Clinton gets a little company at State

President-elect Barack Obama today named two deputies to serve under Hillary Clinton at the State Department.

James Steinberg and Jacob Lew will serve as deputy secretaries of State under Clinton. Steinberg is expected to be Clinton’s top advisor on policy issues, while Lew’s chief task will be securing additional financing for the diplomatic corps. Both nominations are subject to Senate confirmation, as is Clinton’s.

Steinberg and Lew both held key policy positions under President Clinton. Steinberg was deputy national security advisor from December 1996 to August 2000 and previously held leadership positions in the State Department. He currently is dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

Lew was director of the Office of Management and Budget from July 1998 until the end of the Clinton administration and previously served as deputy OMB director and special assistant to the president. He currently is managing director and chief operating offficer of financial management firm Citi Alternative Investments.