Question: Karen Clark Stanton was nominated by a President who previously served as the Senator from which state?
Context: Allan H. Kittleman (born October 20, 1958), an American Republican politician, is the ninth and current county executive for Howard County, Maryland since 1, 2014 .  Kittleman previously served as a Maryland State Senator from 2004 to 2014, representing the 9th district covering Howard and Carroll Counties, and was Senate Minority Leader from 2008 to 2011.  He also previously served on the Howard County Council from 1998 to 2004. Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017.  He is the first African American to have served as president.  He previously served in the U.S. Senate representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and in the Illinois State Senate from 1997 to 2004. East Timor-United States relations are bilateral relations between East Timor and the United States.  Karen Clark Stanton is the current U.S. ambassador to East Timor. Keith Faber (born January 19, 1966) is a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 84th district, which includes Mercer County as well as portions of Auglaize, Darke and Shelby counties.  Faber previously served as 94th President of the Ohio Senate and as the state senator for the 12th District.  He also previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the same district, from 2001 to 2007.  He is a Republican. Vitaliano "Vit" Napeñas Aguirre II (born October 16, 1946) is a Filipino lawyer from Quezon.  On May 18, 2016, he was nominated as Secretary of the Department of Justice under President Rodrigo Duterte, which he accepted on the same day.  He previously served as Vice President and chief legal counsel of Clark Development Corporation under former President Benigno Aquino III.  He gained wide public attention in 2012 during the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona when he was cited for contempt after he was caught covering his ears while being lectured by the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. Michael Evanoff is an American security expert and government official.  He has been nominated by President Donald Trump to become the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security.  Since 2014, Evanoff has served as Vice President for Asset Protection & Security for Walmart.  He previously served as Chief Security Officer at Coca-Cola and as Global Director of Security at Och-Ziff Capital Management.  From 1985 to 2011, he served as a special agent in the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, where he held senior positions with the Overseas Security Advisory Council, NATO Office of Security, Secretary of State protection detail, and eight U.S. missions overseas.  In his capacity at the State Department, he provided personal protection services to former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Darragh O'Brien (born 8 July 1974) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Fingal constituency, upon being elected at the 2016 general election.  He previously served as Leader of the Opposition in the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad from 2011 to 2016.  He served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2011 to 2016.  He previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North constituency from 2007 to 2011. Karen Clark Stanton (born 1955) is a diplomat and the United States Ambassador to East Timor.  Stanton was nominated by President Barack Obama July 31, 2013 and confirmed by the Senate November 19, 2014. Robert (Bob) K. Knight began serving as the president of Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, in August 2007.  Knight previously served as interim president from September 2006 after serving as acting president of the college from July to September 2006.  Knight, who joined Clark College in 2004 as vice president of Administrative Services, received his undergraduate degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and earned an executive MBA at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.  He has done postgraduate work in organizational effectiveness at Chapman University in Fort Lewis, Washington.  Knight served more than 21 years in the United States Army as an infantry officer before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.  His last duty in the army was as commander of Vancouver Barracks in Vancouver, Washington. William Samoei arap Ruto (born 21 December 1966) is a Kenyan politician who has been Deputy President of Kenya since 2013.  He served as the Acting President of Kenya between 5 and 8 October 2014 while President Uhuru Kenyatta was away at the Hague.  He previously served in various ministerial positions including the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Higher Education.  He was Secretary General of KANU, the former ruling political party, and MP for Eldoret North Constituency between December 1997 and January 2013.  He won the seat in the 1997 Kenyan election after defeating Reuben Chesire.  He was appointed to the position of Assistant Minister in the Office of the President by President Daniel arap Moi in 1998.  He was promoted to be Minister for Home Affairs in August 2002.  He also previously served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Reform in the 9th Parliament.
Answer: Illinois