Joe Garcia Goes to Energy, Other NDNers in the Administration

Yesterday the White House announced that long time NDNer Joe Garcia had been named to be the new Director of Minority Economic Impact at the Department of Energy.   We of course are proud of Joe, and look forward to working with him closely in the exciting days ahead. 

Joe joins other NDN alums in the new Administration.  Former NDN Advisory Board Members Ron Kirk, Ken Salazar, Adolfo Carrion and Karen Kornbluh are now United States Trade Representative, Secretary of the Interior, Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs and Ambassador to the OECD.   Both Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and the new Ambassador to India Tim Roemer were active with NDN during their days in the US House.  NDN and New Policy Institute authors and collaborators Alec Ross, Tom Kalil and Kenneth Baer are now Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Innovation, Deputy Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Communications Director for the Office of Management and Budget.  And former NDN intern and staffer Patrick Dillon is now, excitedly, Deputy Political Director in the White House itself.

As NDN matures it has been very gratifying to see people we have collaborated closely with rise to positions of influence throughout the government and center-left politics.  There is certainly a longer list I could site today - including former NDN Board Member Kirstin Gillibrand, now Senator from New York - but for now I will sit back, thank and congratulate the talented group of NDN friends who are serving the country at this time of great challenge - and heartily wish them well.