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:

• Ian C. Kelly – Ambassador to Georgia, Department of State
• Patricia M. Loui-Schmicker – Member, Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States

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

• Brandon McBride – Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture
• Loren Kieve – Member, Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
• Princess Daazhraii Lucaj – Member, Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development

President Obama said, “These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles.  I look forward to working with them.” 

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

Ian C. Kelly, Nominee for Ambassador to Georgia, Department of State
Ian C. Kelly, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the Department of State’s Diplomat in Residence at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a position he has held since 2013.  Prior to that, Mr. Kelly served as U.S. Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna, Austria from 2010 to 2013.  Mr. Kelly was Spokesperson in the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs from 2009 to 2010, Director of the Office of Russian Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2007 to 2009, and Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 2004 to 2007.  He was an Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy from 2000 to 2004, an Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey from 1997 to 2000, and a Program Officer in the Office of the Coordinator of Newly Independent States Assistance from 1994 to 1996.  Prior to that, Mr. Kelly held positions at U.S. Missions in Austria, Serbia, the former USSR, and Italy.  Before joining the Foreign Service in 1985, he taught Russian language in the former USSR and at Barnard and Columbia Colleges in New York City.  Mr. Kelly received a B.A. from Saint Olaf College, an M.A. from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Patricia M. Loui-Schmicker, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Patricia M. Loui-Schmicker is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a position she has held since 2011.  Ms. Loui-Schmicker founded OmniTrak Group Inc. in 1984, where she consulted on market expansion strategies in Asia.  She served as President and CEO of OmniTrak from 1984 to 2010 and Chair from 2010 to 2011.  Prior to this, Ms. Loui-Schmicker was Vice President and Director of Market Planning and Development at the Bank of Hawaii. Ms. Loui-Schmicker served as a development planner and training officer for the United Nations Development Programme.  She has also served on the Board of Directors of The East-West Center Association, University of Hawaii Foundation, and the Kapiolani Hospital Foundation. Ms. Loui-Schmicker received a B.S. from Northwestern University and an M.S. from the University of Hawaii.

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

Brandon McBride, Appointee for Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture
Brandon McBride serves as a Senior Professional Staff on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, a position he has held since 2009.  Prior to this, he served as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Blanche Lincoln from 2003 to 2009.  From 2001 to 2003, Mr. McBride was the Grants Specialist for Senator Lincoln. Mr. McBride received a B.A., B.S., and M.P.A. from Arkansas State University. 

Loren Kieve, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Loren Kieve founded Kieve Law Offices in 2008.  Previously, he was a Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP from 2002 to 2008.  Mr. Kieve was Principal Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Manager of Legal Department, and Head of Legal Department’s Litigation and Claims Group at Bechtel Group, Inc. from 2000 to 2002.  He was a Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton from 1987 to 2000, and was an Associate and Partner at Steptoe & Johnson from 1974 to 1987.  Mr. Kieve has served on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development since 1994.  He is the current Chair and previously served as Chair from 1997 to 2001 and again from 2007 to 2011.  Mr. Kieve is a Sustaining Life Fellow of the American Bar Association and is a Founding Member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Constitution Society.  Mr. Kieve He received a B.A. and an M.A. from Oxford University and a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.

Princess Daazhraii Lucaj, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Princess Daazhraii Lucaj is a director and actor.  She is the former Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, a position she held from 2011 to 2014.  Previously, Ms. Lucaj served as Alaska Director at the Indigenous Leadership Institute from 2009 to 2011.  She was a Production Manager with Native Voices at the Autry National Center from 2005 to 2006, and was a producer with Lucaj Films, Inc. from 2004 to 2005.  Ms. Lucaj is a member of the Board of Dancing with the Spirit.  She has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild since 2006, and has been a member of the SAG-AFTRA Native American Committee since 2007.  Ms. Lucaj was a Sundance Fellow for the 1999 Filmmakers, Producers and Screenwriters Lab, and she was a 2002 Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellow with the PEN Center.  Ms. Lucaj received a B.A. from The George Washington University.