Kendrick Meek among Obama Nominees to the United Nations

President Barack Obama will nominate former Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek as one of three U.S. representatives to the United Nations General Assembly, which opens its next session September 13 in New York.

Obama will also nominate Mary B. DeRosa and Frank E. Loy, according to the White House.

If confirmed by the Senate, the nominees will serve with the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations, under the leadership of Ambassador Susan E. Rice. The U.S. delegation assists the president and secretary of state in conducting American policy at the United Nations.

“I am extremely proud and honored to be nominated by President Obama to serve the country at this level,” said Meek. “I greatly look forward to working closely with the president, Secretary of State Clinton, and Ambassador Rice at the upcoming 66th session of the U.N. General Assembly, and I am dedicated to representing the interests of our country to the best of my abilities.”

Meek, a Florida native who served in both houses of the Florida Legislature before his election to Congress, would come to the position with a rich national security, military and foreign policy background.

As a congressman, Meek served on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security and the House Armed Services Committee. He has close ties with the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), as well as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In the areas of diplomacy, Meek has engaged in high-level trade and security dialogue with leaders of Haiti, Cuba, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and several Europe nations.

A former captain of the Florida Highway Patrol, Meek is the president of KBM Solutions LLC, a consulting firm focusing on disaster recovery, humanitarian assistance and emergency medical relief. He is also the chairman of the editorial board of Politic365. Meek is a 1989 graduate of Florida A&M University.

DeRosa is an attorney who served as counsel in several key national security positions and a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She also held positions in the Clinton administration and on the Obama-Biden Transition Team.

Loy was the undersecretary for global affairs at the State Department from 1998 to 2001. He also served as director of the department’s bureau of refugee programs and deputy assistant for economic affairs. Additionally, Loy would bring extensive experience from the business sector if confirmed.

President Obama also announced five appointments to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council: Jack Baylis, David J. Grain, Donald R. Knauss, Constance H. Lau and Beverly A. Scott.

The council provides advice on security of the critical infrastructure sectors and information system to the president, through the secretary of Homeland Security. The council consists of a maximum of 30 members from private industry, academia, and state and local government.