The Obama Nominations

 

On May 10, 2016, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts: Blair Anderson – Under Secretary for Policy, Department of Transportation, Carol Z. Perez – Ambassador to the Republic of Chile, Department of State,  J. Patricia Wilson Smoot – Commissioner, United States Parole Commission and Robert M. Tobias – Member, Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board. 

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country.  They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them.”

Blair Anderson is the Deputy Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at Department of Transportation (DOT), a position he has held since 2015.  From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Anderson was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance and Budget at DOT.  During that time period, Mr. Anderson also served as Acting Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Budget and Finance from April 2015 to August 2015.  Previously, he was the Senior Advisor for Budget and Programs at DOT from April 2013 to October 2013.  Mr. Anderson served as Senior Advisor for Rep. John Olver from 2009 to 2013, and served as Legislative Director for Rep. Olver from 2007 to 2009.  Mr. Anderson received a B.A. from Princeton University.

Carol Z. Perez, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2015.  Ms. Perez served in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2013 to 2015 and as Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2011 to 2013.  Prior to that, she was Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Milan, Italy from 2009 to 2011, Deputy Executive Secretary and Executive Director of the Executive Secretariat from 2003 to 2009, and Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona, Spain from 2001 to 2003.  Since joining the Foreign Service in 1987, Ms. Perez has held positions in the Office of the Under Secretary for Management and the Executive Secretariat and at posts in Italy and Spain.  Ms. Perez received a B.A. from Hiram College and an M.A. from The George Washington University.

J. Patricia Wilson Smoot is a Commissioner on the United States Parole Commission (USPC), a position she has held since Senate-confirmation in 2010.  She became Vice Chairman of the USPC and ultimately Chairman in 2015.  From 2002 to 2010, Ms. Smoot served as the Deputy State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland.  In addition to being an adviser to the State’s Attorney, she is responsible for overseeing the Sex Offense and Child Abuse Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, the Juvenile Division, and the District Court Division.  From 1994 to 2002, Ms. Smoot was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, where she served as a line assistant before she became Deputy Chief of the Misdemeanor Trial Division and Director of Professional Development.  She has served on the boards and committees of the National Black Prosecutors Association, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Abuse, Prince George’s County Criminal Justice Coordination Council, and the Prince George’s County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team.  Ms. Smoot has served as a Public Defender in Prince George’s County, as an associate at a tort defense litigation firm, and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Susan R. Holmes Winfield in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.  Ms. Smoot received a B.A. from Bucknell University and a J.D. from Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

Robert M. Tobias is a professor at American University (AU).  He is also the Director of Business Development and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation at AU.  Mr. Tobias first joined AU’s faculty in 1999.  Since receiving Senate-confirmation in 2000, Mr. Tobias has served as a Member on the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board.  From 1968 to 1999, Mr. Tobias held a number of leadership roles at the National Treasury Employees Union, including General Counsel and National President.  During the Clinton Administration, Mr. Tobias was appointed to the National Partnership Council from 1993 to 1999 and to the Commission to Restructure the Internal Revenue Service from 1996 to 1997.  He received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. 

   

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary