President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts

President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate key additions to his Administration.

Althea Coetzee of Virginia to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Rear Admiral Althea (“Allie”) Coetzee graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985 and subsequently received her MBA (Law) from National University, where she was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award (Criminal Law).  Ms. Coetzee transitioned into the Navy Reserve in 1993.  In her civilian capacity, she has worked in both the public and private sectors in municipal and state government, retail distribution, medical device manufacturing, and the Department of Defense. Ms. Coetzee has also worked as a small business owner. Ms. Coetzee was most recently recalled to active duty in 2011 and currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.  In this role, she facilitates the Under Secretary’s leadership of AT&L across the offices of five Assistant Secretaries of Defense, eleven directorates, and several defense agencies.

William Francis Hagerty IV of Tennessee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Japan. Bill Hagerty began his career with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 1984 as an International Management Consultant and spent three years in Japan managing BCG’s business with western clients throughout Japan and Asia. In 1991, Mr. Hagerty moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a White House Fellow reporting to the Vice President and focusing on international trade, commerce, treasury, defense, and telecom. Mr. Hagerty returned to the private sector in 1993 and served as CEO and board member of companies with extensive operations in Asia and Europe. From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Hagerty served in the Tennessee Governor’s Cabinet as Secretary for Trade and Commerce. During his tenure, Tennessee was the top state for jobs and economic growth from 2013 to 2015 and led the nation in foreign direct investment, 60% of which came from Japan. Mr. Hagerty has BS and JD degrees from Vanderbilt University. He and his wife, Chrissy, live in Nashville with their four children.

Robert L. Sumwalt III of South Carolina, to be Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for a 5-year term expiring December 16, 2021, and to be designated Vice Chairman for a term of 2 years. Robert L. Sumwalt of South Carolina has been a member of the NTSB since 2006. He served as NTSB vice chairman from 2006 to 2008. Since joining the Board, Mr. Sumwalt has been a fierce advocate for improving safety in all modes of transportation, with a focus on teen driver safety, impaired driving, distractions in transportation, and rail and aviation safety initiatives. Before joining the NTSB, Mr. Sumwalt was a pilot for 32 years, including 24 years with U.S. Airways. He has a distinguished transportation safety background and his ground-breaking contributions to safety have been recognized by a number of prestigious industry awards. He is an inductee into the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame. Mr. Sumwalt earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Aeronautical Science (with Distinction) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with concentrations in aviation/aerospace safety systems and human factors aviation systems.