President Barack Obama has appointed Douglas Frantz, former national security editor for The Washington Post, to a top communications position with the Department of State, the White House announced Tuesday.
Frantz will take over for Michael Hammer, who was sworn in as the State Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs in March 2012.
Frantz has worked as a business reporter for the Los Angeles Times from 1987 to 1994 and served as an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune from 1978 to 1987. He has published numerous books covering topics such as nuclear proliferation, urban planning and bank fraud.
He will work closely with Secretary of State John Kerry, much like he did from 2009 to 2011 as deputy staff director and chief investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry chaired the committee at the time.
Frantz has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize twice and was a member of the New York Times team that received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2002 for coverage of the aftermath of 9/11.