Press Release - President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

•      Patrick S. Moon, Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Department of State

•      Christopher W. Murray, Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Department of State

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint Milford Wayne Donaldson to serve as Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. His bio is below.

President Obama said, "It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join my administration and serve the American people. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years."

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

Patrick S. Moon, Nominee for Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Department of State

Patrick S. Moon is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. He previously served as the Coordinator for Afghanistan while concurrently serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan. Moon was also the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Croatia. His other overseas assignments include Beirut, Zaire, and Geneva. Other Washington assignments include the European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau's Director of the Office of Austrian, German and Swiss Affairs, Deputy Director of the Office of UN Political Affairs, and Director of the Afghanistan Office in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Moon earned an M.A. degree in International Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Christopher W. Murray, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Department of State

Christopher W. Murray is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Lebanon and in Algeria. His other overseas assignments include Syria, a prior posting in Brussels, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Jamaica. At the State Department in Washington he has served in the Bureaus of Nonproliferation, European Affairs, International Organizations, and African Affairs. Murray received a B.A in Government from Lawrence University and a J.D. from Cornell Law School.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key administration post:

Milford Wayne Donaldson, Appointee for Chair, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Milford Wayne Donaldson currently serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for the state of California. The SHPO serves as chief administrative officer of the Office of Historic Preservation in Sacramento and as Executive Secretary of the State Historical Resources Commission. Prior to his appointment as SHPO, Mr. Donaldson served as president of the award winning firm 'Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA' since 1978, specializing in historic preservation services. He is licensed to practice architecture in California, Nevada and Arizona and holds a certified license from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Mr. Donaldson is affiliated with several historical and preservation organizations and is a past president of the California Preservation Foundation and past chair of the State Historical Building Safety Board, the State Historical Resources Commission, and the Historic State Capitol Commission. He holds a B.A. and a B.S. in Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Mr. Donaldson received a Master of Science in Architecture from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and a Master of Arts in Public History and Teaching from University of San Diego.