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:

Joel Danies of Maryland to be Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Gabonese Republic and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. Mr. Danies, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor, has served as an American diplomat since 1987. He is currently Associate Dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies, Foreign Service Institute, at the Department of State. Mr. Danies has served in senior-level Department of State positions at home and abroad. He earned a master's degree from National War College in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor's degree from University of Maryland, College Park. He speaks French, Haitian-Creole and Arabic.

Michael D. Griffin of Alabama to be Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Dr. Griffin most recently served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Schafer Corporation, a provider of scientific, engineering, and technical services and products in the national security sector. Previously he served as the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he established the architecture for space shuttle replacement and human return to the Moon and initiated the first development of commercial cargo delivery service to Earth orbit in the agency's history. He is a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the AIAA Space Systems Medal, and the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. Dr. Griffin is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, the Catholic University of America, the University of Maryland, the University of Southern California, Loyola College; and George Washington University.

Scott A. Mugno of Pennsylvania to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health. Mr. Mugno is currently the Vice President for Safety, Sustainability and Vehicle Maintenance at FedEx Ground in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was previously the Managing Director for FedEx Express Corporate Safety, Health and Fire Protection in Memphis, Tennessee. His responsibilities in both those positions included developing, promoting and facilitating the safety and health program and culture. Mr. Mugno was twice awarded FedEx's highest honor, the FedEx Five Star Award, for his safety leadership at FedEx Express. Prior to FedEx, Mr. Mugno was a Division Counsel at Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Waste Isolation Division and Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the Eastern Region U.S. Army Military Traffic Management Command. He also held other legal positions in the U.S. Army JAG Corps at the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia and in small private–practice law firms before joining the U.S. Army JAG Corps. Mr. Mugno is a graduate of Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas and St. John's University, Jamaica, New York.

Randall G. Schriver of Virginia to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Affairs. Mr. Schriver most recently served as a founding partner of Armitage International LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in international business development and strategies, as well as CEO and President of the Project 2049 Institute, a non-profit research organization dedicated to the study of security trend lines in Asia. Previously he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He also served for two years as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State and an active duty Navy Intelligence Officer. Mr. Schriver has won numerous military and civilian awards, and was presented with the Order of the Propitious Clouds by the President of Taiwan for service while at the State Department promoting relations between the United States and Taiwan. He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University bachelor's degree in history from Williams College.

Douglas Webster of Virginia to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Education. Dr. Webster is currently Director, Risk Management at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he leads government-to-government risk assessment policy for the agency. He has also served as an advisor in development of the agency's enterprise risk management program. Dr. Webster previously served 21 years in the Air Force, followed by 24 years of Federal financial management experience, and is a former Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Labor. Dr. Webster received a bachelor's degree in engineering from UCLA, a master's degree in systems management from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in business administration of U.S. International University. He has co-authored three books on the subjects of cost/performance management, risk management, and organizational change management. He has received the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management Hall of Fame award, and the Association of Government Accountants International Achievement award. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager.