White House Press Release - President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to a Key Administration Posts

President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:

Brian A. Nichols of Rhode Island, to be the Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe at the Department of State.

Mr. Nichols is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has served as an American diplomat since 1989. He currently serves as the Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Previously, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. Mr. Nichols earned a B.S. from Tufts University. He is the recipient of twenty State Department awards, including a Presidential Award for Meritorious Service and the Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Trade Development.

Veronica Daigle of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness.

Ms. Daigle most recently served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness. Previously, she served as the Senior Advisor for National Security at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and was the Director for the Force and Infrastructure Analysis Division in the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) at the Department of Defense. She is a recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, an OMB National Security Division Special Achievement Award, and was a Presidential Management Fellow. Ms. Daigle is a graduate of George Mason University and Fordham University.

Karen Dunn Kelley of Pennsylvania, to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce.

Ms. Kelley was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she currently leads the Economics and Statistics Administration. Prior to her service with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Ms. Kelley served as Senior Managing Director of Investments at Invesco. Ms. Kelley holds a B.S. Degree, magna cum laude, from Villanova University.

Michael Pack of Maryland, to be the Chief Executive Officer of the Broadcasting Board of Governors for a term of three years.

Mr. Pack is the current President of Manifold Productions, Inc., where he has written, directed, and produced nationally broadcast documentaries and educational films. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the Claremont Institute, Senior Vice President for Television Programming at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Co-Chair of the International TV Council at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and as a member of National Council on the Humanities. Mr. Pack attended Yale College, the University of California at Berkeley, and studied film at New York University.

Geoffrey Adam Starks of Kansas, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission for the remainder of a five-year term expiring June 30, 2022.

Mr. Starks currently serves as Assistant Bureau Chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau. Prior to joining the FCC, he served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was a recipient of the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service. Mr. Starks practiced law at Williams & Connolly. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies magna cum laude from Harvard College and his J.D. from the Yale Law School.

Casey Wardynski of Alabama, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs).

Mr. Wardynski most recently served as the CEO for FISH Technologies. Previously, he served as the Superintendent for Huntsville City Schools. Mr. Wardynski spent over thirty years as an officer in the U.S. Army where he served as Director of the Army's Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis and was awarded both the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He holds a Ph.D. from the Rand Graduate School, an M.A. from Harvard University, and a B.A. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Elad L. Roisman of Maine, to be Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission for a five year term expiring June 5, 2023.

Mr. Roisman currently serves as Chief Counsel for Chairman Mike Crapo on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. He previously served as Senior Counsel and Securities Counsel on the Senate Banking Committee. From 2012 to mid-2014, he served as Counsel to Commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Before entering public service, Mr. Roisman worked in the legal department of NYSE Euronext and practiced corporate and securities law at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.