Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:
John Cotton Richmond of Virginia, to be the Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking at the Department of State.
Mr. Richmond is the founder of the Human Trafficking Institute, a nonprofit that works inside criminal justice systems to decimate modern slavery by empowering police and prosecutors to stop traffickers. Previously, he served as the Special Litigation Counsel with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and as a founding member of the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Additionally, he served as Field Office Director at the International Justice Mission in Chennai, India and is a two time recipient of the Department of Homeland Security’s Outstanding Investigative Accomplishments in Human Trafficking Award. Mr. Richmond earned his B.A. from the University of Mary Washington and J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Kathleen Ann Kavalec of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Albania.
Ms. Kavalec currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State with over three decades of experience as an American diplomat. Previously, she served as the Director of the Office of Russian Affairs, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris, France, Deputy Coordinator for Assistance in the European Bureau, and Director for Conflict Prevention in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. Ms. Kavalec earned her A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley and M.S. from Georgetown University. She speaks French, Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese fluently.
Francisco Luis Palmieri of Connecticut, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Honduras.
Mr. Palmieri currently serves as Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State and brings over thirty years of experience as an American diplomat to his position. During his three decades of service as an American diplomat, he spent time at five U.S. Missions overseas and held senior leadership positions in within the Department of State domestically. Mr. Palmieri earned his A.B. from Princeton University and M.S. from the National War College. He speaks Spanish fluently.