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Home > News & Policies > Nominations by Name

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 31, 2001

President Bush to Nominate Ten Individuals to Serve in His Administration

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate ten individuals to serve in his administration.

The President intends to nominate Alex Azar, III to be General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services. He is currently a Partner with the law firm of Wiley, Rein and Fielding in Washington, D.C., and is formerly an Associate with Kirkland and Ellis. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Yale Law School.

The President intends to nominate Theresa Alvillar-Speake to be the Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact in the Department of Energy. She is presently the Manager of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Programs for the State of California Department of Transportation. From 1997 to 2000, she served as Assistant Director of Business Relations for the California Employment Development Department, and from 1994 to 1997 she was Executive Director and is also the founder of NEDA San Joaquin Valley. She served at the Department of Commerce from 1991 to 1993 as the Assistant Director for Program Development in the Minority Business Development Agency. She is a graduate of California State University and received an MBA from Golden Gate University.

The President intends to nominate Sharee M. Freeman to be Director of the Community Relations Service in the Department of Justice for a term of four years. She currently serves as Full Committee Counsel for the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary and committee liaison to the Subcommittee on the Courts. Before joining the House Judiciary Committee, she served in the Office of the Solicitor in the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1984 to 1997. Freeman is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

The President intends to nominate Bruce Cole to be Chairperson of the National Endowment of the Humanities for a term of four years. He is a professor of Fine Arts and Comparative Literature at the Hope School of Fine Arts at Indiana University. He was appointed in 1992 to the National Council on the Humanities and served until 1999. Cole is a graduate of Western Reserve University and Oberlin College and received his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College.

The President intends to nominate Roger Francisco Noriega to be the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the Organization of America States, with the rank of Ambassador. He is presently a Professional Staff Member on the Committee on Foreign Relations for the U.S. Senate, and from 1994 to 1997, he was a Professional Staff Member of the House Committee on Foreign Relations. He served at the OAS as the Public and Congressional Affairs Officer from 1993 to 1994 and served at the Department of State as Senior Policy Advisor and Alternate U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS. Originally from Kansas, he is a graduate of Washburn University.

The President intends to nominate Ross J. Connelly to be Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. He is currently a private business consultant and most recently was affiliated with Viking Trade and Development Company. He served as President of NorthGas Ltd. In Moscow/Novi Urengoi, Russia from 1993 to 1995. Connelly joined the Bechtel Corporation in 1977 as an Investment and Financial Representative and in 1982 became a Senior Principal and then Managing Principal for Bechtel Investments. In 1991 he was named President of Bechtel Energy Resources Corporation where he served until 1993. A resident of Biddeford, Maine, he is a graduate of Duke University and received a Master's degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

The President intends to nominate Patricia deStacy Harrison to be Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. She was a founding partner of E. Bruce Harrison and Company and President of AEF Harrison International. She is a former member of the President's Export Council and was appointed by President Bush to the U.S. Trade Representative's Policy Advisory Council. She is a graduate of American University.

The President intends to nominate Kirk Van Tine to be General Counsel of the Department of Transportation. He is currently a Partner with the law firm of Baker and Botts in Washington, D.C., where he is in charge of the firm's litigation process. A former member of the U.S. Navy, he is a graduate of the Naval Academy and the University of Virginia Law School.

The President intends to nominate Ellen G. Engleman to be Administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration at the Department of Transportation. She currently serves as President and CEO of Electricore, Inc., a non-profit research and development consortium that develops advanced transportation and energy technologies through federal public/private partnerships. From 1993 to 1994 she was the Director of Corporate and Government Affairs for Direct Relief International and was a Public Affairs Executive with GTE from 1987 to 1992. A resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, she is a graduate of Indiana University, received a law degree from Indiana University Law School and a Master's of Public Administration from Harvard University.

The President intends to nominate Sheila C. Bair to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. She is currently a consultant to the Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, and from 1995 to 2000 she was Senior Vice President of the NYSE for Government Relations. From 1991 to 1995, Bair served as Commissioner on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Originally from Kansas, she is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Law School.

Jon A. Hansen, the intended nominee to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration, has requested that his name be withdrawn.

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