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:

•      Stephen W. Preston – Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

•      Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman – Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

•      Nancy E. Brune – Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

•      Beatriz Rendón – Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

President Obama said, "I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them."

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

Stephen W. Preston, Appointee for Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Stephen W. Preston is a Partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (WilmerHale) and Chair of the firm's Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice, positions he has held since 2015. Mr. Preston served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2013 to 2015 and as General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2013. Previously, Mr. Preston was a Partner at WilmerHale from 2001 to 2009, where he was Co-Chair of the Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice. Mr. Preston served as General Counsel of the Department of the Navy from 1998 to 2000, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice from 1995 to 1998, and Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 1993 to 1995. He first joined WilmerHale in 1986 and was a Partner from 1991 to 1993. Mr. Preston received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman, Appointee for Member, President's Intelligence Advisory Board

Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman is Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group, a position she has held since January 2016. She is also a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and served as a Fall 2015 Resident Fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics. Ambassador Sherman served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2011 to 2015 and was Acting Deputy Secretary of State from November 2014 to January 2015. She previously served as Vice Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group. Before becoming a founding member of The Albright Group in 2001, she served as Counselor for the State Department from 1997 to 2001 and served as Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State and Policy Coordinator on North Korea. Prior to her confirmation as Counselor, Ambassador Sherman was President and CEO of the Fannie Mae Foundation. From 1993 to 1996, she was Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Secretary of State Warren Christopher. In 2008, Ambassador Sherman was appointed by Congressional leaders to serve on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism. She is a recipient of the National Security Medal and was a member of the Defense Policy Board of the Department of Defense. Ambassador Sherman attended Smith College and received a B.A. from Boston University and an M.S.W. from the University of Maryland.

Nancy E. Brune, Appointee for Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

Dr. Nancy E. Brune is the Executive Director for the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, a position she has held since 2013. She is also a Senior Fellow at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, a position she has held since March 2016. From 2012 to 2014, Dr. Brune served as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. From 2010 to 2013, she was a Senior Policy Analyst at Sandia National Laboratories. She has taught at the College of Southern Nevada, Nevada State College, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the Anderson School of Management. Dr. Brune was Director of Policy at the Institute for Security Studies from 2007 to 2010. From 2005 to 2006, she served as a Research Fellow at Princeton University's Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance. She was a consultant and Research Associate at the Harvard School of Public Health and a Research Associate at the International Institute at the University of California from 2002 to 2005. She served as a Special Assistant to the President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation from 1998 to 2001. Dr. Brune received a B.A. from Harvard College, an M.P.P. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Beatriz Rendón, Appointee for Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

Beatriz Rendón is Vice President of Educational Outreach at Arizona State University (ASU), a position she has held since 2015. She is also CEO of ASU Preparatory Academy charter schools, a position she has held since 2010. From 2009 to 2010, Ms. Rendón was Director of Strategic Alliances at the Critical Path Institute, a data sharing and drug development research non-profit organization. She served as the Chief Business Officer for the Tucson Unified School District from 2007 to 2009. From 1995 to 2007, she held several executive positions at Chicago Public Schools, including Director of After School Programs, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Chief Education Officer, and Interim Executive Director of the Office of New Schools. Ms. Rendón is a member of the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship, a position she has held since 2015. Ms. Rendón received a B.A. from the University of Arizona, an M.P.P from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.