For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 29, 2005

Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate eight individuals and designate one individual to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate Naomi Churchill Earp, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, for the remainder of a five year term expiring July 1, 2010. Ms. Earp currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Equal Opportunity Commission. She previously served as Director of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity at the National Institute of Health. Earlier in her career, Ms. Earp was Director of the Equal Opportunity Program at the Department of Agriculture. She received her bachelor's degree from Norfolk University, her master's degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana and her JD from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law.

The President intends to nominate Robert Joseph Henke, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Management). Mr. Henke currently serves as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). He previously served as a Professional Staff Member with the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense. Mr. Henke served as a Navy Officer in Operation Dessert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his master's degree from Syracuse University.

The President intends to nominate Franklin L. Lavin, of Ohio, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. He currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. Ambassador Lavin previously worked for Citibank and Bank of America as a banker and venture capitalist in Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the Department of Commerce. He received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University. He also received master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The President intends to nominate William F. Tuerk, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs. Mr. Tuerk currently serves as Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. He previously served as Staff Director of the Committee on Veterans Affairs during the Chairmanship of Senator Arlen Specter. Earlier in his career, Mr. Tuerk served as a Senior Attorney at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. He later received his JD from The George Washington University.

The President intends to nominate Laurence Francis Rooney, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Holy See. Mr. Rooney currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rooney Holdings, Inc, an investment company primarily dealing with construction and distributing building materials. He previously served as President of Manhattan Construction Company, a subsidiary of Rooney Holdings, Inc. He received his bachelor's degree and his JD from Georgetown University.

The President intends to nominate Terry Neese, of Oklahoma, to be Director of the Mint at the Department of the Treasury. Ms. Neese currently serves as President and Co-Founder of Women Impacting Public Policy, a bipartisan public policy organization advocating for women in business. In 1975, she founded Terry Neese Personnel Services and continues to serve as Chairman of the Board. She previously served as a member of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the National Women's Business Council.

The President intends to nominate Mark Hofflund, of Idaho, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts for the remainder of a six-year term expiring September 3, 2008.

The President intends to nominate Josette Sheeran Shiner, of Virginia, to be United States Alternate Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United States Alternate Governor of the Inter-American Development Bank and United States Alternate Governor for the African Development Bank for terms of five years. The President also intends to nominate her to be United States Alternate Governor of the Asian Development Bank, United States Alternate Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and United States Alternate Governor of the African Development Fund. In addition, the President intends to designate Ms. Shiner to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

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