NS&D Monitor
1/24/2014
IN THE WHITE HOUSE
The White House officially announced this week that President Obama would attend the third Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands in March. The announcement comes as no surprise considering it was Obama that established the Nuclear Security Summit process in 2010 when the United States hosted the inaugural event. Obama attended the second summit in 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. The third summit will take place March 24-25 and will be hosted by the Dutch government. “World leaders will highlight progress made to secure nuclear materials and commit to future steps to prevent nuclear terrorism,” the White House said.
IN CONGRESS
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) announced this week that he will be running for governor of Louisiana in the 2015 election. Vitter made waves in the Department of Energy last October when he placed a hold on Elizabeth Robinson’s nomination to serve as the new Under Secretary for Management and Performance, who has yet to be confirmed.”This decision will in no way limit the critical work I’m doing today in the U.S. Senate. Representing you and your family will continue to be me top priority. But I believe as our next governor I can have a bigger impact addressing the unique challenges and opportunities we face in Louisiana,” Vitter said in a video posted online.
IN THE INDUSTRY
Merrick & Company announced a host of management changes late last week, naming Senior Vice President Christopher Sherry as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and appointing Vice President Scott Gustafson to the company’s Board of Directors. Merrick also promoted Senior Vice President Robert Berglund to lead corporate business development efforts, and said Senior Vice President David Sprenkle has been promoted to lead the company’s mergers and acquisitions where he will be in charge of “advancing the firm’s programs in acquiring new resources in Merrick’s target markets.”
