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:

•      Gabriel Camarillo – Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of Defense

•      William A. Heidt – Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Department of State

•      David Malcolm Robinson – Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Department of State

•      Joyce Connery – Member, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and upon appointment to be designated Chair

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

•      Kevin Griffis – Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services

President Obama said, "These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles. I look forward to working with them."

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

Gabriel Camarillo, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of Defense

Gabriel Camarillo is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics & Technology (AL&T), a position he has held since 2012. From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Camarillo served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for AL&T. Since 2011, Mr. Camarillo has been an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. During the 2008 presidential election, Mr. Camarillo was the Deputy Voter Protection Coordinator in New Mexico for Obama for America. From 2004 to 2010, he practiced campaign finance and government ethics law in California. Mr. Camarillo began his legal career as an Associate at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Mr. Camarillo received a B.A. from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

William A. Heidt, Nominee for Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Department of State

William A. Heidt, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the Department of State, a position he has held since 2012. Mr. Heidt served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland from 2009 to 2012, Counselor for Economic and Social Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2009, Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia from 2004 to 2007, and Special Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs from 2003 to 2004. Prior to that, he served as a Finance and Development Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta from 2000 to 2003 and Economic and Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 1997 to 1999. Earlier assignments with the Department included Economic Officer in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Economic Officer in the Office of Korean Affairs, Economic Officer in the Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs, and Consular Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Poznan, Poland. Mr. Heidt received a B.A from Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. from The George Washington University.

Ambassador David Malcolm Robinson, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Department of State

Ambassador David Malcolm Robinson, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Principal Deputy High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a position he has held since 2014. Previously, Ambassador Robinson was Assistant Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration from 2009 to 2013, and Special Coordinator for Venezuela in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2008 to 2009. Ambassador Robinson served as U.S. Ambassador to Guyana from 2006 to 2008 and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana from 2003 to 2006. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay from 2000 to 2003. His earlier assignments included posts in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Iceland. Ambassador Robinson received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. from the National War College, and a Master of Divinity from Christ the King Seminary.

Joyce Connery, Nominee for Member, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and upon appointment to be designated Chair

Joyce Connery serves as Director of Nuclear Energy Policy within the Office of International Economics on the National Security Council (NSC) in the White House, a position she has held since 2012. Prior to this, she served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Secretary at the Department of Energy (DOEn) from 2010 to 2012. From 2009 to 2010, Ms. Connery served as the Director of Cooperative Threat Reduction and Nuclear Energy Cooperation and in 2008 served as Director of Nonproliferation Policy at the NSC. From 2006 to 2008, Ms. Connery served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Proliferation at the DOEn. Before that position, she was a Policy Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Administrator at DOEn from 2004 to 2006. From 1999 to 2004, Ms. Connery served in various positions at Argonne National Laboratory for the DOEn including Program Analyst and Foreign Affairs Specialist from 2001 to 2004, Technical Program Coordinator from 2000 to 2001, and Nuclear Nonproliferation Program Representative from 1999 to 2000. Ms. Connery received a B.A. and M.A. from Tufts University.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

Kevin Griffis, Appointee for Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services

Kevin Griffis serves as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a position he has held since May 2014. Since December 2014, he has also served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at HHS. Prior to this, Mr. Griffis served as Communications Director for Senator Cory Booker from 2013 to 2014 and as Senior Advisor and Communications Director for Cory Booker's Senate campaign in 2013. From 2012 to 2013, he was a Principal at the Podesta Group. Mr. Griffis served as Senior Advisor in the Office of Public Affairs at the Department of Commerce (DOC) in 2012. From 2009 to 2012, he was Director of Public Affairs at DOC. Prior to this, Mr. Griffis was Spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2009, and a State Communications Director for Obama for America from 2007 to 2008. He was Communications Director for the Pedersen for U.S. Senate campaign in 2006. In 2005, Mr. Griffis was Communications Director for Virginia Victory 2005, and from 2005 to 2006, he was Communications Director at the Democratic Party of Virginia. Mr. Griffis was Communications Director at America Coming Together-Nevada and was Press Secretary for Cliff Oxford for U.S. Senate in 2004. From 2000 to 2004, he was Staff Writer at Creative Loafing, a newspaper in Atlanta. Mr. Griffis began his career as a Staff Writer at the Carroll County Times, a position he held from 1998 to 2000. He received a B.A. from Beloit College.