For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 11, 2002

Recess Appointment
President Bush Announced the Recess Appointment of Otto Reich to be An Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs

President George W. Bush today announced the recess appointment of Otto J. Reich to be an Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The President announced the intention to nominate Mr. Reich on March 22, 2001, and his nomination was transmitted to the Senate on July 12, 2001.

Mr. Reich was most recently the President of RMA International Inc.  Reich served from 1986 to 1989 as U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela and received the State Department's Exemplary Service Award and Superior Honor Award.  He was Special Advisor to the Secretary of State from 1983 to 1986, during which time he established and managed the inter-agency Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, he was Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development from 1981 to 1983.  He received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina and a Master's degree from Georgetown University.

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