Press Release - Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate seven individuals and appoint fifteen individuals to serve in his administration:

The President intends to nominate Victor Henderson Ashe, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Poland. Mr. Ashe is currently a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Previously, Mr. Ashe served as Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, a position he held for sixteen years. During his tenure as Mayor, Mr. Ashe also served on the National Service Corporation Board, on the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and as President of the United States Conference of Mayors. Earlier in his career, he served in the Tennessee State Senate and House of Representatives. Mr. Ashe earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee.

The President intends to nominate James B. Cunningham, of Pennsylvania, to be Representative of the United States to the Vienna Office of the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador and Representative of the United States to the International Atomic Energy Agency. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Cunningham currently serves as Ambassador and Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Rome, Italy. Prior to this position, Ambassador Cunningham served as a political officer for the United States Mission to the United Nations. He earned his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University.

The President intends to nominate Jeffrey D. Feltman, of Ohio, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Lebanon. A career member of the Foreign Service, Mr. Feltman currently serves as Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, Israel. He previously served as a Cultural Affairs Officer and Special Assistant to the Ambassador on Peace Process Issues in Tel Aviv, Israel. Mr. Feltman earned his bachelor's degree from Ball State University and his master's degree from Tufts University.

The President intends to nominate Patricia M. Haslach, of Oregon, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Haslach currently serves as Director of the Office for Afghanistan Reconstruction at the State Department. She previously served as Counselor for Economic Affairs in Islamabad, Pakistan. Earlier in her career, Ms. Haslach served as Regional Resources Officer and Deputy Chief of the Economic Section in Jakarta, Indonesia. She earned her bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University and her master's degree from Columbia University.

The President intends to nominate Richard B. LeBaron, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. LeBaron currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv, Israel. Previously, he served as Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs in Cairo, Egypt. Earlier in his career, Mr. LeBaron served at the National Security Council and in the State Department's Near East Asia Affairs Bureau. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado and his master's degree from The George Washington University.

The President intends to nominate the following individuals to be Members of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation:

Raquel Egusquiza, of Michigan, for the remainder of a six-year term expiring October 13, 2005 Julia L. Wu, of California, for the remainder of a six-year term expiring February 4, 2008

The President intends to appoint Randal Quarles, of Utah, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (Government Representative). He currently serves as Assistant Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education:

Gregory Anderson of Oklahoma

Donna L. Brown of North Dakota

Robin Butterfield of Oregon

Robert Chiago of Arizona

Carol Gho of Alaska

Kathy Hopinkah Hannan of Illinois

Michelle D. Henderson of Montana

Cynthia A. Lindquist of North Dakota

Michael C. Parish of Michigan

Lennie L. Pickard of Georgia

Lori Quigley of New York

Virginia Thomas of Oklahoma

Ronald G. Toya of New Mexico

Linda Warner of Oklahoma