President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions – September 15, 2023

Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to serve in key roles:

• Claudia Cimini, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy
• Susan A. Davis, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy
• Eric P. Ebeling, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy
• Nicholas M. Logothetis, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy
• Michael J. Rodriguez, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy
• Jed Katz, Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
• Eric Mindich, Member, Library of Congress Trust Fund Board
• William Inboden, Commissioner, U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad

Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy

The Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy provides independent advice and recommendations concurrently to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Transportation, and Congress – on matters related to the state of morale and discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, and academic methods of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). The Board of Visitors is composed of 19 members, including five members appointed by the President and six ex officio members.

Claudia Cimini, Member, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy

Claudia Cimini is the Executive Vice President of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA) and is based in Oakland, California. Soon after graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1990 with an engineering degree and Third Assistant Engineer license, Cimini joined the MEBA. The union hall system provided her an opportunity to sail on a variety of vessels in the deep-sea, government contract, and ferry sectors. She holds an unlimited Chief Engineer license and is a USMMA Silver Mariner. Cimini also worked as a Port Engineer, supporting both U.S. Maritime Administration and commercial vessels. Between shipping jobs, she developed curriculum and taught classes for marine engineers. As a rank-and-file member, she advocated for MEBA at the local and national levels, served on committees within the union, and took on projects to preserve and honor MEBA’s history. As a senior MEBA official, Cimini works to help the current and next generation of U.S. Merchant Marine officers earn a competitive wage in a good work environment and find their best career path.

Susan A. Davis, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy

Susan Davis was honored to serve the public as a School Board Member, California State Legislator, and most recently as a Congressional Representative from San Diego from 2001-2020, where she served in leadership positions primarily on the House Armed Services and Education Committees. Davis grew up in Richmond, California. She attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a sociology degree, later earning an MSW from the University of North Carolina. She was the first Executive Director of the Aaron Price Fellows Program, which inspires young people to build strong communities. Davis is a proud wife, mother, and grandmother of three. She values having had an impact in people’s lives and looks forward to a renewed engagement in the quest for opportunity and equity for all. Davis was proud to facilitate appointments with her constituents to the Merchant Marine Academy. Through a neighbor, she became aware of the tremendous opportunity the Academy delivers for a young person and encouraged applicants to give the Merchant Marines a serious look during their application process.

Eric P. Ebeling, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy

Eric P. Ebeling is President and Chief Executive Officer for American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC). He leads a team of maritime and logistics professionals that comprise the largest U.S.-flag Ro-Ro carrier in international trade and a leading provider of government services, including global end-to-end logistics services, terminal and related services, multimodal logistics, trucking and third-party logistics services, and personal property shipping services. All of ARC’s U.S.-flag vessels are enrolled in the Maritime Security Program and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration and U.S. Transportation Command. Ebeling is a thought leader on U.S. international maritime strategy, and he is a frequent contributor on policy issues including providing testimony in Congressional hearings. The United Seamen’s Service awarded Ebeling the Admiral of the Ocean Sea in 2022, the most prestigious award in the American maritime industry. Ebeling is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Defense Transportation Association.

Nicholas M. Logothetis, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy

Nicholas M. Logothetis is the Vice Chairman of Libra Group, a privately owned global business group whose subsidiaries own and operate assets in nearly 60 countries. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Concordia, a leading non-profit organization that seeks to promote and develop public-private partnerships to address pressing global issues. Logothetis joined Libra Group in 2010 and helped oversee its expansion to 30 operating entities. Comprising 20 businesses that are predominantly focused on maritime, along with aerospace, renewable energy, real estate, hospitality, and diversified investments, Libra Group also oversees ten independently run philanthropic initiatives. Logothetis is an entrepreneur who has a lifelong interest in politics and international affairs. He attended the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He co-founded Concordia in 2011 on the notion that facilitating cross-sector collaboration can more efficiently address global challenges to create a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable future for all. Logothetis resides in Washington, DC with his wife and two young children.

Michael J. Rodriguez, Member, Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy

Captain Michael J. Rodriguez is a maritime professional with nearly 45 years of service in the private sector, government, and the U.S. Navy. Rodriguez’s maritime career began as a merchant marine officer aboard U.S. flag ships upon his graduation from the USMMA in 1979. In 1995, Rodriguez started his shoreside career, which includes service to USMMA as an Academy Training Representative, a senior staff position at the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, AFL-CIO, a Senior Professional Staff position on the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, service as the Deputy Administrator at the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, and service as the 15th Superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. Rodriguez also served as the maritime subject matter expert on the Biden-Harris transition team.

Rodriguez’s military career includes a deployment in support of special operations in the Central Command Area of Operations and active-duty assignments supporting the Office of Naval Intelligence, Military Sealift Command, and the Chief of Naval Operations Office of Fleet Readiness and Logistics. He retired from military service in 2019. Rodriguez currently works as an adjunct instructor at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. He is also a volunteer supporting voting rights, adult literacy, and the food bank at Salem UMC in Baltimore.

J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board supervises the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act and for the purpose of selecting students, scholars, teachers, trainees, and other persons to participate in the educational exchange programs. Appointed by the President, the 12-member Board meets quarterly in Washington, DC. The Board establishes worldwide policies and procedures for the Program and issues an annual report on the state of the Program.

Jed Katz, Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

One of the true pioneers of online commerce, Jed Katz has spent his career developing, advising, and investing in early-stage technology ventures. Katz is a Managing Director of Javelin Venture Partners, where he sits on the boards of Thumbtack, SmartAsset, HighArc, Fello, Landed, Arrive, and Linqia, and is a board observer for MasterClass, Carbon Health, and Homeward. Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Katz was the cofounder of both Rent Net and Move.com, which launched disruptive technology solutions that revolutionized how people found their next home and planned their move. He also helped develop the highly acclaimed SkyScout, the first handheld device that could identify and/or locate celestial objects and educate users about astronomy. Katz holds a B.A. in Business Economics from UCLA and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at The University of California, Berkeley, where he was awarded the Price Fellowship from the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Katz lives in California with his wife Lisa and their kids Taylor, Austen, and Chloe.

Library of Congress Trust Fund Board

The Library of Congress Trust Fund Board is authorized to accept, receive, hold, and administer such gifts or bequests of personal property for the benefit of, or in connection with, the Library, its collections, or its service, as may be approved by the board and by the Joint Committee on the Library. The Trust Fund Board also advises on the investment of the Library’s gift and trust funds.

Eric Mindich, Member, Library of Congress Trust Fund Board

Eric Mindich is the Founder and CEO of Everblue Management. Prior to that, he was the Founder and CEO of Eton Park Capital Management, a global multi-strategy investment firm which, at its founding, was the largest startup fund in history. Before founding Eton Park, he spent fifteen years at Goldman Sachs where he managed the Equities Division, was a member of the Goldman Sachs Management Committee, and was part of the Executive Office as Senior Strategy Officer. At age 27, he was the youngest person ever to become partner in the history of Goldman Sachs. He has served as Chair of the Lincoln Center Theater Board of Directors, as Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee for both the Mellon Foundation and the Mount Sinai Medical Center, Inc., and as a member of the Board of Directors of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Center for American Progress, the Harvard Management Company, the Horace Mann School, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Mindich graduated from Harvard College in 1988, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in Economics, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad

The U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad was established in 1985 to ensure that sites important to populations impacted by Nazism, communism, and the Cold War would be preserved for future generations. The Commission’s mission is to identify, protect, and preserve cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe that are associated with U.S. heritage. The work recognizes that the population of the United States is mostly comprised of immigrants and their descendants, and that the United States has an interest in the preservation of sites in other countries related to the heritage of these Americans.

William Inboden, Commissioner, U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad

William Inboden is Professor and Director of the Alexander Hamilton Center at the University of Florida, and Peterson Senior Fellow with the Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Most recently he was Executive Director and William Powers, Jr. Chair at the Clements Center for National Security, and Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, both at the University of Texas-Austin. He previously served as Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council staff, at the Department of State as a Member of the Policy Planning Staff and Special Advisor in the Office of International Religious Freedom, and as a staff member in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and his commentary has appeared in numerous outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Review, NPR, CNN, and BBC. Inboden is the author or co-editor of four books. His most recent book is The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink. Inboden received his Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in history from Yale University, and his A.B. in history from Stanford University.

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