Press Release - President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

•      Dorothy Kosinski – Member, National Council on the Humanities

•      Dawn M. Liberi – Ambassador to the Republic of Burundi, Department of State

•      Stephen D. Mull – Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, Department of State

•      Walter North – Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Republic of Vanuatu, Department of State

President Obama said, "I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

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

Dr. Dorothy Kosinski, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Humanities

Dr. Dorothy Kosinski has served as Director of The Phillips Collection since 2008. Prior to joining The Phillips Collection, Dr. Kosinski worked at the Dallas Museum of Art, where she served in a number of capacities from 1995 to 2008, last as Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture. From 1985 to 1997, she worked with the Douglas Cooper Collection of cubist art in Basel, Switzerland. She also served as an independent curator of major exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, London; The Kunstmuseum Basel; The Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg; and The National Gallery in Prague. Dr. Kosinski has written and edited many books and catalogs on a variety of art topics including 19th Century Symbolism, Dada, Surrealism, 20th Century sculpture and contemporary art. She currently serves on the Board of the Association of Art Museum Directors and the Advisory Board of The Musée Rodin, Paris. Dr. Kosinski received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University.

Dawn M. Liberi, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Burundi, Department of State

Dawn M. Liberi, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, most recently served as the Senior Assistance Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli. From 2009 to 2011, she served as Coordinator for the Interagency Provincial Affairs Office at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and as Senior Civilian Representative for the Combined Joint Task-Force 82 with the International Security Assistance Force Regional Command-East at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. From 2006 to 2009, she was an Executive Civil-Military Counselor with USAID. From 2005 to 2006, Ms. Liberi was the USAID Mission Director in Iraq. She previously served as the USAID Mission Director in Nigeria (2002-2005) and Uganda (1998-2002). Other assignments have included: USAID Associate Assistant Administrator in the Global Bureau, Population, Health and Nutrition Office (1994-1998); USAID Deputy Mission Director in Ghana (1992-1994); and Population, Health and Nutrition Technical Officer for USAID's missions in Senegal and Niger from (1981-1987). Ms. Liberi received a Bachelor's Degree from Hampshire College and an M.P.H. from the University of California at Berkeley.

Ambassador Stephen D. Mull, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, Department of State

Ambassador Stephen D. Mull, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career-Minister, is Executive Secretary at the Department of State, a position he has held since June 2010. Prior to this position, he was Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs from 2008 to 2010, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs from 2006 to 2008. From 2007 to 2008, he served concurrently as Acting Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs. Ambassador Mull served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania from 2003 to 2006, and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia from 2000 to 2003. With over 30 years of service at the State Department, Ambassador Mull's previous positions include: Deputy Executive Secretary (1998-2000); Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs (1997-1998); Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Poland (1993-1997); and Deputy Director of the State Department Operations Center (1991-1993). Ambassador Mull received a B.S. from Georgetown University.

Walter North, Nominee for Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Republic of Vanuatu, Department of State

Walter North, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career-Minister, is currently the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director in Egypt. Mr. North previously served as USAID Mission Director in Indonesia (2007-2011); India (2000-2004); and Zambia (1996-2000), as well as Deputy Mission Director in Ethiopia (1992-1996). Posts at USAID's Washington headquarters have included: Interim Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa (2006-2007); Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination (2005-2006); and Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia and the Near East (2004-2005). Before joining USAID in 1980, Mr. North was a project manager for the non-profit, humanitarian organization, CARE in India and Bangladesh, and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia. He received a B.A. from Lawrence University, a J.D. from George Washington University Law School, and an M.P.A. from Harvard University.