President Biden Announces Additional Nominees

WASHINGTON – Today President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate the following people for key roles:

• M. Tia Johnson, nominee for the US Armed Forces Court of Appeals
• Dimitri Kuznetsov, candidate for Undersecretary of State for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security
• Steven Fagin, candidate for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Yemen
• Jodi Herman, nominee for Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs, US Agency for International Development
• Lester Martinez-Lopez, candidate for Deputy Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs at the Department of Defense
• Rebecca Jones Gaston, Nominee for Commissioner for the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services

M. Tia Johnson, nominee for the US Armed Forces Court of Appeals

M. Tia Johnson is a full-time professor of law and a former director of the National Security Law LL.M. program at Georgetown Law, where she has taught since 2017. She is also a Visiting Fellow at Georgetown’s Center on National Security and the Law and a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for National Security Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Ms. Johnson previously served in the Obama-Biden administration as Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security and Senior Advisor to the Director of Immigration and Customs. Ms. Johnson previously served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where she specialized in international and national security law. In 2002, she became the first African American woman to be elected to the rank of colonel in the US Army’s 227-year history. Most recently, Ms. Johnson served as Senior Military Assistant to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense.

Ms. Johnson received her JD from Temple University and two LL.M., one from Judge Advocate Generals’ School and the other from the University of Virginia School of Law. She also received an MS in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.

Dimitri Kuznetsov, candidate for Undersecretary of State for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov is a theoretical physicist at the US Department of Energy (DOE) and is currently working on new technologies. He has held numerous positions at the DOE, most recently as Deputy Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Technology, where he led efforts to drive AI innovations and bring them to DOE missions, businesses and operations, including creating a new one AI office. Previously, he was Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Energy, Chief Scientist of the National Nuclear Security Administration, CIO, Director of Advanced Simulation and Computing, and Director of the multi-billion dollar National Security Science, Technology and Engineering programs. He has created numerous programs including minority service institutions, international partnerships, with the private sector and philanthropy, across government agencies, and has key milestones such as the DOE’s 10-year grand challenge for a 100 teraflop supercomputer and the first of its kind and fastest supercomputer in the world.

Dr. Kusnezov received top honors from UC Berkeley AB degrees in physics and pure mathematics. After a year of research at the Institute for Nuclear Physics, KFA-Jülich, in Germany, he attended Princeton University, where he obtained his MS in physics and his Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics. After a time as a postdoc and lecturer at Michigan State University, he moved to the faculty of Yale University as a professor of theoretical physics and was visiting professor at numerous universities around the world. Dr. Kuznetsov has published over 100 articles and edited 2 books. After more than a decade on the Yale faculty, he left academia to serve in the Department of Energy and became a member of the Senior Executive Service.

Steven Fagin, candidate for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Yemen

Steven H. Fagin, a Senior Foreign Service Career Member, Ministerial Advisor Class, was most recently deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Prior to that, Fagin was Principal Officer of the US Consulate General in Erbil, Iraq. He has also served as director of the Iranian Affairs Bureau in the Middle Eastern Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as director of the Regional Affairs Bureau in the South and Central Asia Affairs Bureau. Early in his career, Fagin was Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Political and Economic Advisor to the US Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, and Deputy Political Advisor to the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. He has also served in Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Georgia and Egypt, in addition to his work as a special assistant to the State Secretary for Political Affairs and as a consultant for Pakistan. Fagin holds a BA from Williams College and an MA from the University of Michigan.

Jodi Herman, nominee for Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs, US Agency for International Development

Jodi Herman is vice president of government relations and public affairs for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a grant-making organization that supports freedom and democracy initiatives around the world. Prior to joining NED, she served as the chief counsel and chief counsel of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to Senator Benjamin Cardin (MD) and Senator Robert Menendez (NJ). Herman has also worked for a private law firm, serving as special advisor to the US Ambassador to the Organization of American States and as a legislative assistant to the US House and Senate. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Partnership for a Secure America, a member of the Women’s Advisory Board for Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital, and volunteers as a scout.

Herman was born and raised in St. Louis Park, Minnesota and lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and three children. She received her BA in International Studies from American University and her JD from George Washington University Law School.

Lester Martinez-Lopez, candidate for Deputy Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs at the Department of Defense

Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at Brandon Regional Hospital in Florida and Senior Vice President and Administrator at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Harris County, Texas. The first Latino to head the Army’s medical research and equipment command at Fort Detrick, Maryland. Regarding the responsibilities of Dr. Martinez-Lopez was part of the direction of the Army’s global medical research, acquisition, and logistics program. He oversaw an extensive research portfolio that spanned cancer, trauma, infectious diseases, bio-defense, chemical defense, nutrition, environmental health, aviation medicine, and telemedicine research. He also directed the leading national biological and chemical defense laboratories and research programs and led the development of the National Biodefense Campus in Fort Detrick, MD. He was previously the commanding general of the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine in Edgewood, Maryland. In this role, he led a global public health organization responsible for preventive medicine, health promotion and wellness, global medical surveillance, occupational and environmental health, and health risk communication. Early in his career, he commanded three different hospitals, oversaw military health care during Hurricane Mitch in Central America, and served as chief medical officer of the United Nations Mission in Haiti.

Rebecca Jones Gaston, Nominee for Commissioner for the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services

Rebecca Jones Gaston is currently the director of child welfare for the Oregon State Department of Human Services overseeing child protection, foster care, and adoption services, a position she has held since 2019. During her tenure as director, Oregon initiated an important transformation through trauma-informed, family- and community-centric, and culturally-engaging programs and services. Prior to joining Oregon’s senior management team, she served as the executive director of the Social Services Administration for the Maryland Department of Human Services overseeing child and adult services. She has worked as a social worker, lawyer, therapist, consultant, and administrator in human services and childcare for almost 25 years. Previously, she was a director of Casey Family Programs, which provided technical assistance to child welfare agencies in the United States, and served as the National Campaign Director for AdoptUsKids, a partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Office and the National Ad Council. This major campaign continues to help increase the number of foster and adoptive families across the country.

With his expertise and experience in responsible change management approaches, Jones Gaston is committed to the implementation of successful evidence-based programs, including recent federal legislation providing additional COVID support services to older teens and the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act. Over the years, she has forged strategic national and state partnerships with organizations that share the same goals of safety, continuity, and well-being for those serviced by public institutions. The proud mother of two young adults, she holds a degree in Psychology from Georgetown University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.

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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/17/president-biden-announces-additional-nominees-3/