Obama announces plans to nominate Young-Holmes to key administration post

President to Name Former GU Trustee to National Council on Disability

President Barack Obama announced on Friday, June 25 that he plans to nominate Pamela Young-Holmes, Class of 1974 and a former Gallaudet trustee, as a member of the National Council on Disability.

Young-Holmes is director of consumer and regulatory affairs and director of CapTel customer service for Ultratec, Inc, a communications technology company that designs equipment to make telephone access more convenient and reliable for deaf and hard of hearing people. She served on Gallaudet’s Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2007–her final year as chair of the board. As a trustee, Young-Holmes was a member of the Financial and Institutional Affairs and National Deaf Education committees, as well as the Executive Committee and the Committee on Trustees.

According to a White House press release, Young-Holmes, an Ultratec employee since 1987, has worked extensively on issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and has become a recognized expert on communication access related matters pertaining to the ADA. She previously worked at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and served as a consultant for public-school mainstream programs for deaf and hard of hearing students for four Wisconsin public school systems. She also taught deaf and hard of hearing students in mainstream programs in Madison, Wis. Young-Holmes was appointed to the U.S. Access Board in 1994 and 1997, and was elected chair of the board in 2001. During her tenure on the board, Young-Holmes played a lead role in the development of accessibility guidelines for telecommunications equipment and Federal Electronic and Information Technology. She currently serves as a member of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission Universal Service Fund Council.

The White House announcement said the president also plans to nominate the following individuals to other key administration posts:

• “Robert P. Jackson, ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon, Department of State”
• James F. Jeffrey, ambassador to the Republic of Iraq, Department of State
• Alejandro D. Wolff, ambassador to the Republic of Chile, Department of State

Ramona Emilia Romero, general counsel, Department of Agriculture