Press Release - President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

•      Mark M. Boulware, Ambassador to the Republic of Chad, Department of State

•      Christopher J. McMullen, Ambassador to the Republic of Angola, Department of State

•      Joseph A. Mussomeli, Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia, Department of State

•      Wanda L. Nesbitt, Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, Department of State

•      Karen Brevard Stewart, Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Department of State

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint several individuals to the Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled. Their biographies are below.

President Obama said, "I am grateful that these distinguished men and women have agreed to serve in this administration. I am confident they will represent our country with honor at home and abroad, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

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

Mark M. Boulware, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Chad, Department of State

Mark M. Boulware is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He currently serves as Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Before that he served as Faculty Advisor at the National War College in Washington, D.C. and as Diplomat in Residence at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Previous overseas postings include U.S. Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassies in El Salvador and Cameroon. Mr. Boulware has also served in Mali, Botswana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Venezuela and Indonesia. In Washington, D.C., he was detailed to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Pearson Fellow. Before joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Boulware served tours of duty in Germany and Nevada as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Christopher J. McMullen, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Angola, Department of State

Christopher J. McMullen is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. He currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Previously, Mr. McMullen served as Consul General in Sao Paulo, Brazil and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Panama. In addition to several Washington assignments, he has served in Nicaragua, Malaysia, El Salvador, Tanzania, and Colombia. Mr. McMullen earned a Ph.D. in history from Georgetown University, and is a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College.

Joseph A. Mussomeli, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia, Department of State

Joseph Adamo Mussomeli was most recently the Assistant Chief of Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Mussomeli served as the Director of Entry Level Career Development and Assignments in Human Resources. Before joining Human Resources, Mr. Mussomeli was the U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia. Mr. Mussomeli entered the Foreign Service in September 1980 and began his career serving in Cairo as a General Service Officer. Following Cairo, Mr. Mussomeli served in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Morocco, and Panama. Mr. Mussomeli received a B.A. in Political Science from Trenton State College and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School.

Wanda L. Nesbitt, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, Department of State

Wanda Nesbitt is a career member of the Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. She has served since 2007 as Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire. She has previously served as Ambassador to Madagascar. Ms. Nesbitt was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs from 2005-2007 and served as a Consular Officer overseas in Haiti, France, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ms. Nesbitt's Africa experience includes tours as Deputy Chief of Mission in Rwanda and Tanzania. In Washington, she has served in the Executive Secretariat, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, and the Bureau of Human Resources. Ms. Nesbitt received a B.A. with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master's in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University.

Karen Brevard Stewart, Nominee for Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Department of State

Karen Brevard Stewart is a career member of the Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. She has served since January 2010 as Special Advisor to the Director General of the Foreign Service. Prior to that, Ms. Stewart was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. She has also served as Ambassador to Belarus. Other overseas postings were in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Laos, where she was Deputy Chief of Mission. In Washington, she has served in the Bureaus of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Economics and Business; Near East; and Europe and Eurasia. Ms. Stewart graduated with a B.A. in Astronomy and Economics from Wellesley College and received an M.S. from the National War College.

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

Helen Hurcombe, Appointee for Member (Government Official), Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled

Helen Hurcombe is the Director for Acquisition Management and Senior Procurement Executive in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration at the Department of Commerce. She previously served at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the Director of Acquisition and Grants and the Senior Bureau Procurement Official. Prior to joining NOAA, Ms. Hurcombe served at the Social Security Administration as the Deputy Associate Commissioner for Acquisition and Grants and in operational acquisition offices in the National Institutes of Health and at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Ms. Hurcombe has a B.S. in Business and Management from the University of Maryland.

Kathleen Martinez, Appointee for Member (Government Official), Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled

Kathleen Martinez is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, a post she assumed in June 2009. As head of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, Ms. Martinez advises the Secretary of Labor and works with all DOL agencies to lead a comprehensive and coordinated national policy regarding the employment of people with disabilities. Blind since birth, Ms. Martinez is an internationally recognized disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity and gender issues. She previously served as the Executive Director of the World Institute on Disability in Oakland, California. She has been an appointed member of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the State Department's advisory committee on disability and foreign policy, and the National Council on Disability. Ms. Martinez has a B.S. in Speech Communication Studies from San Francisco State University.

Pamela C. Schwenke, Appointee for Member (Government Official), Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled

Pamela Schwenke, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. She assists the Deputy Assistant Secretary in carrying out responsibilities for all aspects of contracting related to the acquisition of weapon systems, logistics support, materiel and services for the Air Force. Ms. Schwenke previously served as the Deputy Director of Budget Programs in the Secretary of the Air Force Budget Office. Her experience also includes several tours in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, where she supported Program Executive Officers in the development of key acquisition strategies and source selection documents for the Service Acquisition Executive. Ms. Schwenke holds an M.S. in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, an M.B.A. in finance from the California State University, and a B.S. in accounting from Auburn University.