For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 13, 2005

Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate two individuals and appoint four individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends nominate Michael R. Arietti, of Connecticut, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Rwanda. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Arietti recently served as Director of the Office of West African Affairs at the Department of State. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. Prior to that, Mr. Arietti was Director of the Office of Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Operations at the Department of State. He received his bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University.

The President intends to nominate Karan K. Bhatia, of Maryland, to be Deputy United States Trade Representative, with the Rank of Ambassador. Mr. Bhatia currently serves as Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the Department of Transportation. He previously served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. Prior to that, Mr. Bhatia served as Chief Counsel for the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export Administration. Earlier in his career, he was an equity partner at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, DC. Mr. Bhatia received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University, his master's degree from the London School of Economics, and his JD from Columbia Law School.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, for the remainder of three-year terms expiring September 22, 2008.

Jean Loretta Becker of Texas

Linnet F. Deily of Texas

Thomas E. Corts of Alabama

Yousif Boutrous Ghafari of Michigan

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