Planning from 1994 to 2001. He was an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Hampshire in 1996 and Hearing Officer/American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator at the New Hampshire Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities' Office of Client and Legal Services from 1988 to 1994. Mr. Terry serves on the Governor's Commission on Disability in New Hampshire and the Concord Hospital Medical Ethics Committee. He served on the National Task Force on Accessible Elections and the ADA Watch Advisory Council. Mr. Terry was first appointed to the National Council on Disability in 2011 and was designated Chairperson in 2015. Mr. Terry received a B.S. from Emerson College and a J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center, now the University of New Hampshire School of Law.