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:

•      Deborah Malac – Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Department of State

•      Tommy Sowers – Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs

•      Fernando Torres-Gil – Member, National Council on Disability

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

•      Lothar von Falkenhausen – Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

•      Rear Admiral Mark F. Heinrich, USN – Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

•      Anil Lewis – Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

President Obama said, "These individuals have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and 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:

Deborah Malac, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Department of State

Deborah Malac, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, currently serves as Director of the Office of East African Affairs at the Department of State. Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa. Previous posts in Washington include Deputy Director of the Office of East African Affairs and Deputy Director of the Office of Agricultural, Biotechnology, and Textiles Trade Affairs. Other overseas assignments have included service in Dakar, Senegal; Bangkok, Thailand; Pretoria, South Africa; and Yaounde, Cameroon. Ms. Malac received a B.A. from Furman University, an M.A. from the University of Virginia, and an M.S. from the National Defense University.

Dr. Tommy Sowers, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs

Dr. Tommy Sowers is currently an Associate with McKinsey & Company. Previously, he served as a senior advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and in 2010, was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri's 8th Congressional District. Earlier, Dr. Sowers served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. During his military service, he served as assistant professor at the United States Military Academy (2006-2009), Special Forces Detachment Commander (2004-2006), Brigade Adjutant in the Army's 1st Infantry Division (2001), Combat Engineer Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer (1999-2001). He holds an A.B. from Duke University, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.

Fernando Torres-Gil, Nominee for Member, National Council on Disability

Fernando Torres-Gil is the Chair of the Social Welfare Department, the Director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging, and a Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin School of Public Affairs. Mr. Torres-Gil, who is a polio survivor, was first appointed to the National Council on Disability by President Obama in March 2010. Earlier in his career, he served as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles Luskin School of Public Affairs and a professor of Gerontology and Public Administration at the University of Southern California. Before serving in academia, Mr. Torres-Gil was the first Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and served as a staff director of the House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging. From 1989 to 1992, Mr. Torres-Gil served as President of the American Society on Aging. He is currently a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Polio Survivors, the National Academy of Social Insurance, and the Board of Directors of the AARP Foundation. He received an A.A. from Hartnell Community College, a B.A. from San Jose State University, and an M.S.W. and Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

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

Dr. Lothar von Falkenhausen, Appointee for Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Dr. Lothar von Falkenhausen is a professor of Chinese Archaeology and the Associate Director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He has published widely on early Chinese ritual and music, bronze vessels and their inscriptions, regional cultures, trans-Eurasian contacts, and the history of archaeology in East Asia. His Chinese Society in the Age of Confucius (1000-250 BC): The Archaeological Evidence received the Society for American Archaeology Book Award. From 1999 to 2004, Dr. von Falkenhausen was co-Principal Investigator of the UCLA-Peking University joint archaeological project in the Upper Yangzi River Basin. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. von Falkenhausen studied at Bonn University, Peking University, and Ky?to University, and holds an M.A. in East Asian Studies and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard.

Rear Admiral Mark F. Heinrich, USN, Appointee for Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

Rear Admiral Mark F. Heinrich, USN, is Commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and 46th Chief of Supply Corps. Prior to his current appointment, Rear Admiral Heinrich served as Commander of NAVSUP Global Logistics Support. At sea, he served as Supply Officer of USS Gridley and USS Constellation, and as Assistant Supply Officer of the USS Kinkaid. Previously, Rear Admiral Heinrich served as Director of Logistics Operations and Readiness for the Defense Logistics Agency, and Director of the United States Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. He has been recognized with two Defense Superior Service Medals, two Legions of Merit awards, and a Defense Meritorious Service medal, in addition to various other awards. Rear Admiral Heinrich has a B.S. in engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an M.S. in Petroleum Management and an M.B.A., both from the University of Kansas.

Anil Lewis, Appointee for Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

Anil Lewis is currently the Director of Strategic Communications for the National Federation of the Blind. Previously, Mr. Lewis was the President and CEO of the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia, where for eight years he developed and administered programs that provide education, training, and opportunity for blind youth and adults. Blind since 1989, Mr. Lewis has worked throughout his career to assist people with disabilities to obtain employment; he has served as a job placement specialist for a community rehabilitation program, as the manager of the Disability Employment Initiative for Randstad Staffing, and as a counselor and advocate for the Georgia Client Assistance Program. Mr. Lewis received a B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems and an M.P.A. in Program Evaluation and Policy Studies from Georgia State University.