Press Release - President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

•      Caitlin Durkovich – Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, Department of Homeland Security

•      Ellen M. Peel – United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

•      Russell F. Smith III – United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

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

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

Caitlin Durkovich, Appointee as Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, Department of Homeland Security

Caitlin Durkovich is the Chief of Staff of the National Protection and Programs Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to joining the Administration in 2009, she was the Director of Emergency Management Programs for Abrams Learning & Information Systems, Inc. in Arlington, Virginia. From 2003 to 2006, she worked as an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, where she worked on pandemic planning and preparedness, as well as the Federal Enterprise Architecture Security and Privacy Profile. From 2001 to 2003, she was the Director of Business Development and Marketing at the Internet Security Alliance. From 1998 to 2001, she was Vice President of iDefense, now known as Verisign, Inc. Ms. Durkovich was Executive Producer of Policy.com for A2S2 Digital Products, Inc. from 1996 to 1998. She received a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University.

Ellen M. Peel, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

Ellen M. Peel is currently President of The Billfish Foundation, a non-profit sportfishing conservation corporation. Prior to this position, she served as Acting Regional Director for the Center for Marine Conservation in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she developed and implemented conservation strategies for all fish species in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. Ms. Peel is a member of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Advisory Panel for Highly Migratory Species, the International Women's Fishing Association, and the Advisory Committee to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Ms. Peel holds a B.A. from the University of West Florida, a J.D. from the University of Mississippi, and an LL.M from the University of Washington.

Russell F. Smith III, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
Russell F. Smith III is Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In July 2011, President Obama appointed Mr. Smith as a U.S. Commissioner on the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. He is also an Alternate U.S. Commissioner on the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. From 2002 to 2010, Mr. Smith worked in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), serving first as Director for the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and then as Director for International Environmental Policy and Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Before joining USTR, he was a senior attorney with the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He began his legal career as an associate at Spiegel & McDiarmid. He received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan.