President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Representative Ann Marie Buerkle - Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Representative from the State of New York)
• Representative Russ Carnahan - Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Representative from the State of Missouri)

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

• Teresita Fernández – Member, Commission of Fine Arts
• John M. Spratt, Jr. - Chairman of the United States Section, Permanent Joint Board on Defense, United States and Canada

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people.  I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

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

Representative Russ Carnahan, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Representative from the State of Missouri)
Representative Russ Carnahan currently represents the 3rd District of Missouri.  He was first elected to this position in 2004 and took office in January 2005.  He currently serves as a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs where he is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight; the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  Prior to his election to Congress, Representative Carnahan served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives.  He holds a B.S. from the University of Missouri in Columbia and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Representative Ann Marie Buerkle, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Representative from the State of New York)
Representative Ann Marie Buerkle currently represents the 25th District of New York.  She was elected to this position in 2010 and took office in January 2011.  She currently serves as a member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs where she Chairs the Subcommittee on Health; the Committee on Foreign Affairs; and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  Prior to her election to Congress, Representative Buerkle served as an Assistant New York State Attorney General from 1997 to 2010.  Previously, she practiced law in a private firm after beginning her career as a Registered Nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.  She holds a B.S. from Le Moyne College and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.

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

Teresita Fernández, Appointee for Member, Commission of Fine Arts
Teresita Fernández is a visual artist best known for her prominent public sculptures and unconventional use of materials.  Ms. Fernández is a 2005 MacArthur Foundation Fellow and has received many prestigious awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Award, an American Academy in Rome Affiliated Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Artist's Grant. Ms. Fernández’s works are included in many prominent collections and have been exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth, the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy, The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Centro de Arte Contemporaneo in Malaga, Spain, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.  Ms. Fernández is currently on the board of Artpace, a non-profit international artist's residency program.  She received her M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and her B.F.A. from Florida International University.

John M. Spratt, Jr., Appointee for Chairman of the United States Section, Permanent Joint Board on Defense, United States and Canada
John M. Spratt, Jr. is currently serving as Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at Winthrop University. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 through 2010. He chaired the House Budget Committee and was second ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. Prior to his service in Congress, Mr. Spratt practiced law in South Carolina and was the president of a small community bank.  He served on active duty as a Captain in the Army from 1969 to 1971. Mr. Spratt belongs to the Council on Foreign Relations and the Atlantic Council, and is also a member of the Board of the Parkinson’s Action Network.  He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, a Master’s degree from Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar, and a Law degree from Yale Law School.