President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 2/17/11

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

• Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Non-Proliferation, Department of State
• Anne Wedner, Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Department of State

President Obama said, “I am proud that such experienced and committed individuals have agreed to serve the American people in these important roles.  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:

Thomas Countryman, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for International Security and Non-Proliferation, Department of State
Thomas Countryman is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State.  Prior to this assignment, Mr. Countryman served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs and Foreign Policy Advisor to General James Conway, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. Mr. Countryman also served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs in Rome, Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs at the Department of State, and Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council.  He was liaison to the UN Special Commission investigating Iraq’s weapons programs and was also responsible for advising Ambassador Albright on Middle East affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Prior to that, he served in Cairo and then in the State Department's Office of Counter-Terrorism. Mr. Countryman began his State Department career in 1982, serving first in Belgrade and then in the Department's Office of Eastern European and Yugoslav Affairs. Mr. Countryman holds a B.A. summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis.
 
Anne Wedner, Nominee for Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Department of State
Anne Wedner served as Director of Marketing at Heller Financial. Prior to that, she was an account executive at CME and Cramer-Krasselt, and an assistant account executive at Leo Burnett. Ms. Wedner is a former Foreign Service Officer and served in Caracas, Venezuela and Washington D.C. She was a Presidential Management Intern at the United States Information Agency and then at the United States Information Service. Ms. Wedner received an M.A.L.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and an A.B. from Harvard University.