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:

•      James F. Entwistle, Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Department of State

•      Mimi E. Alemayehou, Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation

•      Johnnie Carson, Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation

President Obama said, "I am proud to nominate such accomplished and dedicated individuals to these important roles. I am grateful for their decision to serve, and look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

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

James F. Entwistle, Nominee for Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Department of State

James F. Entwistle is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He is currently the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. He previously served at Embassy Bangkok as head of the Refugee Assistance Unit. Prior to that Mr. Entwistle served as Deputy Chief of Mission for both the U.S. Embassies in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Bangui, Central African Republic. Other overseas assignments include posts in Yaoundé, Douala, Kuala Lumpur and Niamey. In Washington, he served as watch officer in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the desk officer for Kenya and Uganda in the Bureau of African Affairs. Mr. Entwistle is a graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina.

Mimi E. Alemayehou, Nominee Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation

Ms. Alemayehou was recently nominated by the President to serve as Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. She was most recently the United States Executive Director at the African Development Bank (AfDB) where she was responsible for executing Board decisions on behalf of the United States government. Ms. Alemayehou served as the most senior U.S. Treasury official in Africa and was instrumental in pushing for reforms to make the Bank more transparent and to engage more broadly with outside stakeholders. Prior to the AfDB, she was Founder and Managing Partner of Trade Links, LLC, a development consulting firm that worked with clients on emerging markets issues and promoting African exports under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Previously, Ms. Alemayehou was with the International Executive Service Corps where she managed a multi-country trade project in Africa. She also served as a Director of International Regulatory Affairs at WorldSpace Corporation, an emerging markets focused satellite telecommunications company. Ms. Alemayehou is a naturalized US Citizen; she was born in Ethiopia and spent her early years in Kenya before emigrating to the United States. Ms. Alemayehou holds a Masters degree in International Business and International Law and Development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Johnnie Carson, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation

Johnnie Carson is currently the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Assistant Secretary Carson previously served as the National Intelligence Officer for Africa on the National Intelligence Council. He joined the NIC in September 2006 after a 37-year career in the Foreign Service. Prior to this appointment, Carson served as the Senior Vice President of the National Defense University in Washington D.C. (2003-2006). Carson's Foreign Service career includes ambassadorships to Kenya (1999-2003), Zimbabwe (1995-1997), and Uganda (1991-1994); and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs (1997-1999). Earlier in his career he had assignments in Portugal, Botswana, Mozambique, and Nigeria. He has also served as a desk officer in the Africa section at State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research; Staff Officer for the Secretary of State (1978-1979), and Staff Director for the Africa Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives (1979-1982). Before joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Carson was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania. He has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Drake University and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the School of Oriental and Africa Studies at the University of London.