Derek Kan, of California, to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Mr. Kan is currently the Executive Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. Prior to his current role, Mr. Kan was the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy.
Before joining the Trump Administration, Mr. Kan was the General Manager for Lyft in Southern California and a Director of the Amtrak Board, for which he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Previously, he was Director of Strategy at a startup in Silicon Valley and also worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Kan was a policy advisor to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Chief Economist for the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Before his time on Capitol Hill, Mr. Kan served as a Presidential Management Fellow at the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Mr. Kan received a B.S. from the University of Southern California, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.
Michael A. McCarthy, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Liberia.
Mr. McCarthy currently serves as Consul General of the United States Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa. Previously, Mr. McCarthy was the Office Director for the Office of Retirement in the Bureau of Human Resources at the State Department. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission for Embassy Juba in South Sudan.
Mr. McCarthy’s earlier assignments include service as the Management Officer at the United States Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany, the United States Embassy in New Delhi, India and the United States Embassy in Asmara, Eritrea.
Prior to these assignments, Mr. McCarthy was the Area Management Officer of the East Africa Division of the State Department’s Office of Overseas Buildings and Operations, and a Country Desk Officer in the Office of West African Affairs in the Bureau of African Affairs.
Before joining the Foreign Service, Mr. McCarthy was the Vice President of Marketing for Compro Systems, Inc., in Baltimore, MD. Mr. McCarthy received his B.S. from Tulane University. He speaks French, Spanish, and Thai.
Lucas N. Polakowski, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs.
Mr. Polakowski most recently served as the Managing Member of Everest Technology, LLC, a national security consulting firm.
Previously, Mr. Polakowski served in the United States Army for more than 36 years in a combination of active duty and reserve assignments, principally involving nuclear, chemical, and biological defense matters. His military service culminated in his role as the Deputy Director of the United States Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Commander of the Standing Joint Force Headquarters for WMD Elimination. He retired as a Major General in the United States Army Reserve.
Mr. Polakowski was twice awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and is a recipient of 13 Exceptional Performance Awards in his previous Federal Government service. He holds a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the United States Army War College, a Master of Science degree in Information Systems from The American University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from The Citadel.
Melvyn Evans Huff, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the National Science Board for a term of six years.
