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Obama Nominates Jay Williams to Be Assistant Commerce Secretary
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Jay Williams, the city's former mayor, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to head the Economic Development Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. The nomination is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Obama also announced today that former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has been appointed as alternate representative to the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Williams would become the assistant secretary for economic development at the Commerce Department. He was appointed ifn 2011 as the director of the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers at the U.S. Department of Labor. A native of Youngtown, Williams is a graduate of Youngstown State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He served as mayor from 2006 to 2011. Before becoming mayor, he was executive director of the city's Community Develoipment Agency. He also served as an executive with First Place Bank in Warren, and as an examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Said U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio, in a prepared statement: "I am delighted that my friend Jay Williams has been appointed to this important position. President Obama couldn’t have chosen a better or more qualified person to take over the immense responsibility that comes with this job. Whether it was as Mayor of Youngstown or Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers at the Department of Labor, Jay has consistently impressed and exceeded expectations, and I am certain he will find success in his newest endeavor as he works to better the lives of Ohioans and Americans across the United States. I look forward to continuing our working partnership in the effort to bring the same successes we have seen in northeast Ohio to the nation," Ryan said.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also issued a statement praising the nomination of Williams. "I congratulate Jay Williams on being nominated as the Commerce Department’s assistant secretary for economic development,” Brown said. “As President Obama’s top adviser for auto communities, Jay understands how to strengthen the economies of the Mahoning Valley and United States. Jay was instrumental in helping communities take the next steps following the auto rescue, which helped save the one in every eight Ohio jobs connected to the auto industry. In fact, industry sales in August were at a postrecession high of more than 16 million. If appointed, Williams would continue to serve his country and hometown honorably," Brown said.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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