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:

•      Teresa Takai, Assistant Secretary (Networks and Information Integration), Department of Defense

•      S. Leslie Ireland, Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of the Treasury

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint Felicity Hannay to serve as U.S. Commissioner on the Upper Colorado River Commission. Her bio is below.

President Obama said, "It gives me great confidence that such talented individuals have chosen to join my administration as we confront the challenges facing our nation. I look forward to working with them for years to come."

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

Teresa Takai, Nominee for Assistant Secretary (Networks and Information Integration), Department of Defense

Since December 2007, Teri Takai has served as Chief Information Officer for the State of California. As a member of the Governor's cabinet, she advises him on the strategic management and direction of information technology resources as the state works to modernize and transform the way California does business with its citizens. Prior to her appointment in California, Takai served as Director of the Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT) since 2003, where she also served as the state's Chief Information Officer. In this position, she restructured and consolidated Michigan's resources by merging the state's information technology into one centralized department to service 19 agencies and over 1,700 employees. Additionally, during her tenure at the MDIT, Takai led the state to being ranked number one four years in a row in digital government by the Center for Digital Government. Before serving in state government, Takai worked for the Ford Motor Company for 30 years, where she led the development of the company's information technology strategic plan. She also held positions in technology at EDS and Federal-Mogul Corporation. In 2005, Takai was named "Public Official of the Year" by Governing magazine. She is Past-President of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and currently serves as Practitioner Chair of the Harvard Policy Group on Network-Enabled Services and Government. Takai earned a Master of Arts degree in management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan.

S. Leslie Ireland, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of the Treasury

Ms. S. Leslie Ireland has been a career intelligence officer for nearly 25 years, and has held a variety of positions in the analytical, collection, interagency and policy communities, giving her a corporate perspective in addition to substantive expertise. Most recently she was intelligence briefer to President Barack Obama. Prior to that she served as the DNI Iran Mission Manager, where she was responsible for integrating collection and analysis on Iran across the Intelligence Community, identifying and filling gaps in intelligence, and planning and ensuring the implementation of strategies, among other duties. During her career she has also served as Executive Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, and in various analytical and management portfolios at CIA related to the Middle East and WMD. Ms. Ireland was also detailed to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Country Director for Iran and Kuwait. Ms. Ireland is a recipient of CIA's Intelligence Commendation Medal, awarded for analytical work in support of Operation Desert Storm, and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, awarded for service as the DNI Iran Mission Manager. She is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College with a B.A. in Government and holds an M.A. in Russian Area Studies from Georgetown University.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint Felicity Hannay to serve as U.S. Commissioner on the Upper Colorado River Commission:

Felicity Hannay, Appointee for U.S. Commissioner, Upper Colorado River Commission

Felicity Hannay was Deputy Attorney General for Natural Resources and Environment under then-Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar from 1999 to 2004. She previously was a partner at the Denver law firm of Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP and practiced water and natural resources law throughout her entire 30-year career as an attorney. She is an alternate member of the Jefferson County, Colorado Open Space Advisory Committee and a former member and chair of the Jefferson County Planning Commission. Ms. Hannay serves on the Board of Directors of two nonprofit organizations: Friendship Bridge, which provides microcredit and educational programs to Guatemalan women; and AfricAid, which supports girls' education in Tanzania. She received her BA from Vassar College and holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley, where she was Editor in Chief of the Ecology Law Quarterly.