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:

• Daniel Elliott, III – Member, Surface Transportation Board, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman
• Lauren McFerran – Member, National Labor Relations Board
• John Mendez –Member, Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman
• Antonio Weiss – Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, Department of the Treasury

President Obama said, “I am confident that these experienced and hardworking individuals will help us tackle the important challenges facing America, and I am grateful for their service.  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:

Daniel Elliott III, Nominee for Member, Surface Transportation Board, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman

Daniel Elliott III is a Member and the Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, positions he has held since 2009.  From 1993 to 2009, he was Associate General Counsel of United Transportation Union.  Mr. Elliott was an Associate at Chester Giltz & Associates from 1991 to 1992, an Associate at Marshman, Snyder, Berkley & Kapp from 1990 to 1991, and an Associate at Bishop, Cook, Purcell & Reynolds from 1989 to 1990.  He has been an editor for several railway-related publications.  Mr. Elliott received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Ohio State College of Law.

Lauren McFerran, Nominee for Member, National Labor Relations Board

Lauren McFerran is Chief Labor Counsel for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP Committee), a position she has held since 2010.  Since 2012, she has also served as Deputy Staff Director for the HELP Committee.  Ms. McFerran began on the HELP Committee as Senior Labor Counsel for Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Tom Harkin in 2005, and served in that capacity until 2010.  Before her work for the United States Senate, Ms. McFerran was an Associate at Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C. from 2002 to 2005.  From 2001 to 2002, she was a Law Clerk for Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Ms. McFerran received a B.A. from Rice University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

John Mendez, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and upon appointment to be designated Chairman

John Mendez is a Partner and Chairman of the Special Situations Group at Latham & Watkins LLP.  Mr. Mendez joined Latham in 2004 and was the former Co-Chairman of the Banking Group.  Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Mendez was a partner and Head of the Banking Group in the Los Angeles office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP from 1996 to 2004.  From 1982 to 1996, Mr. Mendez was with White & Case LLP working in the New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong offices, and became a partner in 1991.  Mr. Mendez received a B.A. from Rutgers University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

Antonio Weiss, Nominee for Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, Department of the Treasury

Antonio Weiss is the Global Head of Investment Banking for Lazard, a position he has held since 2009.  Mr. Weiss joined Lazard in 1993 and became a Managing Director in 1999.  From 2006 to 2009, he served as a Vice Chairman of European Investment Banking and, subsequently, Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions.  Mr. Weiss is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Advisory Council of the Center for American Progress.  He is Publisher of The Paris Review.   Mr. Weiss received a B.A. from Yale College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

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