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:

Stephen Akard of Indiana to be Director General of the Foreign Service, Department of State. Mr. Akard has served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, U.S. Department of State since January, 2017. Previously, he was chief of staff, vice president and general counsel, and director of international development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation from 2005 -2017. From 1997 to 2005, Mr. Akard was an officer in the foreign service at the Department of State, with assignments in India, Belgium, and as a special assistant in the Executive Secretariat. He earned his B.A., M.B.A., and J.D. degrees from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis(IUPUI). While at the State Department, Mr. Akard received two Meritorious Honor awards. He also received a distinguished alumni award from IUPUI in 2000.

John Edward Dupuy of Virginia to be the Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management. Mr. Dupuy was appointed as deputy inspector general for investigations at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in November 2016, having previously served as the assistant inspector general for investigations at DOE beginning May 2015. Mr. Dupuy has been part of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) community since 1991, and has served in a variety of leadership positions throughout his career. Before DOE, Mr. Dupuy worked in the OIG for both the Department of the Interior and Department of Housing and Urban Development. At those agencies, he held several positions, including special agent and assistant inspector general for investigations. Mr. Dupuy graduated from the University of California Los Angeles with a B.A. in 1987. He served in the United States Army on active duty as a military intelligence officer from 1987 to 1990. Mr. Dupuy later attended Golden Gate University School of Law and the American University Washington College of Law. He is a member of the Virginia and Washington, D.C. bars and has been an adjunct professor at the American University School of Law.

Gail S. Ennis of Maryland to be the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. Since 1998, Ms. Ennis has worked at Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr LLP, where she became a partner in 2007. Her practice focuses on securities litigation and enforcement and financial institutions, providing advice to major banks, financial institutions, and individuals in a broad range of litigation and enforcement matters. She has represented clients before Congress and a broad array of regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Justice, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.. She holds a J.D. magna cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and a B.S. in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Yleem D. S. Poblete of Virginia to be an Assistant Secretary of State, Verification and Compliance. Dr. Poblete is currently a senior advisor at the Department of State. She has also served more than two decades on the staff of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, including as its chief of staff and staff director – the first Hispanic female to serve in that post. Dr. Poblete is broadly knowledgeable regarding proliferation matters, the International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear agreements, sanctions and export controls, security assistance and arms sales. During her service on the Foreign Affairs Committee, she was the principal staff member on initiatives to address threats posed by Iran, North Korea, and Syria. She has been a frequent guest lecturer at the National Intelligence University. She has also been the co-owner of Poblete Analysis Group, a fellow at The Catholic University of America, and a foreign policy analyst for United States Government projects at the Hudson Institute. Dr. Poblete earned a B.A. from Saint Thomas University, an M.A. magna cum laude from the University of Miami, and a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America.

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President Donald J. Trump Announces Designation of Eric Hargan as Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services

President Donald J. Trump today announced that Eric D. Hargan of Illinois will serve as acting Secretary of Health and Human Services.