WASHINGTON, D.C.—Providence native and La Salle Academy graduate Tom Donilon will become the next national security advisor to President Barack Obama, after the president announced in a Rose Garden press conference Friday that retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones will be stepping down from the post later this month.
Donilon, who currently serves as the deputy national security advisor, graduated from La Salle Academy in 1973. He went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree at The Catholic University of America in 1977 and a law degree in 1985 from the University of Virginia, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review.
In announcing the appointment, President Obama praised Donilon, noting there is “not a single critical national issue that has not crossed Tom’s desk during his White House service. He has a wealth of experience that will serve him well in his new assignment.”
Obama added that Donilon has “a probing intellect and remarkable work ethic.”
In commenting on the appointment, La Salle Principal Donald Kavanagh said, “Obviously, we are very proud that a La Salle Academy graduate has been chosen by President Obama to be his national security advisor.”
