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:

Christopher Caldwell of Arkansas to be Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority. Mr. Caldwell currently serves as the Director of Special Projects for Senator John Boozman (R-AR). Mr. Caldwell was the Campaign Manager for Senator Boozman's 2016 re-election campaign, as well as the Political Director for Boozman's 2010 Senate campaign. He has also served on several other campaigns, including Governor Mike Huckabee's 2007 presidential bid and Senator Tim Hutchinson's 2002 Senate campaign. Beyond his political and government service, Mr. Caldwell has held various roles in the private sector and is an active volunteer in his community. He graduated with a B.A. in Communications from the J. William Fulbright School at the University of Arkansas. Mr. Caldwell resides in Little Rock with his wife Ashley and their two children.

Walter Copan of Colorado to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology. Dr. Copan is President and CEO of IP Engineering Group Corporation and Board member of Rocky Mountain Innovation Partners, supporting Federal labs, academic institutions, and entrepreneurial businesses. He was Managing Director—Technology Commercialization and Partnerships at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Technology Transfer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Among his entrepreneurial ventures was Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. (CDTi) which he led as CTO and Executive VP onto NASDAQ. During his 28 years with Lubrizol Corporation, he held top leadership positions including research, development, and business unit management. Dr. Copan earned dual undergraduate degrees, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Case Western Reserve University. He has served as board member and advisor to many organizations, including the Federal Laboratory Consortium.

Brian D. Montgomery of Texas to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Commissioner. Mr. Montgomery is currently Vice Chairman of The Collingwood Group, an advisory firm focused on business consulting, risk management, and compliance within the financial services industry. Previously he served as Assistant Secretary of Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner. He also served as Acting Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in January 2009. Earlier he served as Deputy Assistant to the President, and from 2003-2005, he directed the Office of Cabinet Affairs, serving as a liaison between President Bush and his Cabinet, and all Federal agencies in the Executive Branch. Under his leadership as FHA Commissioner, FHA successfully spearheaded legislative efforts to preserve the Nation's affordable rental housing stock by maintaining the long-term physical and financial integrity of properties, while reducing rental assistance costs and the cost of FHA insurance claims. FHA provided access to affordable financing to preserve, refinance, or develop more than 300,000 rental units, a portion through risk-sharing agreements with State and local housing finance agencies. He assisted in HUD's recovery and rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast and New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and chaired HUD headquarters' Hurricane Recovery and Response Center. Mr. Montgomery holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Houston.

George Bryan Slater of Virginia to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor, Administration and Management. Mr. Slater is currently serving as the Assistant Secretary for Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Previous to his current appointment, Mr. Slater served as the Director of Operations and Facilities for Freedom Partners Shared Services. Throughout his career, Mr. Slater has held many leadership positions within Federal and State governments, including serving at the Department of Labor for five years. Mr. Slater received a bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond.

Glen R. Smith of Iowa to be a Member of the Farm Credit Administration Board for the remainder of a term expiring May 21, 2022. In 1982, Mr. Smith is president and co-owner of Smith Land Service, a company he founded in 1982. The company specializes in farm management, land appraisal and farmland brokerage services, working in about 30 Iowa counties. Mr. Smith also owns and serves as president of Smith Generation Farms, Inc., a family farm operation that encompasses about 2000 acres of primarily corn and soybeans in western Iowa. He is a native of Atlantic, Iowa where he was raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm. His "hands-on" farm experience started at a very early age when his father was involved in a disabling farm accident. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1979 with a B.S. in Agricultural Business and accepted a position with Doane Agricultural Services as State Manager of their real estate division. Glen and his wife, Fauzan, have four grown children and three grandchildren.

James E. Trainor III of Texas to be a Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission for the remainder of a 6-year term expiring April 30, 2021. Mr. Trainor is currently a partner at Akerman, LLP, and has more than 10 years of private practice experience involving election law, campaign finance, and ethics representation for government officers, interest groups, corporations, and others (two presidential campaigns). He recently served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense in the Office of General Counsel. Mr. Trainor's prior government service includes positions as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State (also an appointed member to the Standards Advisory Board, Elections Assistance Commission) and Counsel to the Texas House Committee on Regulated Industries and various other state legislative roles. Mr. Trainor was born and raised in Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University (Corps of Cadets member) in 1997 and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in 2002. Mr. Trainor currently resides in Driftwood, Texas, with his wife Lucy and their six children.