On Monday, President Barack Obama tapped Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency and Sylvia Burwell to lead the Office of Management and Budget. He also named Ernest Moniz as his new Energy Secretary.

The nominations, which must be confirmed by the Senate, came after the president faced criticism from many Democrats that earlier rounds of Cabinet nods didn’t feature enough women or minorities, CBS News notes.

Several high-level female appointees, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EPA chief Lisa Jackson and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis left the administration at the start of the President second term.

The new EPA head is the current assistant administrator of the agency’s Air and Radiation office. Burwell served under former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin during the Clinton administration. Moniz also previously served as an undersecretary in the Clinton administration.

In January, the president appointed Mary Jo White, a former U.S. Attorney, as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), replacing Mary Schapiro.

The opinions contained in this column are solely those of the writer.

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