President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Cyrus Amir-Mokri– Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions, Department of the Treasury; and Member, Board of Directors of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank
• Kathryn Keneally– Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division, Department of Justice
• Michael James Warren– Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation

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:

Cyrus Amir-Mokri, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions, Department of the Treasury and Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank
Cyrus Amir-Mokri most recently served as Senior Counsel to the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission where he also was the agency’s deputy representative to the Financial Stability Oversight Council.  Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Amir-Mokri was a partner at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.  His practice focused on complex securities and antitrust litigation.  He clerked for the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  Mr. Amir-Mokri received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, a Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago, and an A.B. in Biochemistry from Harvard College. 

Kathryn Keneally, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division, Department of Justice
Kathryn Keneally is a partner of the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski LLP in New York.  For over twenty-five years, Ms. Keneally has represented clients in tax controversies and defended against allegations of tax fraud and other financial crimes.  She is currently the Vice Chair for Committee Operations for the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Taxation, a Co-Chair of the ABA National Institutes on Criminal Tax Fraud and Tax Controversy, and a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel.  Ms. Keneally previously served as Chair of the Tax Section's Standards of Tax Practice Committee and as Chair of the Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee.  Ms. Keneally co-authors a column on IRS Practice in the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure.  She has also served on the Practitioners’ Advisory Group to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.  Ms. Keneally began her legal career in 1982 as the law clerk for the Honorable Edward R. Neaher, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York.  She received a B.S. in 1979 from Cornell University, a J.D., magna cum laude, in 1982 from Fordham Law School and an LL.M in Taxation in 1993 from New York University School of Law. 

Michael James Warren, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Michael James Warren is a Principal and Managing Board member of Albright Stonebridge Group and serves as a member of the Investment Committee of Albright Capital Management.  In 2009, Mr. Warren served as Senior Advisor for the Economics Division of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel for the Obama Administration. He was also a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Project's Agency Review Working Group helping to oversee the international trade and economics agencies.  Previously, Mr. Warren led corporate development at Horne Engineering Services (2002-2004) and served as President of Appfluent Technologies (1999-2002).  From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Warren worked at McKinsey & Company, serving as a strategic consultant and a fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute. Mr. Warren also served in the White House as Executive Director of the President’s National Economic Council (1995-1997) and as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Labor (1993-1995). Mr. Warren is on the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Retirement Board, Civitas Group, Virginia Tech’s Intellectual Property Board, Catalist, and the National Child Research Center. He is a member of the Yale University President’s Council on International Activities. Mr. Warren is a Rhodes Scholar, and earned his degrees from Yale University and Oxford University.