Home > News & Policies > June 2001

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 21, 2001

President George W. Bush Today Announced His Intention to Nominate Ten
Individuals to Serve in His Administration and His Nomination of Two

individuals to serve as members of the Federal Judiciary. The President intends to nominate Peter Russell Chaveas to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Sierra Leone.  A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, he has served as Political Advisor at EUCOM in Stuttgart since 1997.  From 1994 to 1997, he served as Chief of Mission in Malawi.  At the Department of State, he was Director of West African Affairs, Director of Southern African Affairs and twice served as an International Economist in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.  He has held a variety of overseas posts including Principal Officer in Johannesburg and Political Officer in Lagos.  Originally from Pennsylvania, he is a graduate of Denison University and received a Master's degree from Rutgers University. The President intends to nominate Hilda Gay Legg to be Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service in the Department of Agriculture.  She has served since 1994 as the Executive Director and CEO of the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, Kentucky, and was the Alternate Federal Co-Chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission from 1990 to 1993.  She is a member of numerous education related and civic boards including the Kentucky Appalachian Commission and the Council on Postsecondary Education. She is a graduate of Campbellsville College and received a Master's degree from Western Kentucky University. The President intends to nominate Mark Edward Rey to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment.  He is presently a Professional Staff Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and from 1992 to 1994, he served as Vice President for Forest Resources at the American Forest and Paper Association.   Rey was Executive Director of the American Forest Resource Alliance from 1989 to 1992, and served as Vice President of Public Forestry Programs at the National Forest Products Association from 1984 to 1989.  He completed his undergraduate study and received a Master's degree in Natural Resources Policy and Administration from the University of Michigan. The President intends to nominate Nancy Victory to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.  She has been with the law firm of Wiley, Rein and Fielding since 1989 and is currently a Partner. She is a graduate of Princeton University and received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. The President intends to nominate Robert Pasternack to be Assistant Secretary of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Department of Education.  He is currently the State Director of Special Education at the New Mexico State Department of Education.  From 1994 to 1998, he served as CEO of Casa de Corazon, a children's comprehensive community mental health center.  He has also served as Director of Clinical Services for Taos/Colfax Community Services, Inc. and as the Superintendent of the New Mexico Boys? School.   He is a member of numerous professional organizations including the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, of which he serves as Chairperson.  Pasternack is a graduate of the University of South Florida, received a Master's degree from New Mexico Highlands University and a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. The President intends to nominate Joanne M. Wilson to be Commissioner of the Rehabilitative Services Administration at the Department of Education. She is Founder and Director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind and also serves as a consultant to the Connecticut Board of Education and Services for the Blind, the New Jersey Orientation and Adjustment Center for the Blind and the New York Commission for the Blind.  Wilson was formerly a Continuing Education Instructor at Louisiana Tech University where she taught Braille and Mobility for Blind Students.  She taught second and fourth grade in Ames, Iowa.  She is the Founder and Chairperson of the Louisiana Rehabilitation Services Council and is a member of numerous other civic and professional organizations.  She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Iowa State University. The President intends to nominate Marianne Lamont Horinko to be Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for the Office of Solid Waste.  She has served since 1992 as President of Clay Associates, a public policy firm devoted to hazardous waste issues.  From 1990 to 1993, she served as an Attorney-Advisor to the Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response at the EPA.  Horinko was previously with the law firm of Morgan, Lewis and Bockius and served as a Staff Scientist from 1983 to 1986 at ENVIRON Corporation. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. The President intends to nominate Kenneth M. Donohue, Sr., to be Inspector General at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  He is presently the President of the Mikadon Group, an international management and security consultation firm.  From 1990 to 1997, he served as Assistant Director of the FDIC's Resolution Trust Corporation and was with the Secret Service from 1969 to 1990, retiring as a Senior Special Agent.  He received a Master's degree from the University of Maryland Coppin State, and he is a Certified Fraud Examiner. The President intends to nominate Michael Minoru Fawn Liu to be Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Public and Indian Housing. He is currently the Sr. Vice President and Community Investment Officer for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.  From 1994 to 1996, he served in the Hawaii State Senate, and he served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1991 to 1993 as Deputy Under Secretary for Small Community and Rural Development and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment.  He was a member of the Hawaii State House of Representatives first from 1980 to 1982 and then again from 1984 to 1990.  Liu is a graduate of Stanford University and received a J.D. from the University of Hawaii. The President intends to nominate Emily Stover DeRocco to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training.  She is currently the Executive Director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies and CEO of the Center for Employment Security Education and Research. From 1981 to 1983 and then again from 1985 to 1989, she served as Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior and Director of External Affairs, and from 1983 to 1985, she held the same position at the Department of Energy.  She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and received her law degree from Georgetown Law School. The President has nominated Harris L. Hartz to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit. The President will nominate Mary Ellen Coster Williams to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims.                                     ###