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

President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:

Anna Maria Farias of Texas to be an Assistant Secretary, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Farias is the Chair of the Board of Regents at Texas Woman’s University. She has also served on the Board of the One Star Foundation in Austin Texas since 2011. Previously, she was at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2001-2008 as Senior Counsel to former Secretary Martinez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Initiatives, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs (CDBG) and Director for the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. From 1992-1993, Farias was a Member of the Wage Appeals Board and Board of Service Contract Appeals at the Department of Labor. Earlier in her career she worked under Secretary of Education William J Bennett from 1985-1988. From 1980-1985, Farias was an Attorney, Office of General Counsel, Merit Systems Protection Board. And from 1989-1992, she was Counsel to a Member of the National Labor Relations Board. Ms. Farias received a B.A. with honors from Boston University, a law degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, where she was the 3rd year class president, and was a Fellow for State and local officials at the Harvard University JFK School of Government. Ms. Farias grew up in the Crystal City Housing Projects, and from 1993-2000 returned home as the Executive Director of the Housing Authority and became one of the first Executive Directors in the country that agreed to live in the housing developments during her tenure. Under her leadership the Housing Authority received over a dozen awards from the National Association of Redevelopment and Housing Officials (NARHO), including several Section 3 for putting housing residents to work in different construction programs. In recognition of her leadership, Ms. Farias was inducted into the Texas Woman’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

George Edward Glass of Oregon to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Portuguese Republic. Mr. Glass has been Owner & Managing Partner since 2015 of MGG Development LLC in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a commercial enterprise that purchases and operates apartment complexes and rental homes. He was Founder, President and Vice Chairman of Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon from 1990 to 2014. Mr. Glass is a trustee for Oregon Health Sciences University and was formerly a trustee for the University of Oregon. He has served on numerous private and public boards and advisory councils. Mr. Glass earned a B.S. from the University of Oregon.

Marvin Kaplan of Kansas to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board for the remainder of a five-year term expiring August 27, 2020. Mr. Kaplan is currently the Chief Counsel of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, he spent almost seven years serving as Counsel, first to the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and then to the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee. In those positions, Mr. Marvin was responsible for labor and employment oversight and policy, including the National Labor Relations Act, Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, and Labor Management Relations Act. In 2007, he began his public service as a Special Assistant in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management and Standards. Mr. Marvin received a B.S. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Patrick Pizzella of Virginia to be Deputy Secretary of Labor. Mr. Pizzella currently serves as Acting Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), a position to which he was designated by President Trump on January 23, 2017. Mr. Pizzella has served as a Member of the FLRA since November 2013, after being nominated by President Barack Obama in August and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 16, 2013. Previously, he was a Principal at Patrick Pizzella, LLC, a position he held since 2009. From 2001-2009 Mr. Pizzella served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Administration and Management at the U.S. Department of Labor. He has held positions at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U. S. General Services Administration. Mr. Pizzella received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He is a graduate of Iona Preparatory School and a native of New Rochelle, NY.

Michael Platt Jr. of Arkansas to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Mr. Platt has served as the Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for the last 5 years. Previously, he helped direct bi-partisan advocacy promoting the creative and financial viability of artists and major music companies for the Recording Industry Association of America. He also helped lead the government relations and grassroots advocacy efforts for TechNet, a national CEO-driven technology trade association. Before his time in the private sector, he served as Legislative Director to Representative Blackburn and as her primary policy adviser with a special focus on telecommunications, trade, and intellectual property. Mr. Platt started on Capitol Hill as legislative staff for Congressman Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and has supported Republican candidates in several political campaigns. Mr. Platt received his B.A. from the University of Arkansas. He is married to Jennifer Platt and they have one child.

Lance Allen Robertson of Oklahoma to be Assistant Secretary for Aging, Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Robertson served as Oklahoma’s Director of Aging Services for the past decade, overseeing a range of programs that included the Older Americans Act and a large 1915c Medicaid waiver. He was an administrator at Oklahoma State University for twelve years, where he co-founded the Gerontology Institute and directed a regional professional association, PartnerShips for Aging. He is a past president of the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) and has served on numerous boards and commissions. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Mr. Robertson has a B.S. from Oklahoma State University and Masters in Public Administration with Honors from the University of Central Oklahoma.