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Briefing Room

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
January 10, 2012

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Nancy E. Soderberg – Chairperson, Public Interest Declassification Board
  • Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker – Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
  • Peter H. Bell – Member, President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
  • Jack Martin Brandt – Member, President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

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

Ambassador Nancy E. Soderberg, Appointee for Chairperson, Public Interest Declassification Board
Ambassador Nancy E. Soderberg is the President of the Connect U.S. Fund, a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting U.S. global engagement.  In addition, she is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of North Florida and the President and CEO of Soderberg Global Solutions.  Ambassador Soderberg served as Vice President of the International Crisis Group from 2001 until 2005.  She was the U.S. Representative for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations from 1997 to 2001, with the rank of Ambassador, and Staff Director of the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant to the President from 1993 until 1997.  From 1985 to 1992, she served as a Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.  Ambassador Soderberg has written The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might and co-authored, with Brian Katulis, The Prosperity Agenda: What the World Wants from America - and What We Need in Return.  She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  She earned a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and an M.S. from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, Appointee for Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker has served as the Dean of the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific since 2002.  She served as General Counsel for the University of Wisconsin system from 1999 to 2002 and General Counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1990 until 1995.  Prior to joining the Central Intelligence Agency, Ms. Parker was the Principal Deputy Legal Adviser for the U.S. Department of State from 1989 to 1990 and the General Counsel for the National Security Agency from 1984 until 1989.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Parker practiced civil rights law for a decade with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and later was counsel to the law firms of Bryan Cave, LLP and Surrey and Morse, LLP.  Ms. Parker was first appointed to the Public Interest Declassification Board in 2004.  She received a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Michigan.

Peter H. Bell, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Peter H. Bell is the Executive Vice President for Programs & Services at Autism Speaks, a position he has held since 2007.  From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Bell was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cure Autism Now, where he helped to establish the Autism Treatment Network.  Prior to his work at Cure Autism Now, Mr. Bell held a number of marketing positions at McNeil Consumer Healthcare from 1992 to 2004.  Mr. Bell serves on numerous boards and commissions, including as Co-Founder and President of Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism and chair of the Community Advisory Committee for the International Society for Autism Research.  Previously, in 2007, he served as Chair of the Integration Panel of the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs for autism research.  He is also the father of a child with autism.  Mr. Bell received a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Jack Martin Brandt, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Jack Martin Brandt is the Disability Policy Specialist for the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University, a position he has held since 2010.  In this role, Mr. Brandt’s work focuses on developing and promoting evidence-based and person-centered practices to improve outcomes in self-advocacy for people with intellectual and development disabilities.  Previously, Mr. Brandt was the Disability Rights Advocate at the Virginia Office for Protection & Advocacy from 2008 to 2010, a Disability Policy Consultant for the State of Virginia from 2006 to 2008, a Virginia Governor’s Fellow at the Office of Community Integration for People with Disabilities in 2006, and a Congressional Intern for the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee in 2005.  Mr. Brandt serves on the Virginia Community Integration Advisory Commission and the Virginia Statewide Independent Living Council.  In 2006, Mr. Brandt received the Jackie Crews Award for Excellence in Leadership from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities.  Mr. Brandt received a B.A. from James Madison University and is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University.