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Briefing Room

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2014

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Allison Beck – Federal Mediation and Conciliation Director, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
  • Brian James Egan – Legal Adviser, Department of State  
  • Eric Liu – Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Dallas Tonsager – Member, Farm Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration
  • Maria Echaveste – Ambassador to the United Mexican States, Department of State
  • Richard Rahul Verma – Ambassador to the Republic of India, Department of State

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

  • David Abney – Member, President’s Export Council

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country.  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:

Allison Beck, Nominee for Federal Mediation and Conciliation Director, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

Allison Beck currently serves as the Deputy Director for National and International Programs at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a position she has held since 2010.  Ms. Beck was the General Counsel of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers from 1989 to 2010 and the Associate General Counsel from 1980 to 1989.  Ms. Beck was an Appellate Attorney at the National Labor Relations Board Division of Enforcement Litigation from 1979 to 1980, and the Legislative Coordinator for the Energy Action Committee from 1975 to 1977.  Ms. Beck began her career in public service as a Legislative Aide to U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, from 1972 to 1975.  Ms. Beck received a B.A. from Goucher College and a J.D. from The Catholic University of America. 

Brian James Egan, Nominee for Legal Adviser, Department of State  

Brian James Egan is Legal Adviser to the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President at the White House, positions he has held since 2013.  Previously, he was Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement and Intelligence at the Department of the Treasury from 2012 to 2013.  Mr. Egan was Deputy Legal Adviser to the National Security Staff as well as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel to the President from 2011 to 2012.  He served as Deputy Legal Adviser to the National Security Staff from 2009 to 2011.  He was an Attorney-Adviser at the Department of State from 2005 to 2009, and from 2000 to 2005 he was an Associate at Goodwin Procter, LLP (formerly Shea and Gardner) in Washington, D.C.  Earlier in his career, he was a paralegal in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, California.  Mr. Egan received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Eric Liu, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service

Eric Liu is the founder and CEO of Citizen University, and Director of the Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program.  He previously was Vice President of Corporate Communications at RealNetworks from 2000 to 2002.  From 1999 to 2000, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House.  Mr. Liu served as Speechwriter and Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Security Council at the White House from 1993 to 1994.  He began his career serving as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator David Boren from 1990 to 1993.  He has served on numerous civic boards, including the Washington State Board of Education and the Seattle Public Library Board of Trustees.  In 2014, he was honored as "Citizen of the Year" by the Municipal League of King County.  He also serves on the National Leadership Council of the American Association of Colleges and Universities.  Mr. Liu received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Dallas Tonsager, Nominee for Member, Farm Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration

Dallas Tonsager served as Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2009 to 2013.  While at USDA, he was a Member of the Commodity Credit Corporation Board of Directors from 2010 to 2013.  Previously, Mr. Tonsager served as a Member of the Farm Credit Administration Board from 2004 to 2009.  As a member of the FCA Board, Mr. Tonsager also served as an ex-officio Member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.  From 2002 to 2004, he was the Executive Director of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center.  In 2001, Mr. Tonsager started two firms,  Golden Plains Ventures and Tonsager Consulting.  He was the South Dakota State Director for Rural Development from 1996 to 2001 and the South Dakota State Director for the Farmers Home Administration from 1993 to 1996.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Tonsager served as State President of the South Dakota Farmers Union and worked on his family farm.  Mr. Tonsager received a B.S. from South Dakota State University.

Maria Echaveste, Nominee for Ambassador to the United Mexican States, Department of State

Maria Echaveste is a Senior Advisor at NVG, LLC (formerly Nueva Vista Group, LLC), a company she co-founded in 2001.  She is also a Lecturer and Senior Fellow at the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.  She served as Special Representative to Bolivia in 2009, and from 1998 to 2001, she was Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House.  From 1993 to 1997, Ms. Echaveste served as the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor.  Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, she was a corporate litigation attorney from 1980 to 1992.  Ms. Echaveste received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Richard Rahul Verma, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of India, Department of State

Richard Rahul Verma currently serves as Senior Counselor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP and the Albright Stonebridge Group.  Mr. Verma is also a Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for American Progress.  Previously, he was Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the Department of State from 2009 to 2011 and Partner at Steptoe and Johnson LLP from 2007 to 2009.  He was Senior National Security Advisor, Counsel and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007, and an Associate at Steptoe & Johnson from 1998 to 2002.  Mr. Verma served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1994 to 1998 and received, among other decorations, the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Verma was a Field Representative for the National Democratic Institute in Eastern Europe and worked in the House of Representatives for Congressman John P. Murtha.  Mr. Verma served on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism in 2008 and has been a member of the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.  He currently serves on the boards of Human Rights First, the Clinton Foundation, and the National Democratic Institute.  Mr. Verma received a B.S. from Lehigh University, a J.D. from American University, and an L.L.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

David Abney, Appointee for Member, President’s Export Council

David Abney is Chief Executive Officer of United Parcel Service (UPS).  Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of UPS from 2007 to 2014.  Mr. Abney has worked at UPS for over 40 years, and was President of UPS International from 2003 to 2007.  He was the Integration Manager for the UPS and Fritz Companies merger from 2001 to 2002.  Mr. Abney is Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, a Trustee of The UPS Foundation and a member of the Business Roundtable.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Johnson Controls, Inc. and the Delta State University Alumni Foundation.  Mr. Abney received a B.S. in Business Administration from Delta State University.