Michael Froman (born August 20, 1962) is Assistant to the President of the United States and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, a position to be held jointly at the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. His responsibilities will include serving as the United States sherpa to the G7, G8, and G20 summits of economic powers.[2] On May 2, 2013, President Obama nominated him to succeed Ambassador Ron Kirk as the U.S. Trade Representative.[3]
Michael Froman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 20, 1962 |
| Alma mater | Princeton University University of Oxford Harvard University |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Nancy Goodman |
| Children | 3 Benjamin Froman Sarah Froman Jacob Froman (deceased) |
Education
Froman received an A.B. in Public and International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University in 1985, a Ph.D. in International Relations from Oxford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School where he was a classmate of Barack Obama,[4][5] and also an associate of Obama's on the Harvard Law Review.[6]
Career
Prior to joining the Obama administration, Froman was a managing director at Citigroup, where he managed infrastructure and sustainable development investments.[7] He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of CitiInsurance, head of Emerging Markets Strategy at Citigroup and a Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.[4] He also spent much of his career within the United States Department of the Treasury,[4] where he served as Chief of Staff between January 1997 and July 1999, having previously held the role of Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eurasia and the Middle East. As Deputy Assistant Secretary his work related to economic policy towards the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe, as well as economic components of the Dayton Accords.[4] Between January 1993 and December 1995, Froman was director for International Economic Affairs on the National Economic Council and the National Security Council.[4]
Froman and Obama were not in touch after their time at Harvard until Obama's Senate run when Froman volunteered to advise Obama on policy and introduced Obama to Robert Rubin, whom Froman had followed from the Treasury Department to Citigroup after the Clinton administration.[6] He also served on 12-member advisory board of the Obama campaign’s transition team.[2]
Prior to his work in the federal government, Froman served as liaison of the American Bar Association's Central and East European Law Initiative (CEELI) legal assistance program in Albania. He was also a member of the Forward Studies Unit of the European Commission in Brussels.[4]
Personal
Froman lives in New York City with his wife, Nancy Goodman.[6] They have one son, Benjamin Froman, and one daughter, Sarah Froman. His older son, Jacob Froman, died in 2009 at age ten from a medulloblastoma, a rare form of pediatric brain cancer.
Froman grew up in San Francisco, and was very active in BBYO, becoming the 56th Grand Aleph Godol (International president) in 1980. Froman had the honor to speak at the BBYO International Convention in Washington, D.C. in February of 2013.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Jewish News Service Algemeiner: "Obama Cites US-Israel Bond in Jewish American Heritage Month Declaration" May 1, 2013
- ^ a b "Michael Froman '91 joins White House in joint security, economic post" Harvard Law School: New and Events, 2-3-09. Note updated 2-18-09.
- ^ Associated Press (2013-05-02) "Obama nominates economic adviser Michael Froman as next US trade representative", The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ a b c d e f "Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Commission on Private Sector and Development". Retrieved 2008-11-06. A UNDP initiative.
- ^ "Obama's Handful: The New Yorkers Who May Be Going to Washington by Jason Horowitz, The New York Observer, 10-28-08". Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ^ a b c "Candidates for Obama's Inner Circle | MICHAEL FROMAN" by Jodi Kantor, The New York Times, Nov. 19, 2008. Retrieved 2-18-09./
- ^ NY Times on Obama Aides, 4 April 2009, "[1]"