Delahunt, Schuster to represent US at UN

WHITE HOUSE BIOS

Elaine Schuster, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Elaine Schuster is a philanthropist, health care and education advocate, and civic activist. She sits on the corporation of Partners Health Care and has been honored by Franciscan Children’s Hospital for her work in raising its visibility and generating financial support. She has received the Heritage Society Award from the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, where she serves on the Trust Board and the Women’s Health Forum. For eight years, Mrs. Schuster was a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts. She also founded the Brandeis Center for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, where she is a board member of the Women’s Research Program. Mrs. Schuster has served as New England Chair of the Democratic Women’s Leadership Forum, and the Massachusetts State Democratic Party has honored her for her work on behalf of the Democratic values. Mrs. Schuster co-founded one of the nation’s leading community-based network centers, called PEACE, which provides mentoring, tutoring, and life skill training for inner-city children.

Laura Gore Ross, Nominee for Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Laura Gore Ross is currently on the board of directors of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and a member of Senator Charles E. Schumer’s Judicial Screening Panel. She is an attorney in New York City and previously worked as Chief of Staff for the State of New York Attorney General’s office and as Chief Counsel for New York State Senator Roy Goodman. She has volunteered for numerous political campaigns, and was most recently the National Finance Chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College and J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Wellington E. Webb, Nominee for Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Wellington E. Webb is a former Mayor of Denver, Colorado and is currently CEO of Webb International, a consulting firm. From 1991 to 2003, Webb served as Denver’s Mayor, the first African-American to hold this post. His years in office are noted for his efforts regarding the South Platte River Corridor Project, which involved commercial and residential redevelopment as well as reclamation of park land along the South Platte River in central Denver, and the creation of the successful Denver Health Authority, which was formerly the County Public Hospital. Prior to Webb's tenure as Mayor, he served as Denver City Auditor from 1987 to 1991, and as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies in the Cabinet of Governor Richard Lamm from 1981 to 1987. He holds a B.A. from Colorado State College and an M.A. from the University of Northern Colorado. Mr. Webb serves on the boards of Maximas Corporation, Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, and the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce.

Congressman William Delahunt, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Representative from the State of Massachusetts)
Congressman William D. Delahunt has represented the Tenth Congressional District of Massachusetts since 1997. He serves as a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight. This Subcommittee conducts oversight of the State Department, foreign aid and export assistance programs, arms control, democracy promotion, and policies towards the United Nations and its affiliated organizations. The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over policies that promote human rights and international cooperation. With two decades of experience as a prosecutor and a commitment to civil rights, Rep. Delahunt also serves on the Judiciary Committee. As a District Attorney he developed the first prosecutorial unit focused on domestic violence in the United States, and prototype programs to combat violence against women that became models for prosecutors nationally and abroad. Rep. Delahunt also serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Coast Guard Caucus; House Older Americans Caucus; and the Congressional Working Group on Cuba. A 1963 graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, Mr. Delahunt later went on to earn a law degree from Boston College in 1967. From 1963 to 1971 he served in the Coast Guard Reserve.

Congressman Chris Smith, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Representative from the State of New Jersey)
A Member of the United States House of Representatives since 1981, Congressman Chris Smith was sworn into office at the age of 27. Smith currently serves as a senior Republican member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, and a member of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. He is also the Ranking Member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and is the Dean of the New Jersey Congressional delegation. Rep Smith has also authored thematic human rights legislation, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Torture Victims Relief Act. Rep. Smith has played a key role in promoting human rights reforms in a number of countries including the former Soviet Union, Romania, Vietnam, China, Sudan, Ireland, and Cuba. He holds a B.A. from Trenton State College.