Re: Lead for USDA -- quick check-in

From:john.podesta@gmail.com To: David.Hayes@lw.com CC: mbarnes@barackobama.com Date: 2008-09-10 11:02 Subject: Re: Lead for USDA -- quick check-in

He's knowledgable. I'm ok with it. Was he for Obama? He's a little old school. This one Melody might want to ck with Heather at the campaign to make sure they don't have someone they prefer. On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 11:06 PM, <David.Hayes@lw.com> wrote: > > John: > > I know that you are interested in Ag issues, and I just wanted to make sure > that you are comfortable with our proposed lead for the Ag team in the > Transition's Energy and Natural Resources cluster. We are closing in on > Mike Dunn, and I am poised to call him tomorrow. Don Gips and Melody Barnes > have signed off on him. > > Several folks whom I respect have strongly recommended Mike. As you may > know, Mike worked at Ag during the Clinton years in several capacities -- > including in both the food safety area and the farm credit area -- two hot > issue areas in the farm belt. He's from Iowa, has spent his career in the > ag field, is friends with Tom Harkin, etc., etc. Mike is currently a > commissioner of the CFTC. His bio is below. The breadth of his experience > in the ag world is what I like best. Plus the strong positives that have > come from folks like Rich Rominger, Jim Gilliland and others. (Dan Glickman > had been pushing his former chief of staff, Greg Frazier, but a number of > folks raised very strong objections about Greg.) > > As an FYI, Jake Caldwell is slated to be on the USDA team, along with Jim > Lyons, Chris Wood and Elliott Laws. > Let me know if you have any objection. > Thanks. > -- David > > Michael V. Dunn was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 21, 2004, as a > Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He was sworn in on > December 6, 2004, to a term expiring June 19, 2006. On June 16, 2006 > Commissioner Dunn was nominated by President Bush to a second term as > Commissioner of the CFTC and confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 2006. In a > ceremony on August 23, 2006 at the Federal Court House in Des Moines, Iowa, > attended by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Commissioner Dunn was sworn in. > U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt administered the oath of office. > > Commissioner Dunn serves as Chairman and Designated Federal Official of the > Commission's Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC). The AAC was created to > advise the Commission on agricultural issues surrounding the trading of > commodity futures and options and to serve as a communications link with the > agricultural community. Commissioner Dunn is also the Chairman of the > Commission's Forex Task Force. The task force objective is to raise the > public's awareness of fraudulent activity in the retail foreign currency > (forex) futures and option markets and to highlight the Commission's > enforcement activities in this area. > > Prior to joining the CFTC, Mr. Dunn served as Director of the Office of > Policy and Analysis at the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) where he managed > the two FCA divisions responsible for developing regulations and public > policy positions for applicable statutes as well as promoted the safety and > soundness of the Farm Credit System (FCS). Prior to this position, Mr. Dunn > served briefly as a member of the FCA Board. > > Mr. Dunn has also served as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and > Regulatory Programs, Acting Under Secretary for Rural Economic and Community > Development, and as Administrator of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) > at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). > > Mr. Dunn has had a long involvement in agricultural credit dating back to > the late 1970s, when he was the Midwest Area Director for the FmHA. He has > been a loan officer and vice president of the Farm Credit Banks of Omaha and > has served as a member of the Professional Staff of the Senate Agriculture > Committee, specializing in agricultural credit. At the USDA, Mr. Dunn also > served as a member of the Commodity Credit Corporation and Rural Telephone > Bank Board. He is a past member of the Iowa Development Commission and has > served as the Chairman of the State of Iowa's City Development Board. > > A native of Keokuk, Iowa and a current resident of Harpers Ferry, West > Virginia, Mr. Dunn received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of > New Mexico > > David J. Hayes > > LATHAM & WATKINS LLP > 555 Eleventh Street, NW Suite 1000 > Washington, DC 20004-1304 > Direct Tel: (202) 637-2204 > Fax: (202) 637-2201 > E-mail: David.Hayes@lw.com > www.lw.com > > > ******************************************************************************* > To comply with IRS regulations, we advise you that any discussion of Federal > tax issues in this e-mail was not intended or written to be used, and cannot > be used by you, (i) to avoid any penalties imposed under the Internal > Revenue Code or (ii) to promote, market or recommend to another party any > transaction or matter addressed herein. > For more information please go to http://www.lw.com/docs/irs.pdf > ******************************************************************************* > This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or > attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. 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