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The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 11/10/2010

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

  • Eric G. Postel, Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, USAID
  • Frances Gulland, Member, Marine Mammal Commission
  • Roberto R. Herencia, Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • James A. Torrey, Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation

President Obama said, “These dedicated men and women will be valued additions to this Administration.  I am grateful for their service 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:

Eric G. Postel, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, US Agency for International Development
Eric Postel is the founder of Pangaea Partners, an investment banking and financial consulting company focused on emerging markets. In 2007, Mr. Postel served as Commissioner of the Senate-appointed U.S. HELP Commission, which focuses on reform of U.S. foreign assistance programs.  He also served as a Vice President at Citibank Tokyo.  Prior to earning an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Mr. Postel served as an engineering officer and navigator aboard a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer.  Mr. Postel holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Math-Economics.

Frances Gulland, Nominee for Member, Marine Mammal Commission
Frances Gulland has served as the Director of Veterinary Services at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California since 1994.  She is also a Science Advisor for the California Ocean Protection Council, a member of the Advisory Board for California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network and for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Wildlife Disease.  Prior to joining The Marine Mammal Center, Dr. Gulland was a research assistant on the Serengeti Rabies Project in Tanzania and Research Fellow in Wildlife Diseases with the Zoological Society of London. Dr. Gulland has published over 160 scientific journal articles, book chapters, and popular articles.  She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Cambridge. In addition, she has received a Vet. M.B. and M.R.C.V.S. and a B.A. in Natural Sciences, also from the University of Cambridge.

Roberto R. Herencia, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Roberto R. Herencia serves as an independent director of SKBHC, a bank holding company focused on acquisitions and assisted deals, and is a consultant to a number of clients, including several community banks and private equity funds. Between 2009 and 2010, Herencia was the President and CEO of Midwest Banc Holdings Inc. and Midwest Bank and Trust. Previously, he spent 17 years with Popular Inc. as its Executive Vice President and as President of Banco Popular North America. He is a Trustee of the Museum of Science and Industry, DePaul University, and Northwestern Memorial Foundation in Chicago, and serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Chicago, Operation Hope in Los Angeles, the Economic Club of Chicago, and New America Alliance. Herencia graduated Magna Cum Laude and received his B.S.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University. He received his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

James A. Torrey, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
James A. Torrey is a senior advisor to Cadogan Management, a fund-of-funds firm with offices in New York, Tokyo and London. A hedge fund investor since 1977, Torrey founded The Torrey Funds in 1990 to identify and invest with promising hedge fund talent. In 1992 he formed one of the first exclusively international fund-of-funds. Prior to the founding of The Torrey Funds, Jim held a variety of executive  positions with Kidder, Peabody & Co, The First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse), Paine Webber and Alex Brown & Sons. Torrey has served, since 2005, on the Board of Directors of MicroVest, a micro-lending enterprise based in Bethesda, MD. He attended The University of California at Berkeley after graduating from St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island.