President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Kimberly Owens - Member, Board of Trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation
• Sima F. Sarrafan – Member, Board of Trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation
• Jan R. Frye –  Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
• Carol E. Lowman - Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled 

President Obama said, “These dedicated and accomplished individuals will be valued additions to my Administration as we tackle the important challenges facing America.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.” 

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

Kimberly Owens, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Kimberly Owens is currently a Realtor with Realty Executives in Phoenix, Arizona.  Ms. Owens is also a Governing Council member for the Salt River Project, a board member of the Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority, and has been a member of the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board for eighteen years. In 2011, she was named as the Executive Director for the Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service Series and she was named Educational Advocate of the Year by the Arizona School Boards Association in 2005.  She is a retired Registered Nurse and past Chair of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation.  Ms. Owens holds an Associates of Arts Degree from Glendale Community College. 

Sima F. Sarrafan, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Sima F. Sarrafan is a Senior Attorney in the Office of Legal Compliance at Microsoft.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Ms. Sarrafan was a Partner at Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo.  She previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1994 until 2001, during which time she was detailed as a Trial Attorney to the Office of International Affairs at the Department of Justice.  Ms. Sarrafan’s legal experience includes serving as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  She also served as a Teaching Fellow in Economics at Harvard College, from 1989 to 1991.  Ms. Sarrafan serves on the Advisory Board of the Iranian American Bar Association.  She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Economics and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

Jan R. Frye, Appointee for Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

Jan R. Frye is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics for the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Mr. Frye is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, after serving on active duty for 30 years.  During his Army career, he served in senior acquisition command and staff positions in the United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Hungary, and the U.S.  He also served as the Chief of Contracting at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Contract Management Association.  His military decorations include two awards of the Legion of Merit.  Mr. Frye graduated from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 1972 as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He holds an M.S. in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University and an M.S. in Contracting and Acquisition Management from Florida Institute of Technology.  He is also a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, Defense Systems Management College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. 

Dr. Carol E. Lowman, Appointee for Member, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

Dr. Carol E. Lowman is the Deputy Director of the U.S. Army Contracting Command, a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command consisting of over 5,500 military and civilian personnel, and headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Dr. Lowman’s previous assignments include serving as Acting Director, Mission and Installation Contracting Command in San Antonio, Texas and the Director of the Army Contracting Agency – Southern Region in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Lowman began her Army career as a contracting intern at Fort Ritchie, Maryland. She holds a B.A. from Canisius College, an M.A. from Troy State University, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.