President Biden Announces Key Nominees

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following leaders to serve as key leaders in his administration: 

• Phillip (Phil) A. Washington, Nominee for Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
• Henry V. Jardine, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles
• Diane Kaplan, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Jeffrey R. Gural, Nominee for Chair of the Public Buildings Reform Board

Phillip (Phil) A. Washington, Nominee for Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration

Phillip A. Washington was nominated by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and unanimously confirmed by the Denver City Council as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Denver International Airport. Prior to this, Washington was the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). At Metro, Washington managed a budget of more than $8 billion and oversaw 11,000 employees that transported 1.2 million boarding passengers daily on a fleet of 2,200 clean-air buses and six rail lines. Washington also previously served as the CEO of Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and worked as the Assistant General Manager of RTD for nearly 10 years before being named CEO.

Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Washington is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army, where he held the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He retired from active duty, is a disabled veteran and was awarded the prestigious Defense Superior Service Medal for exceptional service to his country. He holds a B.A. in Business from Columbia College, and an M.A. in Management from Webster University.

Henry V. Jardine, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles

Henry V. Jardine is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He currently serves as the Director of the State Department’s Office for Career Development and Assignments in Washington, D.C. Previously, Jardine was the Principal Deputy Director of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations for the State Department and, prior to that, the Executive Director of the Bureau for Western Hemisphere Affairs. He also held leadership positions overseas as Management Counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania, and as Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata, India. Jardine also served at the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados and the U.S. Embassy, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prior to joining the State Department, Jardine served in the U.S. Army from 1989 – 1993. Jardine earned a B.S. Degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an M.S. Degree from the National Defense University. His foreign languages include Bengali, Thai, Spanish, German, and Albanian.

Diane Kaplan, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Diane Kaplan is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rasmuson Foundation, based in Anchorage, Alaska. As President and CEO, Kaplan’s approach to philanthropy raised the bar for funder partnership with business, government, and other nonprofits. Before joining the Foundation, Kaplan provided consulting services for philanthropic organizations, Native corporations and tribes, and nonprofit organizations. Prior to that, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Alaska’s 28-station public radio network. She serves on the board of United States Artists, and is a member of the Anchorage Homelessness Leadership Council, Anchorage Rotary Club, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco community advisory council, and Recover Alaska’s governance council. In 2019, Kaplan received the Anchorage ATHENA Society’s Leadership Award, the group’s highest honor. Kaplan earned a degree in Communications and Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude.

Jeffrey R. Gural, Nominee for Chair of the Public Buildings Reform Board

Jeffrey Gural is currently Chairman of GFP Real Estate LLC. Prior to his current role, Gural served in numerous roles at Newmark Knight Frank including as Chairman until 2017, after which he became Chairman Emeritus. Prior to that, he was a member of the staff of Diesel Construction Co., where he was responsible for the supervision and construction of more than one million square feet of new office space. Gural is a member of the Executive Committee of The Real Estate Board of New York, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Times Square Alliance, and member of the Board of Trustees of The New School. Gural was also Vice President of The Broadway Association, member of the Board of Directors of the Statue of Liberty Foundation, and President of The Realty Foundation of New York. Gural is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is married, has three grown children, five grandchildren and resides in Manhattan.

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