Press Release - President Obama Names Three to Serve as U.S. Marshals

WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama nominated Jeffrey Holt, Steven Clayton Stafford and Paul Charles Thielen to serve as U.S. Marshals.

"Throughout their careers, these dedicated law enforcement professionals have shown an unwavering commitment to public service," said President Obama. "I am honored to nominate them to serve the American people as U.S. Marshals."

Jeffrey Holt: Nominee for United States Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee

Jeffrey Holt currently serves as the Dyer County, Tennessee Sheriff, a position he has held since 1994. His previous employment includes time spent as a Criminal Investigator for the District Attorney's Office of the 29th Judicial District of Tennessee in Dyersburg, a Trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a Chief Investigator for the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, and as the Chief of Police for the City of Bolivar, Tennessee. Sheriff Holt received his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice in 1977 from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Steven Clayton Stafford: Nominee for United States Marshal for the Southern District of California

Steven Clayton Stafford currently serves as the Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of California. He began his law enforcement career in 1980 as one of the very first Cooperative Education student trainees in the U.S. Marshals Service and served in the District of New Jersey. He has served tours of duty as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Southern District of California and in the District of Massachusetts, and has worked in a variety of investigative positions on his way up through the ranks over the last 30 years. Prior to his work with the U.S. Marshals Service, Chief Deputy Stafford attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

Paul Charles Thielen: Nominee for United States Marshal for the District of South Dakota

Paul C. Thielen has served as a senior criminal investigator Deputy U.S. Marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service in the District of South Dakota since 1995. Mr. Thielen joined the U.S. Marshals Service in 1988 and was stationed in the Northern District of Oklahoma from 1988 to 1995. Mr. Thielen previously worked for the Rapid City, South Dakota, Police Department and for the Pennington County, South Dakota, Sheriff's Office, Corrections Division. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Dakota in 2003.