Press Release - President Biden Announces Key Nominees

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as key leaders in his administration:

• Charlie Crist, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, with the rank of Ambassador
• Michael Colin Casey, Nominee for Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center

Charlie Crist, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, with the rank of Ambassador
Governor Charlie Crist, a political leader and attorney, has dedicated his life to public service. He recently served as U.S. Congressman for Florida's 13th District, representing the Tampa Bay region in Congress. Previously, Crist served as the 44th Governor of the State of Florida, Florida's Attorney General, and was the last elected statewide Commissioner of Education.

As Governor, Crist guided the state through challenging times, including the Great Recession and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Despite drastic budget shortfalls due to the economic crisis, he made public education a top priority, steering federal stimulus funding to save thousands of teachers' jobs. He is also a staunch environmental advocate, working at the federal and state levels to help secure billions in public and private aid to restore the Florida Everglades.

Crist got his first job out of law school as General Counsel of minor league baseball. He worked for Republican U.S. Senator Connie Mack III as his State Director and began his political career with election to the Florida State Senate in 1992. Crist attended Wake Forest University, and later transferred to Florida State University, where he would receive his bachelor's degree. Following that, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama.

Michael Colin Casey, Nominee for Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center
Michael Colin Casey has served as the Staff Director for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence since 2016. In that capacity and in conjunction with the Minority Staff Director, he oversees the staff of the committee as they assist the committee members in conducting oversight of the Intelligence Community's operations on behalf of the Senate. He also is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the committee, including enhancements to the committee's operations and security. Prior to his current position, Casey served as a Professional Staff Member on the House Armed Services Committee for over nine years. There, he was responsible for policy covering wide swaths of global operations as well as those pertaining to the Department of Defense. He has spent over 27 years on Capitol Hill in a variety of positions, most related to national security. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and holds an M.A. from Georgetown University.