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:

•      Arthur Bienenstock – Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

•      Paula Gangopadhyay – Member, National Museum and Library Services Board

•      Luis Herrera – Member, National Museum and Library Services Board

•      Suzanne E. Thorin – Member, National Museum and Library Services Board

•      Dorothea-Maria (Doria) Rosen – Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, Department of State

•      Katherine C. Tobin – Governor, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

•      Sonny Ramaswamy – Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Department of Agriculture

President Obama said, "These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

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

Dr. Arthur Bienenstock, Nominee for Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation

Dr. Arthur Bienenstock is Special Assistant to the President for Federal Research Policy, Director of the Wallenberg Research Link, and Professor Emeritus of Photon Science at Stanford University. Dr. Bienenstock has served as President of the American Physical Society, Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, and Vice Provost and Dean of Research and Graduate Policy at Stanford University from 2003 to 2006. From 1997 to 2001, Dr. Bienenstock served as Associate Director for Science of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). In the 20 years prior to joining OSTP, Dr. Bienenstock directed the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. From 1963 until 1997, he maintained an active research group in the general areas of solid-state physics, amorphous materials and synchrotron radiation. He has published over 100 scientific papers in these areas. Dr. Bienenstock received his B.S. and M.S. from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and his Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Paula Gangopadhyay, Nominee for Member, National Museum and Library Services Board

Paula Gangopadhyay is the Chief Learning Officer at The Henry Ford, where she is responsible for leadership, strategy, and education. Ms. Gangopadhyay has held a variety of positions in education and arts policy, including Executive Director of the Plymouth Community Arts Council from 2006 to 2008; Curator of Education, Public Programs, Visitor Services and Volunteers at the Public Museum of Grand Rapids from 2002 to 2006; and Executive Director of the Great Lakes Center for Education, Research and Practice from 2000 to 2001. She was Executive Director of the Commission for Lansing Schools Success from 1998 to 2000 and Executive Director of Meridian Historical Village from 1995 to 1998. Ms. Gangopadhyay has served as a member of many state and national boards, including the Michigan Humanities Council. Ms. Gangopadhyay received her B.A. and M.A. from Indore University, and her post-graduate certification in archival, museum and editing studies from Duquesne University.

Luis Herrera, Nominee for Member, National Museum and Library Services Board

Luis Herrera is the City Librarian of the San Francisco Public Library, where he is responsible for the administration of the city's 28 libraries. Previously, Mr. Herrera served as the Director of Information Services for Pasadena Public Library, the Deputy Director of the San Diego Public Library and Associate Director of the Long Beach Public Library in California. In January 2012, Mr. Herrera was named the Library Journal's Librarian of the Year. Mr. Herrera serves as Chair of the California Council for Humanities and was appointed to serve on the Steering Committee for the Digital Public Library of America in 2011, and served on the Library Advisory Board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 1998 to 2002. Mr. Herrera earned his B.S. from the University of Texas at El Paso, an M.L.S. from the University of Arizona, and an M.P.A. from California State University.

Suzanne E. Thorin, Nominee for Member, National Museum and Library Services Board

Suzanne E. Thorin is the Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at Syracuse University, a position she has held since 2005. She is a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet and also oversees the Syracuse University Press. Previously, Ms. Thorin was the Ruth Lilly University Dean of Libraries and Associate Vice President for Digital Libraries at Indiana University. She was formerly Chief of Staff to the Librarian of Congress and the official U.S. representative for the G-7 electronic libraries project, one of eleven G-7 pilot projects for the Global Information Society. Ms. Thorin received a B.Mus. from North Park University in Chicago and an M.M. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Dorothea-Maria (Doria) Rosen, Nominee for Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, Department of State

Dorothea-Maria (Doria) Rosen, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as the Diplomat-in-Residence for the Midwest region, based out of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to this position, she was the Deputy Principal Officer in Frankfurt, Germany. From 2004 to 2008, Ms. Rosen served as the Consul General in Bern, Switzerland. From 2001 to 2004, she was Deputy Chief of Mission in Reykjavik, Iceland. Other overseas positions include: Visa Branch Chief in Frankfurt, Germany (1996-1999); Nonimmigrant Visa Chief in Manila, Philippines (1994-1996); Political Military Officer in Berlin, Germany (1991-1994); Consular Officer in Accra, Ghana (1989-1991); Deputy Chief Immigrant Visa Section in Seoul, South Korea (1988-1989); and Vice Consul in Stuttgart, Germany (1983-1986) and Bucharest, Romania (1981-1983). In Washington, Ms. Rosen has served as Director of the Office of Public and Diplomatic Liaison in the Bureau of Consular Affairs (1999-2001) and as an analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1986-1988). Prior to entering the Foreign Service, Ms. Rosen served as an Army Reservist from 1979 to 1981. From 1976 to 1979, she served on active duty in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps in Heidelberg, Germany. She holds an A.B. from Vassar College and a J.D. from Hofstra University Law School.

Dr. Katherine C. Tobin, Nominee for Governor, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service

Dr. Katherine C. Tobin served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Performance Improvement at the Department of Education from May 2009 to February 2011. From 2006 to 2009, Dr. Tobin was a member of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, where she was Chairman of the Board's Audit and Finance Committee. She was a Senior Market Research Manager at TNS from 2003 to 2005 and at Catalyst, a nonprofit working to advance women in business, from 1998 to 2003. In 1994, she founded the Leadership Institute, LLC, which advised corporations on market research and management issues. Earlier in her career, Dr. Tobin worked in management and development for a diverse group of educational and corporate institutions, including Manhattanville College, the University of Nevada, Stanford University, and Hewlett-Packard. Dr. Tobin earned a B.A. from Skidmore College, a M.A. from the University of Massachusetts' School of Education, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University's School of Education.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, Appointee for Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Department of Agriculture

Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy is Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University and Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. Previously, Dr. Ramaswamy was Associate Dean of the Purdue University College of Agriculture and directed the University's agricultural research programs from 2006 to 2009. Prior to joining the Purdue faculty, Dr. Ramaswamy was head of the Department of Entomology at Kansas State University from 1997 to 2006, where he held the title of Distinguished Professor. He also served on the faculty of Mississippi State University, was a research associate at Michigan State University, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Entomological Society of America. Dr. Ramaswamy received a B.S. and M.S. in Entomology from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, and a Ph.D. in Entomology from Rutgers University.