Public Counsel Supports the Nomination of Catherine Lhamon to Lead U.S
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For immediate release: Monday, June 10, 2013 Media contacts: Michael Soller, Public Counsel (213) 637-3821 / (213) 446-1851 cell / [email protected] Public Counsel Supports the Nomination of Catherine Lhamon to Lead U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Effort LOS ANGELES — Today President Obama announced the nomination of Public Counsel Director of Impact Litigation Catherine Lhamon to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education. Lhamon joined Public Counsel as its first Director of Impact Litigation in 2009 and spearheaded litigation on behalf of Los Angeles schoolchildren, families in public housing, farm workers facing heat-related death and illness, and many others. As Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Lhamon would direct the Office of Civil Rights and lead the Department of Education’s work to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights. The Office of Civil Rights serves student populations facing discrimination and the advocates and institutions promoting systemic solutions to civil rights problems. Her nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate. "Catherine Lhamon is a world-class attorney who never steps away from a challenge where our children's futures are concerned. She is also a problem-solver who brings people together for better schools. She has worked alongside teachers, parents, community members and school leaders to deliver our nation's promise of opportunity to every child,” said Hernán D. Vera, Public Counsel President and CEO. Vera continued: "Catherine's civil rights legacy in California is remarkable, not just in education but in all areas. Children have textbooks and schools in condition for teaching and learning today because of her work on Williams v. California. Students who faced losing more than 70% of their teachers to budget-based layoffs have stability for the first time in years due to Reed v. State. Thousands have benefited from her passionate pursuit of equality in areas of housing, employment and public safety. Civil rights is not a battle in the past, it is a fight for the future of our schools. America's students, parents and educators could not have a stronger champion.” “I am delighted by Catherine's nomination as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education,” said David Johnson, founder of Act 4 Entertainment, past Public Counsel board chair and member of the advisory group for Public Counsel’s Impact Litigation Group. “Catherine built Public Counsel's Impact Litigation Group from an idea for fighting for economic justice to a reality of economic justice for school kids, working people, people who deserve a place to live and many more. Catherine is an extraordinarily talented lawyer and an even more exceptional person for her commitment to those who need it most. She will be an important asset for the Department of Education. We will miss her, but her legacy at Public Counsel and for its clients will continue.” Before joining Public Counsel, Lhamon was Assistant Legal Director at the ACLU of Southern California. She was recognized as California Lawyer Attorney of the Year for Civil Rights in 2004, and the Daily Journal named her one of the Top 20 California Lawyers Under 40 in 2007. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School. The White House announcement follows: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 10, 2013 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: Daniel B. Baer – United States Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with rank of Ambassador, Department of State Michael G. Carroll - Inspector General, United States Agency for International Development James Cole, Jr. – General Counsel, Department of Education Keith M. Harper – United States Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, with rank of Ambassador, Department of State Catherine E. Lhamon – Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education Stephen W. Preston – General Counsel, Department of Defense The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts: Brigadier General Anthony C. Funkhouser, USA – Commissioner, Mississippi River Commission Betsey Stevenson – Member, Council of Economic Advisers President Obama said, “These men and women have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.” President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts: Daniel B. Baer, Nominee for United States Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the rank of Ambassador, Department of State Daniel B. Baer is a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to joining the Administration in 2009, he was an Assistant Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. From 2007 to 2008, Dr. Baer was a Faculty Fellow in the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard University. From 2004 to 2007, he worked at The Boston Consulting Group, first as a consultant and later a project leader. Dr. Baer received an A.B. from Harvard University, an M.Phil and a D.Phil from Oxford University. Michael G. Carroll, Nominee for Inspector General, United States Agency for International Development Michael G. Carroll is Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a position he has held since May 2012. From October 2011 to May 2012, he was Acting Inspector General at USAID. From 2006 to 2011, he was Deputy Inspector General, and from 2000 to 2004, he was the Assistant Inspector General for Management at USAID. Mr. Carroll was the Director of Administration at the Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce from 2004 to 2006. Previously, he was Deputy Executive Director at the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board from 1995 to 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Carroll served at the U.S. Information Agency as the Director of Administrative Services from 1992 to 1995, Director of Operations for the Agency’s Exhibits Service from 1987 to 1992, and as a Logistics Manager at its Office of Administration from 1984 to 1987. Mr. Carroll also worked for the U.S. Coast Guard from 1982 to 1984. Mr. Carroll received a B.A. from St. John’s University. James Cole, Jr., Nominee for General Counsel, Department of Education James Cole, Jr. is the Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation, a position he has held since 2011. From 1996 to 2011, he worked at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz in New York, where he was elected as partner in the Corporate department in 2003. From 1995 to 1996, Mr. Cole clerked for Chief Judge Stephanie K. Seymour of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. From 1990 to 1992, he was an analyst in the Financial Management Program at General Electric Capital Corporation. He has served on the Board of Directors for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and on the Board of Trustees for Prep for Prep. He received a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. Keith M. Harper, Nominee for Representative of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council, with rank of Ambassador, Department of State Keith M. Harper is a partner at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, where he is chair of the Native American Practice Group. He currently serves as a Member on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. Prior to his current role, Mr. Harper was Senior Staff Attorney for the Native American Rights Fund from 1995 to 2006. From 2007 to 2008, he served as a Supreme Court Justice on the Supreme Court of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and from 2001 to 2007, he served as an Appellate Justice on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court. From 1998 to 2001, he was an adjunct professor at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, and from 1999 to 2001, he was a Professorial Lecturer at the American University Washington College of Law. Mr. Harper was a Law Clerk to the Honorable Lawrence W. Pierce on the Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. He began his career as a Litigation Associate with Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. Catherine E. Lhamon, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education Catherine E. Lhamon is currently the Director of Impact Litigation at Public Counsel, a position she has held since October 2009. Prior to this, she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California as Assistant Legal Director in 2009, Racial Justice Director from 2005 to 2009, and Okrand/Wirin Attorney from 1999 to 2005. From 1997 to 1999, she was a Supervising Attorney in the Appellate Litigation Program at the Georgetown University Law Center. She clerked for the Honorable William A. Norris on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles, California from 1996 to 1997. California Lawyer honored Ms. Lhamon as an Attorney of the Year for Civil Rights in 2004. The Daily Journal named her one of the Top 20 California Lawyers Under 40 in 2007 and she was honored as one of the State’s Top Women Litigators in 2010 and 2007.