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:

•      James O'Brien – Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Department of State

•      Charles "Chip" Lyons – United States Representative, Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

•      Aaron Williams – United States Alternate Representative, Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

•      Esther Brimmer – Member, National Security Education Board

•      Michael Guest – Member, National Security Education Board

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 appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

James O'Brien, Appointee for Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Department of State

James O'Brien is Vice Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group. Mr. O'Brien joined the Albright Group in 2001 as a Principal. Prior to that, Mr. O'Brien served at the Department of State in a number of positions from 1989 to 2001, including Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Balkan Democracy, Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and Principal Deputy Director in the Office of Policy Planning. He began his career at the State Department in 1989 as Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser. Mr. O'Brien received a B.A. from Macalester College, an M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Charles "Chip" Lyons, Appointee for United States Representative, Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Charles "Chip" Lyons is the President and Chief Executive Officer at The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a position he has held since 2010. He has served as the United States Alternate Representative on the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since 2011. From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Lyons was Director of Special Initiatives for The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF from 1997 to 2007 and held a number of roles with UNICEF from 1985 to 1997, including Chief of Staff to the Executive Director at UNICEF headquarters and Program Officer for UNICEF Mozambique. Mr. Lyons received a B.A. from Carleton College and an M.A. from the New School for Social Research.

Aaron Williams, Appointee for United States Alternate Representative, Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Aaron Williams is Executive Vice President for Government Relations and Corporate Communications at RTI International, a position he has held since July 2015. He served as Executive Vice President for the International Development Group at RTI International from 2013 to 2015. He served as the Director of the Peace Corps from 2009 to 2012. From 2003 to 2009, Mr. Williams served as Vice President of International Business Development at RTI International. Mr. Williams served as a career member of the Foreign Service at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he reached the rank of Career Minister and held senior leadership positions in Washington and abroad. He also served as Executive Vice President of the International Youth Foundation in Baltimore from 1998 to 2002. Mr. Williams received the USAID Distinguished Career Service Award in 1998 and the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in 1988 and 1992. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic earlier in his career. Mr. Williams received a B.A. from Chicago State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Esther Brimmer, Appointee for Member, National Security Education Board

Dr. Esther Brimmer is the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, a position she has held since 2013. Previously, she served as Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs from 2009 to 2013 at the Department of State. Dr. Brimmer was Deputy Director and Director of Research at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies from 2001 to 2009. She served in the Department of State's Office of Policy Planning from 1999 to 2001, as a Senior Associate for the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict from 1995 to 1999, and as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1993 to 1995. Earlier in her career, Dr. Brimmer was a Legislative Analyst for the Democratic Study Group at the House of Representatives and an Associate at McKinsey & Company. She received a B.A. from Pomona College and an M.Phil. and D.Phil. from Oxford University.

Ambassador Michael Guest, Appointee for Member, National Security Education Board

Ambassador Michael Guest is a Senior Advisor for the Council for Global Equality, a position he has held since 2008. Ambassador Guest served as a Member of the National Security Education Board for a previous term from 2011 to May 2015. Ambassador Guest retired from the Foreign Service after serving as Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center from 2005 to 2007, U.S. Ambassador to Romania from 2001 to 2004, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs from 1999 to 2001. Ambassador Guest also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic from 1996 to 1999 and as Deputy Executive Secretary from 1994 to 1996. Ambassador Guest joined the Foreign Service in 1981. He received a B.A. from Furman University and an M.A. from the University of Virginia.