Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa covering President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. government, UN, IMF, World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington and New York.
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate several individuals at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the International Joint Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Those nominated included Carlos Felipe Uriarte, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice; Gerald H. Acker, Nominee for Commissioner & Chair of the International Joint Commission; Annie Caputo, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Bradley R. Crowell, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
You can read their official bios below as released by the White House,
Carlos Felipe Uriarte, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice
Carlos Uriarte currently serves as Vice President, Regulatory Counsel at Unite Us, a technology company that connects health and social care providers. He previously served as Chief Counsel for Investigations on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC), and as Counsel to Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and to Representative Judy Chu (D-CA). Uriarte also served in the Obama-Biden Administration as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice, and as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of the Interior. Uriarte’s began his service on Capitol Hill as a law clerk to then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA).
Uriarte holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and a B.A., magna cum laude, in Economics and American Culture Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. After law school, Uriarte served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Juan R. Sánchez of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Gerald H. Acker, Nominee for Commissioner & Chair of the International Joint Commission
Gerald H. Acker is an attorney who has been involved in law and policy in Michigan for 40 years. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Goodman Acker PC, a law firm that specializes in dispute resolutions between individuals and insurance companies. In 2010, Acker was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve on the Board of Directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Acker was previously appointed to the Board of Directors of the Mediation Tribunal Association of Wayne County, where he helped to ensure fair and equitable alternative dispute resolution in Michigan’s largest county. In 2009, he served as the President of the Michigan Association of Justice, the largest pro civil justice organization in Michigan. Acker has also served on the Board of Directors for the Hebrew Free Loan Association and as a Chairperson for the State Bar of Michigan, Attorney Grievance Commission.
Acker has a B.G.S. from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from Wayne State University. He is married to Caryn, a retired teacher, and has two children and five grandchildren.
Annie Caputo, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Annie Caputo currently consults with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) regarding international collaboration on advanced nuclear reactors. Prior to her work at INL, Caputo served as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), assisting the Committee with issues related to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s infrastructure. Preceding her SASC assignment, Caputo served as a Commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for three years until the term expired in June 2021.
Caputo previously served as a professional staff member and senior policy advisor for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Committee on Energy & Commerce from 2005 to 2018. Prior to her positions on Capitol Hill, she worked for Exelon Corporation and its predecessor company Commonwealth Edison, holding positions in both nuclear fuel and government affairs. Caputo has also served on the Board of the American Nuclear Society. Caputo earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two children.
Bradley R. Crowell, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Bradley R. Crowell serves as Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Crowell was first appointed as Director in 2016 by former Governor Brian Sandoval and was reappointed by Governor Steve Sisolak in 2019. At DCNR, he leads approximately 1000 employees across 8 divisions and manages a nearly $300 million biennial budget. Crowell has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of energy, environment, natural resources, climate change, and national security, including executive leadership positions in federal and state government. Prior to his current role, he worked for multiple Members of Congress, including former Nevada Governor and Senator Richard Bryan (D-NV) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Crowell served in the Obama-Biden Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2010-2016, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2013 as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Crowell resides in Reno, Nevada, with his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Claypool and their 1-year-old daughter Hazel, and is a native of Carson City, Nevada.
