December 3, 2008
Daily Lobo
Caldera selected for White House position
Staff Report
Former UNM President Louis Caldera will be Barack Obama's director of the White House Military Office, the president-elect announced Tuesday.
"Louis has served his country with distinction in uniform and in government, and his pedigree is second-to-none," Obama said in a statement. "I know he'll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post, from secretary of the Army to university president."
Caldera, a tenured professor in the UNM School of Law, served as managing director of the Corporation for National & Community Service under President Clinton and was appointed Army secretary in 1998.
As director of the White House Military Office - a position that does not require Senate approval - Caldera will oversee the White House's military needs, including Air Force One and Camp David.
Caldera, who supported Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries, served as an officer in the Army and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
In an e-mail to law students, dean Leo Romero said the School of Law is debating what to do with the courses assigned to Caldera for the spring semester and will work out a solution as soon as possible.