For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 12, 2001

President Bush Announces Seven Positions within His Administration

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate seven individuals for positions within his administration.

Richard Lee Armitage has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary of State. Presently he is the President of Armitage Associates.  In the past he has served with the rank of Ambassador as the Coordinator for Technical and Humanitarian Assistance to the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.  President George H.W. Bush appointed him as a Presidential Special Negotiator for the Philippines Military Base Agreement, a Special Mediator for Water in the Middle East and as a Special Emissary to Jordan during the 1991 Gulf War.  Previously he served in the Pentagon as Assistant Secretary of Defense and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.  He has received the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal four times, the Presidential Citizen's Award, the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.  He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and then completed four tours of duty in Vietnam. He is now a resident of Vienna, Virginia.

Dr. Dov Zakheim has been nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Defense and Comptroller.  He is presently the CEO of SPC International, and in the past he has served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Planning and Resources as well as in a variety of Defense Department positions under former President Reagan.  He was a member of the Task Force on Defense Reform under then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen and in February of 2000 he was appointed to the Defense Science Board Task Force on the Impact of DoD Acquisition Policies on the Health of the Defense Industry.  He has received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal; the Bronze Palm to the DoD Distinguished Public Service Medal and the CBO Director's Award for Outstanding Service.  A New York native, Dr. Zakheim is a graduate of Columbia University and has also studied at the London School of Economics.  He received his doctorate degree from St. Anthony's College at Oxford University.

Thelma J. Askey has been nominated to be a Commissioner of the United States International Trade Commission.  Ms. Askey previously served as a Commissioner with the International Trade Commission after being nominated by former President Clinton, and her term expired in December of 2000.  She has also served with the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.  Originally from Millington, Tennessee, she holds her B.A. from Tennessee Technological University and has completed graduate work in international economics at American University.

Kenneth I. Juster has been nominated to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration.  Mr. Juster is currently a Senior Partner with the law firm of Arnold & Porter.   A native of Scarsdale, New York, he received his bachelor's degree, master's degree in public policy and law degree from Harvard University.  During the George H.W. Bush Administration, he served as the Counselor of the U.S. State Department as well as the Deputy and Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger.  In 1993, he was awarded the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and Medal.

Faryar Shirzad has been nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration. Most recently he served as the International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee.   After growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, Mr. Shirzad received his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, his master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Theodore William Kassinger has been nominated to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce.  Mr. Kassinger is presently a partner with Vinson & Elkins. In the past he has served as the International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee as well as an Advisor at the Department of State.  A native of Athens, Georgia, he received both his bachelor's and law degrees from University of Georgia.

Scott Whitaker has been nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Legislation.  Presently he is a policy advisor in the office of Assistant Senate Majority Leader Don Nickles.  A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, he is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic College and received his masters degree from Johns Hopkins University.

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