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

Paul Dabbar of New York to be Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy. Mr. Dabbar is Managing Director for Mergers & Acquisitions for J.P. Morgan, and has over $400 billion in investment experience across all energy sectors including solar, wind, geothermal, distributed-generation, utility, LNG, pipeline, oil & gas, trading, energy technology, and has also led the majority of all nuclear transactions. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Dabbar served as a nuclear submarine officer in Mare Island, California, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, including deploying to the North Pole where he conducted environmental research. He also currently serves on the Department of Energy Environmental Management Advisory Board. He has been a lecturer at the U.S. Naval Academy Economics Department, and conducted research at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Mr. Dabbar received a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, and an M.B.A. degree from Columbia University. Mr. Dabbar and his wife, Andrea, are the parents of two children. They reside in Scarsdale, New York, and Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Mark Wesley Menezes of Virginia to be Under Secretary of the Department of Energy. Mr. Menezes is Vice President of Federal Relations for Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a diversified energy company. Before joining Berkshire, Mr. Menezes was a partner at Hunton & Williams heading its energy practice group. Prior to Hunton, he was Chief Counsel, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, for the House Majority during the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Before joining the committee, he was Vice President with Central and South West Corporation and upon its merger with American Electric Power Company, served as vice president and associate general counsel. Mr. Menezes is a graduate of Louisiana State University receiving both his undergraduate and juris doctor degrees. He is a charter member of the Advisory Council for LSU Energy Law Center.

Dennis Shea of Virginia to be Deputy United States Trade Representative, Geneva Office, with the Rank of Ambassador. Mr. Shea is the Vice Chairman of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a Congressionally-appointed bipartisan panel that annually assesses the United States-China security, economic, and trade relationship, including China’s compliance with its WTO commitments. He has served as the Commission Chairman or Vice Chairman each year since 2012, and as member since 2007. Mr. Shea has extensive background in law and public policy, and previously served as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Earlier in his career, he was deputy chief of staff and counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. Mr. Shea received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, his A.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and his A.B. from Harvard College. Mr. Shea is principal and founder of Shea Public Strategies, Alexandria, Virginia.

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint David Muhlhausen to the Department of Justice

David B. Muhlhausen of Virginia to be Director of the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice. Dr. Muhlhausen, a research fellow in empirical policy analysis at the Heritage Foundation, has championed using rigorous, empirical research to formulate and evaluate government policies. Dr. Muhlhausen has testified frequently before Congress on the efficiency and effectiveness of various Federal programs. He has been called most often by the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary to discuss how to improve policing strategies, prisoner reentry programs, and other important criminal justice programs. He holds a doctorate in public policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a bachelor’s degree in political science and justice studies from Frostburg State University. As an adjunct professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, Dr. Muhlhausen has taught program evaluation and statistical methods to graduate students for 11 years.