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:

•      Yvonne B. Burke – Director, AMTRAK Board of Directors

•      Patricia K. Falcone – Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs, Office of Science and Technology Policy

•      Douglas M. Griffiths – Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique, Department of State

•      Maria Rosario Jackson – Member, National Council on the Arts

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

•      Marc H. Morial – Member, President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability

•      Karyn L. Stockdale – Member, Board of Directors of Valles Caldera Trust

President Obama said, "These fine public servants bring both a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles. Our nation will be well-served by these men and women, and 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:

Yvonne B. Burke, Nominee for Director, AMTRAK Board of Directors

Yvonne B. Burke is currently a member of the Committee on Congressional Ethics as well as the California Transportation Commission. From 1992 to 2008, Ms. Burke served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which she previously served on from 1979 to 1980 as the first African-American representative on the Board. During this time, she was also a partner at Jones Day, a position she held from 1987 to 1993. She was appointed to serve on the Board of Regents of the University of California in 1979 and again in 1982. In 1972, Ms. Burke was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving until 1978. Prior to that, she served as a California State Assemblywoman from 1966 to 1972. Ms. Burke received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of Southern California School of Law.

Dr. Patricia K. Falcone, Nominee for Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs, Office of Science and Technology Policy

Dr. Patricia K. Falcone is Assistant Director for National Security in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Dr. Falcone is currently detailed to OSTP from Sandia National Laboratories. She has worked at Sandia since 1981 and has served in a variety of roles, including as Senior Manager for Systems Analysis and Engineering prior to joining OSTP. She served on the Board on Army Science and Technology for the National Academies of Science from 2007 to 2009 and the Nuclear Deterrent Transformation Panel of the Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee from 2003 to 2009. Dr. Falcone received a B.S.E. in Aerospace and Mechanical Sciences from Princeton University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Douglas M. Griffiths, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique, Department of State
Douglas M. Griffiths is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and currently serves as the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. From 2006 to 2009, he was the Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Previous overseas assignments include: Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'affaires, ad interim at the United States Embassy to the Republic of Haiti (2004-2006); Counselor for International Economic Affairs at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, Switzerland (2000-2004); and First Secretary of Economic Affairs in Rabat, Morocco (1996-1999). In Washington, he worked on the South Africa desk during the South African transition to democracy. He began his career in the Foreign Service in 1988 with overseas assignments in Quebec City, Canada; Lisbon, Portugal; and Maputo, Mozambique. Mr. Griffiths received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.P.P. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School.

Maria Rosario Jackson, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Arts

Maria Rosario Jackson is a Senior Research Associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Center at the Urban Institute, a public policy research organization based in Washington, D.C. She is also the founding Director of the Culture, Creativity and Communities Program at the Urban Institute. Her research expertise includes neighborhood revitalization and comprehensive community planning and the role of arts and culture in communities. Dr. Jackson currently serves on the boards of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the National Performance Network, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and on the advisory board for the Lambent Foundation. Formerly, she served on the boards of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Fund for Folk Culture, and the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington. Dr. Jackson earned a B.A. and a M.P.A. from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.

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

Marc H. Morial, Appointee for Member, President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability

Marc H. Morial is President and CEO of the National Urban League. Mr. Morial served as Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 until 2002. During that time, he was President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. From 1992 to 1994, he served in the Louisiana State Senate. Earlier in his career, Mr. Morial practiced law from 1985 until 1994 and was an adjunct law professor at Xavier University of Louisiana from 1986 to 1990. Mr. Morial has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Georgetown University.

Karyn L. Stockdale, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust

Karyn L. Stockdale is a Vice President of the National Audubon Society and the Executive Director of Audubon New Mexico. Ms. Stockdale also manages the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary, a nature center in Santa Fe. In her current role, Ms. Stockdale works on conservation, education, science, and public policy initiatives to conserve and restore New Mexico's natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. Prior to joining Audubon, Ms. Stockdale served as Interim Director and Project Manager of The Trust for Public Land of New Mexico. She received a B.A. in Humanities from the University of Texas, Austin and an M.A. in Parks and Recreation Administration from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.