President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Sara Gelser – Member, National Council on Disability
• Peggy Sherry – Chief Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security

President Obama said, “I am proud that such experienced and committed women 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:

Sara Gelser, Nominee for Member, National Council on Disability
Sara Gelser is a member of the Oregon State House of Representatives.  She serves as co-chair of the House Education Committee and co-founder of the Senior and Disability Caucus.  During her time in the House of Representatives, Ms. Gelser has helped pass statewide standards for modified and extended diplomas, state restrictions on seclusion and restraint in schools, and legislation codifying Oregon’s brokerage service system for adults with developmental disabilities.  In addition, Ms. Gelser is a mother to a teenage son who experiences an intellectual disability.  Previously, Ms. Gelser served as the Children with Disabilities and Family Support Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Human Services and as a regional coordinator for the Oregon Parent Training and Information Center.  She was a 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellow through the German Marshall Fund of the United States and was first appointed to the National Council on Disability in 2010.  Ms. Gelser received a B.A. from Earlham College and an M.A.I.S. from Oregon State University.

Peggy Sherry, Nominee for Chief Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Peggy Sherry is the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Homeland Security.  Previously, from 2007 to 2008, she was Director of the Office of Financial Management at the Department of Homeland Security.  Ms. Sherry worked with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum from 2001 to 2007, serving first as Reporting Director and later as Deputy CFO.  From 2000 to 2001, she was an Audit Manager for Kearney & Co. CPAs.  Previously, from 1991 to 2000, she was an Assistant Director in the Government Accountability Office.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Government Accountants.  Ms. Sherry holds a B.S. in Accounting from George Mason University and an M.S. in Accounting and Finance from University of Maryland University College.