Domestic Issues Staff
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Prior to her election as governor of Arizona, Napolitano served one term as Arizona attorney general and four years as U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona.
She is the past chair of the National Governors Association — the first woman to hold this position.
Rep. Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor
First elected in 2000, Solis is serving her fourth term in the House of Representatives, representing the 32nd Congressional District of California. Prior to her election to Congress, Solis served eight years in the California state legislature.
Former Rep. Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation
LaHood served seven terms representing the 18th District of Illinois. LaHood was a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Gov. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
Vilsack was elected Democratic governor of Iowa in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. Before serving as governor, Vilsack was mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and was elected to the Iowa State Senate in 1992.
Sen. Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior
Salazar from Colorado was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. A farmer for more than 30 years, Salazar helped form the El Rancho Salazar partnership in 1981. Salazar served as Colorado’s attorney general from 1999 to 2004.
Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education
For the past seven years, Duncan has served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools. Prior to joining the public school system, Duncan directed the Ariel Education Initiative, a program which seeks to create educational opportunities for inner-city children on the South Side of Chicago.
Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Donovan was appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in 2004 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Before joining the Bloomberg administration, Donovan worked at Prudential Mortgage Capital Co. as managing director of its FHA lending and affordable housing investments.
Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Shinseki graduated from West Point in 1965. He went on to serve in the Army for 38 years, from 1965 to 2003, including two combat tours in Vietnam, where he lost part of his right foot. He served as chief of staff of the Army from 1999-2003. Shinseki is the recipient of numerous decorations, including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, and the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medals.
N.H. Sen. Judd Gregg, Secretary of Commerce Department
Gregg has been a Republican senator from New Hampshire since 1993. Previously, he served as governor from 1989 to 1993, and as a congressman from 1981 to 1989.
Melody C. Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Barnes served as the senior domestic policy advisor to the Obama campaign. Barnes previously served as executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress and as chief counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1995 until 2003.
Heather A. Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Higginbottom served as policy director for the Obama campaign, overseeing all aspects of policy development. From 1999 to 2007, Higginbottom served as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)’s legislative director.
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Economic Issues Staff
Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Geithner is president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He joined the Department of the Treasury in 1988 and has served three presidents.
Former Mayor Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative
Kirk served as the mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2001, and in 1994, he served as the Texas Secretary of State. He is a former Dallas assistant city attorney for governmental relations and served as aide to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen.
Karen G. Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Mills has been a principal in the private equity and venture-capital industry since 1983. Mills was a co-founder and managing director of Solera Capital and chief operating officer of E.S. Jacobs and Company. Mills chairs Maine Gov. John Baldacci’s Council on Competitiveness and the Economy.
Mary Schapiro, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Schapiro is chief executive officer of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business with the U.S. public. Schapiro also serves as chairman of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
Gary Gensler, Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Gensler served as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001, and as assistant secretary of the Treasury from 1997 to 1999. From 1988 to 1997, Gensler was a partner of The Goldman Sachs Group, LP, where he served in various capacities including co-head of Finance, responsible for controllers and treasury worldwide.
Daniel Tarullo, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Tarullo is professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, teaches and writes in the areas of banking law, international economic regulation, and economic policy-making. Tarullo held several senior positions in the Clinton administration, ultimately as assistant to the president for International Economic Policy.
Paul Volcker, Chair of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Volcker has served under five presidents of both parties in a life committed to public service. He was chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System from 1979 to 1987. Prior to that, he served as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the undersecretary of the Treasury for Monetary Affairs.
Austan Goolsbee, Staff Director and Chief Economist of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board and Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
Goolsbee is the Robert P. Gwinn professor of economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he has taught since 1995.
Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Orszag currently serves as the director of the Congressional Budget Office, overseeing the agency’s work in providing objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses of economic and budgetary issues — supervising the numerous analytical papers and cost estimates that the agency produces and, to present the results, frequently testifying before the Congress.
Rob Nabors, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Nabors currently serves as clerk and staff director of the House Appropriations Committee. He is responsible for the hiring and direction of the majority of the committee staff and for recommending overall legislative strategies with respect to discretionary spending to committee Democrats and the House Democratic leadership.
Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the National Economic Council
Summers is the Charles W. Eliot University professor at Harvard University. Summers served as 71st secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001 and as president of Harvard from 2001 to 2006.
Christina D. Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors
Romer is the Class of 1957 professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has taught and researched since 1988.
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Energy and Environmental Staff
Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy
Chu is director of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and professor of physics and molecular and cellular biology at University of California, Berkeley. Winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in 1997, Chu served on the technical staff at AT&T Bell Labs (1978–1987) and was a professor in the Physics and Applied Physics Departments at Stanford University (1987–2004).
Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Jackson became the head of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection in 2006. She had previously served as DEP deputy commissioner before being appointed to the post by Gov. Jon Corzine, and currently serves as Corzine’s chief of staff.
Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Sutley is the deputy mayor for energy and environment for Los Angeles. She has previously served on the California State Water Resources Control Board, as energy advisor to Gov. Gary Davis. During the Clinton administration, Sutley was a senior policy advisor to the regional administrator for EPA, Region 9 in San Francisco and a special assistant to the administrator at the federal EPA in Washington, D.C.
Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Browner is principal of The Albright Group LLC, where she provides strategic counsel in the critical areas of environmental protection, climate change, and energy conservation and security. Prior to her current position, she served as EPA administrator, a Cabinet-level position she held for eight years. She also served as legislative director for then-Sen. Al Gore (D-Tenn.).
Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Zichal served as the policy director for Energy, Environment and Agriculture for Obama’s presidential campaign. Prior, she served as the legislative director to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) where she coordinated domestic and foreign policy.
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Foreign Affairs Staff
Sen. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Once a political rival, Clinton became the only former first lady to be elected to public office when she was elected as U.S. senator from New York. Clinton became the first woman ever to win a presidential primary, receiving more than 18 million votes during the campaign.
James B. Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State
Steinberg has been dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs since 2006. Before joining the school, he was the vice president and director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2005, where he supervised a wide-ranging research program on U.S. foreign policy. From 1996 to 2000, he served as deputy national security advisor to President Bill Clinton.
Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary of State
Lew is a managing director and chief operating officer of Citi Alternative Investments, where he is responsible for operations, technology, human resources, legal, finance and regional coordination. Previously, Lew was executive vice president and chief operating officer of New York University. Prior to joining NYU, Lew served in Clinton’s cabinet as the director of the Office of Management and and Budget and led the administration’s budget team.
Secretary Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense
Gates was sworn in on Dec. 18, 2006, as the 22nd secretary of defense. He was president of Texas A&M University. He served as deputy director of Central Intelligence from 1986 until 1989 and as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor at the White House from 1989 to 1991 for President George H.W. Bush.
William J. Lynn III, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Lynn served as the undersecretary of defense (Comptroller) from 1997 to 2001. In that position, he was the chief financial officer for the Department of Defense. From 1993 to 1997, Lynn was the director of program analysis and evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he oversaw all aspects of the DoD’s strategic planning process. Lynn has also served for six years on the staff of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) as liaison to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Robert F. Hale, Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller)
Hale currently is the executive director of the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC). From 1994 to 2001 Hale was President Bill Clinton’s assistant secretary of the Air Force (financial management and comptroller).
Michèle Flournoy, Undersecretary of Defense (Policy)
Flournoy cofounded and was named in 2007 as president of the Center for a New American Security. Prior to joining the center, she was a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Susan Rice, Ambassador to the United Nations
Rice served most recently as a senior foreign policy advisor to the Obama campaign while on leave from the Brookings Institution where she is a senior fellow in the foreign policy and global economy and development programs. From 1997-2001, she was U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs. She was a Rhodes Scholar.
Retired Adm. Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence
Blair was commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific. He is a former NSC staffer and the first associate director of Central Intelligence for military support. Blair is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a Rhodes scholarship.
Leon Panetta, Chief of Central Intelligence
Panetta, who is currently director of the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University, Monterey Bay, was once chief of staff for President Bill Clinton. From 1989 to 1993, Panetta was chairman of the House Committee on the Budget. He also served as a member of that committee from 1979 to 1985. Panetta left Congress in 1993, at the beginning of his ninth term, to become Director of the Office of Management and Budget for the incoming Clinton administration. Panetta was appointed Clinton’s chief of staff in 1994.
Gen. Jim Jones, USMC (Ret), National Security Advisor
Jones is president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber Institute for 21st Century Energy. From 1999 to 2003, Jones was the 32nd commandant of the Marine Corps. After relinquishing command as commandant, he assumed the positions of Supreme Allied commander, Europe (SACEUR) and commander of the United States European Command (COMUSEUCOM), positions he held until December 2006.
Thomas E. Donilon, Deputy National Security Advisor
Donilon is a partner at the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers and serves on the firm’s global governing committee. Most recently Mr. Donilon co-chaired the Obama-Biden State Department Agency Review Team and the Obama-Biden general election debate preparation effort. Mr. Donilon served as assistant secretary of state for public affairs and chief of staff at the U.S. State Department during the Clinton Administration.
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Legal Staff
Eric Holder, Attorney General
Holder is a litigation partner at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C. In 1988, Holder was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to become an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Holder to become the United States attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1997, Clinton appointed Holder to serve as deputy attorney general.
David Ogden, Deputy Attorney General
Ogden is a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. Ogden served as assistant attorney general, civil division, from 1999 to 2001 under President Clinton. He served as chief of staff to Attorney General Janet Reno and as counselor to the attorney general from 1997 to 1998.
Elena Kagan, Solicitor General
Kagan, the Charles Hamilton Houston Professor of Law, has been the 11th dean of Harvard Law School since 2003. From 1995 to 1999, Kagan served in the White House, first as associate counsel to the president (1995-96) and then as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council (1997-99).
Tom Perrelli, Associate Attorney General
Perrelli is managing partner of Jenner & Block’s Washington, D.C., office. He is co-chair of the firm’s entertainment and new media practice and is a member of the firm’s litigation department. From 1997-99, Perrelli served as counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno.
Dawn Johnsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel
Johnsen is a professor of law at the Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington, where she teaches and writes about issues of constitutional law. She served in the office of legal counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice as the acting assistant attorney general heading that office (1997-98) and as a deputy assistant attorney general (1993-96).
Greg Craig, White House Counsel
Craig served under President Clinton as assistant to the president and special counsel. Before that appointment he served for two years as director of policy planning under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Craig also worked for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy as senior advisor on defense, foreign policy, and national security from 1984-1988.
Jeh Charles Johnson, General Counsel
Johnson is a partner in the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, based in New York City. Johnson served in the Clinton administration as general counsel of the Department of the Air Force. He was also a foreign policy advisor to Obama’s presidential campaign.
Susan Sher, Associate Counsel to the President
Sher’s duties will include providing legal advice to the first lady and working on legal issues associated with health-care policy. Sher is currently the vice president for legal and governmental affairs and general counsel of the University of Chicago Medical Center.
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Legislative Staff
Patrick Gaspard, Director of the Office of Political Affairs
Gaspard served as national political director for Obama’s presidential campaign. Previously, Gaspard served as the executive vice president of politics and legislation for Local 1199 SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East, the largest local union in America.
Shawn Maher, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the United States Senate
Maher most recently served as staff director and general counsel to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Prior to that position, he served as legislative director to Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and as counsel to Dodd in his capacity as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He was also an aide to Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D.-Mass.).
Dan Turton, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the United States House
Turton began his career as an aide to Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.). Turton also served as the Democratic parliamentarian on the House floor.
Phil Schiliro, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Schiliro was a senior advisor to Obama’s presidential campaign. He has worked on staff in Congress for more than 25 years.
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Communications Staff
Ellen Moran, Director of Communications
Moran is executive director of EMILY’s List, where she oversees the national staff and charts the overall strategic direction of the organization. Moran was the coordinator of the AFL-CIO’s “corporate accountability campaign” against Wal-Mart. During a leave of absence in 2004, she managed “independent expenditures,” advertising and other campaign activities for the Democratic National Committee.
Dan Pfeiffer, Deputy Director of Communications
Pfeiffer began on Obama’s presidential campaign in January 2007 as the traveling press secretary before returning to Chicago to manage the press operation as communications director.
Robert Gibbs, Press Secretary
Gibbs began working with Obama in April 2004 serving as communications director for his Senate race and later as his Senate communications director. Gibbs held the position of communications director for Obama’s presidential campaign until becoming senior strategist for communications and message during the general election.
Jonathan Favreau, White House Director of Speechwriting
Favreau served as director of speechwriting during the 2008 presidential campaign. He has worked for Obama since 2005, when he joined Obama’s Senate office as a speechwriter. Previously, Favreau served as deputy director of speechwriting on Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)’s 2004 presidential campaign.
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Science and Health Staff
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, Secretary of Health and Human Services and Director of White House Office of Health Reform
Daschle was elected to the House in 1978, serving eight years. In 1986, Daschle was elected to the Senate. Two years later he became the first co-chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and the first South Dakotan to be elected to a leadership position in Congress.
Dr. Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Director of White House Office of Health Reform
Lambrew is an associate professor of public affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Jane Lubchenco, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator
Lubchenco is an environmental scientist and marine ecologist. She has been on the faculty at Oregon State University since 1978. She is past-president of the International Council for Science and a former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Ecological Society of America.
John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
Holdren is the Teresa and John Heinz professor of environmental policy and director of the program on science, technology, and public policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, as well as president and director of the Woods Hole Research Center.
Dr. Eric Lander, Co-Chair, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
Lander is founding director of the Broad Institute. He is one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project. Lander is also professor of biology at MIT and professor of systems biology at Harvard Medical School. Lander was a Rhodes Scholar.
Dr. Harold Varmus, Co-Chair, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
Varmus, former director of the National Institutes of Health and co-recipient of a Nobel Prize for studies of the genetic basis of cancer, has served as the president and chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City since 2000.
