Press Release - President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Christine Ann Elder – Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Department of State
• Elizabeth Holzhall Richard – Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic, Department of State

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

• Ranvir Trehan – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Raymond Bogan – United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
• Sharon H. Yuan – Member, Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes
• Miriam Sapiro – Member, Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes

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 nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts: 

Christine Ann Elder, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Department of State

Christine Ann Elder, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, is Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs in the Bureau of African Affairs at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2013. Previously, Ms. Elder served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that, she served as Strategic Planning Officer in the Bureau of International Programs from 2007 to 2010 and concurrently as Acting Deputy Coordinator for International Information Programs from 2009 to 2010. Ms. Elder was Deputy Director for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from 2006 to 2007 and Senior Watch Officer in the Department's Operations Center from 2005 to 2006. Early assignments in the Foreign Service and Civil Service include positions in Germany and Hungary. Before joining the Department of State in 1992, she served as a Trade Policy Assistant with the International Trade Administration at the Department of Commerce. Ms. Elder received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. from The George Washington University.

Elizabeth Holzhall Richard, Nominee for Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic, Department of State

Elizabeth Holzhall Richard, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2013. Previously, Ms. Richard served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen from 2010 to 2013, Border Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan from 2008 to 2010, and as Director for Counter-Narcotics, Law Enforcement, and Rule of Law Programs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Director of the Office of Asia, Africa, and Europe in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement from 2005 to 2006, Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues from 2003 to 2005, and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs from 2002 to 2003. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1986, Ms. Richard has also held posts in Ecuador, Italy, Singapore, and Thailand. Ms. Richard received a B.A. from Southern Methodist University, a J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, and an M.S. from the National War College.

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

Ranvir Trehan, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Ranvir Trehan is Chairman of the Trehan Foundation, a position he has held since 2003. Previously, Mr. Trehan was Vice Chairman of Apptis Holdings, Inc. from 2005 to 2011 and was Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SETA Corporation from 1987 to 2005. Mr. Trehan was a department head of Information and Communications Systems from 1985 to 1987 and a member of the technical staff from 1969 to 1985 at The MITRE Corporation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of CARE and a former member of the board of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Mr. Trehan received a B.S. from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, an M.S.E. from the University of Michigan, and an M.B.A. from the University of Dayton.

Raymond Bogan, Appointee for United States Commissioner, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

Raymond Bogan is a Partner at the law firm of Sinn, Fitzsimmons, Cantoli, Bogan, West and Steuerman P.A., a position he has held since 2010. From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Bogan was a Councilman for the Borough of Sea Girt, New Jersey. Mr. Bogan was a Partner at Bogan and Bogan Attorneys at Law, LLC from 1992 to 2009 and at Hrymack and Bogan Attorneys at Law from 1988 to 1992. Mr. Bogan is an Alternate United States Commissioner to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). He has been a Member of the ICCAT Advisory Committee since 2003 and previously from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Bogan has been a Member of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute Advisory Committee since 2008, and was a member of the original Highly Migratory Species Advisory Committee to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Mr. Bogan served as a Member on the New Jersey Fisheries Information and Development Commission from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Bogan received a B.A. from Mount St. Mary's University and a J.D. from Seton Hall University Law School.

Sharon H. Yuan, Appointee for Member, Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes

Sharon H. Yuan is a Principal with The Asia Group, LLC, a position she has held since 2015. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade and Investment Policy in the Office of International Markets and Development at the Department of the Treasury from 2009 to 2015, and concurrently served as Executive Secretary and Senior Coordinator for China Affairs and the Strategic and Economic Dialogue from 2012 to 2015. Prior to this, Ms. Yuan was an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP in the firm's International Trade and Arbitration Practice Group in Washington, D.C. from 2003 to 2009. From 1998 to 2000, Ms. Yuan served as Confidential Assistant to the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council at the White House. Ms. Yuan received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.

Miriam Sapiro, Appointee for Member, Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes

Miriam Sapiro is a Principal at Summit Strategies International, where she advises companies and organizations on global trade, investment, and technology policy issues. Ambassador Sapiro served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative from 2009 to 2014 and as Acting U.S. Trade Representative in 2013. Prior to that, she served as President of Summit Strategies International from 2002 to 2009. Ambassador Sapiro served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Counselor for Southeast European Stabilization from 1999 to 2000, Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council staff from 1997 to 1999, and as a member of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff from 1995 to 1997. She served in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the Department of State from 1988 to 1995. She was an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center. Ambassador Sapiro received a B.A. from Williams College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.