SENIOR STAFF
Political Appointees at the U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education Appointments Since January 2009

Senate-Confirmable

NameOfficePositionAction Date
Arne Duncan Secretary Secretary confirmed 1/20/09
Russlynn Ali Civil Rights Assistant Secretary confirmed 5/1/09
Jack Buckley National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner confirmed 12/22/10
Peter Cunningham Communications and Outreach Assistant Secretary confirmed 5/1/09
Brenda Dann-Messier Vocational and Adult Education Assistant Secretary confirmed 10/5/09
John Easton Institute of Education Sciences Director confirmed 5/21/09
Gabriella Gomez Legislation and Congressional Affairs Assistant Secretary confirmed 5/1/09
Martha Kanter Under Secretary Under Secretary confirmed 6/19/09
Carmel Martin Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Assistant Secretary confirmed 5/1/09
Tony Miller Deputy Secretary Deputy Secretary confirmed 7/24/09
Eduardo Ochoa Postsecondary Education Assistant Secretary Confirmed 6/22/10
Alexa Posny Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Assistant Secretary confirmed 10/5/09
Kathy Tighe Inspector General Inspector General confirmed 3/10/10

Other Political Appointments

NameOfficePosition 
Kristen Adams Legislation and Congressional Affairs Confidential Assistant  
Kiran Ahuja Under Secretary Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders  
Andrew Amore Civil Rights Special Assistant  
Jo Anderson Secretary Senior Advisor  
Angelica Annino Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Jeff Appel Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Special Assistant  
Rayna Aylward Secretary Special Assistant  
Rosalinda Barrera English Language Acquisition Assistant Deputy Secretary  
Ken Bedell Under Secretary Special Assistant, Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships  
Marisa Bold Deputy Secretary Special Assistant  
De'Rell Bonner Communications and Outreach Confidential Assistant  
Tia Borders Secretary Special Assistant  
Cameron Brenchley Communications and Outreach Special Assistant  
Daren Briscoe Communications and Outreach Deputy Press Secretary  
John Brown White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Associate Director  
Audrey Buehring Under Secretary Deputy Director White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Manuel Buenrostro Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Confidential Assistant  
Karen Cator Secretary Director, Education Technology  
Alejandra Ceja Under Secretary Chief of Staff  
Courtney Chappel Under Secretary Special Assistant White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Jay Chen General Counsel Special Counsel  
Richard Culatta Secretary Deputy Director, Education Technology  
Nadya Chinoy Dabby Innovation and Improvement Associate Assistant Deputy Secretary  
Gregory Darnieder Secretary Special Assistant Advisor to the Secretary on the Secretary's Initiative on College Access
Marco Davis White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics Deputy Director  
Russella Davis Vocational and Adult Education Confidential Assistant  
John DiPaolo Civil Rights Chief of Staff  
Cathy Del Duca Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Franklyn Duporte General Counsel Deputy General Counsel for Accountability  
Maribel Duran Secretary Executive Assistant  
Jodie Fingland Legislation and Congressional Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary  
Kyle Flood General Counsel Confidential Assistant  
Denise Forte Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Deputy Assistant Secretary  
Seth Galanter Civil Rights Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy  
Laura Ginns General Counsel Special Counsel  
Luke Glisan General Counsel Special Counsel  
Elizabeth Grant Elementary and Secondary Education Chief of Staff  
Dan Griffin Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Justin Hamilton Communications and Outreach Press Secretary for Strategic Communications  
Kristen Harper Elementary and Secondary Education Policy Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Secretary  
Julie Heinz Postsecondary Education Special Assistant  
Kate Herbek Innovation and Improvement Special Assistant  
Steven Hicks Secretary Special Assistant  
Lloyd Horwich Legislation and Congressional Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary
Susan Inman Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Special Assistant  
Suzanne Immerman Secretary Director, Strategic Partnerships  
Michael Itzkowitz Postsecondary Education Confidential Assistant  
Laura Jimenez Elementary and Secondary Education Special Assistant  
Jacqueline Jones Elementary and Secondary Education Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning  
Stacey Jordan Communications and Outreach Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs  
Aalok Kanani Deputy Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Robert Kim Civil Rights Senior Counsel  
Sherry Lachman Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Special Assistant  
Charlie Lakin Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Director, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research  
Michael Lamb Elementary and Secondary Education Special Assistant  
Anna Leach Under Secretary Confidential Assistant, Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships  
Hillary Liepa Secretary Director of Scheduling and Advance  
Sue Liu Vocational and Adult Education Special Assistant  
Nancy Poon Lue Innovation and Improvement Special Assistant  
Tyra Mariani Secretary Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Strategy  
Alise Marshall Innovation and Improvement Confidential Assistant  
Frankie Martinez Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Camsie McAdams Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Senior Advisor of STEM  
Steven Means Elementary and Secondary Education Special Assistant Senior Policy Advisor
William Mendoza Under Secretary Deputy Director, White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities  
Julie Miceli General Counsel Deputy General Counsel  
Ben Miller Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Special Assistant  
Brenda Girton Mitchell Secretary Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships  
Kimberly Morton Communications and Outreach Special Assistant  
Melanie Muenzer Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Chief of Staff  
Melody Musgrove Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Director, Office of Special Education Programs  
Vicki Myers Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Special Assistant  
Samuel Myers, Jr Secretary White House Liaison  
Jon O'Bergh Under Secretary Special Assistant Policy Advisor to the Under Secretary
Margaret Olmos Secretary Deputy White House Liaison  
Lorenzo Olvero Legislation and Congressional Affairs Confidential Assistant  
Sedelta Oosahwee White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education Associate Director  
Alexis Perlmutter Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Confidential Assistant  
Carmine Perrotti Under Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Nia Phillips Innovation and Improvement Chief of Staff  
Hal Plotkin Under Secretary Special Assistant Senior Policy Advisor to the Under Secretary
Joshua Pollack Deputy Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Will Ragland Legislation and Congressional Affairs Director of Strategic Outreach  
Sujeet Rao Innovation and Improvement Special Assistant  
Jose Rico Secretary Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans  
Heather Rieman Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Special Assistant  
Massie Ritsch Communications and Outreach Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Outreach Services  
Margarita Rivas Elementary and Secondary Education Confidential Assistant  
Michael Robbins Under Secretary Special Assistant, Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Senior Advisor for Nonprofit Partnerships
Christian Robinson Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Confidential Assistant  
Steve Robinson Elementary and Secondary Education Special Assistant  
Blanchi Roblero Legislation and Congressional Affairs Confidential Assistant  
Tyler Rodgers Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Samuel Salk Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Alex Sanchez Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Gabriel Sandoval Civil Rights Senior Counsel  
Debra Saunders-White Postsecondary Education Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs  
Betsy Shelton Communications and Outreach Director of Public Engagement  
Isabel Shelton Secretary Confidential Assistant  
James Shelton, III Innovation and Improvement Assistant Deputy Secretary  
Aketa Simmons Legislation and Congressional Affairs Confidential Assistant  
Jason Snyder Elementary and Secondary Education Deputy Assistant Secretary, School Turnaround  
Stephanie Sprow Communications and Outreach Confidential Assistant  
Sue Swenson Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Deputy Assistant Secretary  
Ajita Talwalker Under Secretary Special Assistant  
Lauren Thompson-Starks General Counsel Chief of Staff  
Timothy Tuten Communications and Outreach Special Assistant Director of Special Projects
Joanne Urrutia English Language Acquisition Deputy Director  
Elizabeth Utrup Communications and Outreach Confidential Assistant  
Johan Uvin Vocational and Adult Education Deputy Assistant Secretary, Policy and Strategic Initiatives  
Eric Waldo Secretary Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs  
Jaqueline Cortez Wang Communications and Outreach Confidential Assistant  
Courtney Weisman Deputy Secretary Confidential Assistant, Implementation and Support Unit  
Joanne Weiss Secretary Chief of Staff  
Ann Whalen Deputy Secretary Director, Policy and Program Implementation, Implementation and Support Unit  
John White Communications and Outreach Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach  
David Whitman Communications and Outreach Special Assistant Senior Writer
Adrienne Will Vocational and Adult Education Special Assistant  
John Wilson Secretary Executive Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities  
Shannon Winters Deputy Secretary Confidential Assistant  
Don Yu Secretary Special Assistant  
Georgia Yuan Under Secretary Deputy Under Secretary  
Michael Yudin Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services  

 
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Last Modified: 10/11/2012