Press Release - President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts

President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:

John R. Bass of New York to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Mr. Bass, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, has served as an American diplomat since 1988. He is currently Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, a position he has held since 2014. He also served as Ambassador to the Republic of Georgia from 2009 to 2012. Mr. Bass has spent much of the past decade supporting Federal Government efforts to mobilize allies and marshal resources to combat terrorism and instability in Iraq, Syria, and Southwest Asia. He has served at six U.S. Missions overseas and in senior leadership positions at the Department of State. Mr. Bass earned an A.B., cum laude, from Syracuse University.

Michael James Dodman of New York to be the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Mr. Dodman, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is currently Executive Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment at the Department of State. A career diplomat since 1987, Mr. Dodman's previous assignments include Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi, Pakistan; Economic Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the European Union; and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Mr. Dodman received a B.S. from Georgetown University, an M.A. from Boston University, and an M.P.P. from Princeton University.

C. J. Mahoney of Kansas to be Deputy United States Trade Representative, Investment, Services, Labor, Environment, Africa, China, and the Western Hemisphere, with the Rank of Ambassador. Mr. Mahoney is a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP where his practice focuses on international disputes and arbitration. Prior to joining Williams & Connolly, Mr. Mahoney clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for Judge Alex Kozinski and at the Supreme Court of the United States for Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. A native of Russell, Kansas, Mr. Mahoney holds an A.B. in Government from Harvard College and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. Mr. Mahoney also serves as a Visiting Clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School, teaching a course on international arbitration.

Michele Jeanne Sison of Maryland to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Haiti. Ms. Sison, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, has served as an American diplomat since 1982. She currently serves as Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, a position she has held since 2014. A three-time Ambassador, Ms. Sison has been a leader, policymaker, and manager of complex programs in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and in Washington, D.C. She has served at eleven U.S. Missions overseas and in senior leadership positions at the Department of State. Ms. Sison earned a B.A. from Wellesley College. She speaks fluent French and basic Haitian Creole and Arabic.

-------

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intended Appointments to the Federal Service Impasses Panel

President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to appoint the following individuals as members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel:

• Mark Anthony Carter of West Virginia, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2022.
• Andrea Fischer Newman of Michigan, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2022.
• David R. Osborne of Pennsylvania, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2020.
• Karen Czarnecki of Virginia, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2020.
• Donald Todd of Washington, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2019.
• Jonathan Riches of Arizona, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2019.
• Vincent Vernuccio of Michigan, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring January 10, 2019.