President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

Manuel Gomez - Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Sara Lundquist - Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Katrina L. Peebles -Member, President's Advisory Committee on Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

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

Dr. Manuel Gomez, Appointee for Member, President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Dr. Manuel Gomez is a Professor of Physics at the University of Puerto Rico and the Director and Founder of the University’s Resource Center for Science and Engineering.  He also heads the Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Project, the Puerto Rico Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Program, and is a co-director of the Institute for Functional Nanomaterials. Previously, Dr. Gomez served as a member of the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources Advisory Committee, which aims to increase K-16 students learning in STEM fields. He has also served as the Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs of the University of Puerto Rico, where he oversaw the Statewide Systemic Initiative project. In 2008, Dr. Gomez was awarded the Science Award by the Rotary Club of San Juan for his work in Physics. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Puerto Rico and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Cornell University.

Dr. Sara Lundquist, Appointee for Member, President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Dr. Sara Lundquist is the Vice President of Student Services at Santa Ana College, where she has been employed for over 33 years.  Dr. Lundquist serves as the institution’s chief student services officer for budgeting and planning.  In addition, she facilitates the Santa Ana Partnership, a K-12 higher education collaborative.  Dr. Lundquist has served as the Principal Investigator for numerous grant and research projects from The Ford Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the United States Department of Education, the James Irvine Foundation, and the Pew Partnership for Civic Change.  Dr. Lundquist first studied at Vassar College and received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.  She earned her M. S. in Psychology and Counseling from the University of La Verne and she received her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Claremont Graduate University.

Katrina L. Peebles, Appointee for Member, President's Advisory Committee on Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Katrina L. Peebles serves on the board of directors of The Peebles Corporation, a commercial and residential real estate company working in Miami, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, among other cities.  She began her career in marketing at Carter, Hawley and Hale in San Francisco.  Ms. Peebles is active in numerous organizations and has served as Vice President, and is a current board member, of The Vizcayans, where she is charged with the preservation and advancement of Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, an accredited museum and a National Historic Landmark.  Ms. Peebles received a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder.