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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 12, 2005

Personnel Announcement

April 12, 2005

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate five individuals and designate one individual to serve in his Administration: The President intends to nominate Alex M. Azar II, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mr. Azar currently serves as General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to joining the Administration, he was a partner in the law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding, in Washington, D.C. Earlier in his career, he clerked for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Azar received his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Yale Law School. The President intends to nominate David R. Hill, of Missouri, to be General Counsel at the Department of Energy. Mr. Hill currently serves as Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy at the Department of Energy. Prior to joining the Administration, he was a partner in the Kansas City, Missouri law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin. Before that, Mr. Hill was a partner at Wiley, Rein & Fielding, a Washington, D.C law firm. Earlier in his career, he served as Associate Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. Mr. Hill earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. The President intends to nominate Brian D. Montgomery, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Housing and Urban Development (Federal Housing Commissioner). Mr. Montgomery recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary. He previously served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Advance. Prior to joining the Administration, Mr. Montgomery was Director of Advance for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign. Earlier in his career, he served as Communications Director for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Texas Department of Economic Development. Mr. Montgomery received his bachelor's degree from the University of Houston. The President intends to nominate Phyllis F. Scheinberg, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation (Budgets and Programs) and upon appointment as Assistant Secretary, designate Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Scheinberg currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs at the Department of Transportation. She previously served as Director for Transportation Issues at the U.S. General Accounting Office. Earlier in her career, Ms. Scheinberg was senior budget examiner for transportation and natural resources at the Office of Management and Budget. She received her bachelor's degree from Simmons College and her master's degree from the University of California at Irvine. The President intends to nominate Craig Roberts Stapleton, of Connecticut, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to France. He recently served as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Prior to that, he served as President of Marsh & McLennan Real Estate Advisors for 18 years. Earlier in his career, Ambassador Stapleton was a member of the Peace Corps National Advisory Council. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his master's degree from Harvard Business School. # # #