THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 17, 1993 PRESIDENT FILLS SUBCABINET POSTS AT AGRICULTURE, INTERIOR, HUD, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND OSTP (Washington, DC) President Clinton announced today his intention to nominate six subcabinet officials: Eugene Branstool, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Inspection Services; Lionel Skipwith Johns, Associate Director for Technology, Office of Science and Technology Policy; Daniel Beard, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior; Mary Lou Keener, General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs; Edward Scott, Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Congressional Affairs; and Joe Shuldiner, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Public and Indian Housing. In addition, the President announced today his approval of three Senior Executive Service appointments by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt: Brooks Yeager, Director of Program Analysis Kevin Sweeney, Director of Communications Thomas Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Biographical sketches of the nominees are attached. ### BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NOMINEES MARCH 17, 1993 Eugene Branstool has been a full time family farmer since 1962, and is also the former Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. In addition, he served in the State Senate from 1982 to 1990, and was a State Representative prior to that. He served on the Agriculture Committees in both house. Branstool also chaired the State Parks Review Committee, which the National Conference of State Legislatures recognized as the Outstanding Program Review in the country. A Navy veteran, Branstool is a graduate of Ohio State University. Lionel Skipworth Johns is the senior of three Assistant Directors of the Office of Technology Assessment, where he has worked since 1975. He formed and managed OTA's Energy Program, and was named Assistant Director of the Energy Materials, and International Security Division in 1978. Before entering government service, Johns was a corporate finance representative of the investment banking firm Alex Brown & Sons, and has worked for Oceans Science and Engineering, Inc., Hazeltine, and the Magnavox Company. He has also served as an aviator in the U.S. Navy. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Johns was elected in 1985 as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Daniel Beard is the Staff Director of the House Committee on Natural Resources, a position that he previously held with the House Interior Committee's Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Offshore Resources. He has also been a Principal in the public affairs firm of Chambers and Associates, Administrative Assitant to Senator Max Baucus, and Executive Director of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. From 1977-81, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Water Resources. He also served in the Carter Administration as part of the White House Domestic Policy Staff. He has also served on the staff of Congressman Sidney Yates, as a Research Analyst at the Library of Congress, and as an Instructor in Geography and Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College. Beard holds a B.A. from Western Washington University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Mary Lou Keener, who served as an Air Force nurse in Vietnam and holds the rank of Colonel in the Air Force Reserves, is an attorney in private practice in Atlanta. Her practice has included extensive work in medical malpractice and health related claims. Keener is also active in a variety of veterans' organizations, and was a member of the Georgia Veterans Committee for Clinton/Gore. She holds her B.A. and J.D. from the Catholic University of America, and an M.S. from Emory University. (more) March 17, 1993 page two Edward Scott, an Air Force veteran, has been Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs since 1990. He previously worked on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assitant to Senator Alan Cranston and as General Counsel and Minority General Counsel to the Senate VA Committee. Prior to that he was a Staff Attorney for the Mental Health Law Project. He served for a number of years in the Peace Corps as Director and Deputy Director in Korea, and as an Attorney-Advisor and Deputy General Counsel. He also served in the Air Force's Judge Advocate Corps. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Joseph Shuldiner, one of the country's leading public housing experts, is the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. Prior to that, he was General Manager of the New York City Housing Authority. From 1978-86, he served in a variety of positions with the New York Department of Housing Preservation, starting as a staff attorney, and ultimately became Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Property Management. He has also worked as a legal services attorney in the Bronx, and as a teacher in the New York public school system. Shuldiner serves on the boards of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities and the Housing Authority Risk Retention Group. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Columbia University Law School. Brooks Yeager was a member of President Clinton's transition team for the Department of the Interior, and previously worked on the Clinton/Gore campaign. He previously served as the Vice President for Government Affairs for the National Audubon Society, and assisted in overseeing the National Energy Strategy Working Group, which coordinated the environmental response to national legislation during the 102nd Congress. Before that he worked for the Sierra Club as Washington Representative on Energy Issues. He has also worked as a Press Aide, Speechwriter, and Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jim Weaver of Oregon. Yeagar has a B.A. from Stanford University. Kevin Sweeney was Public Affairs Director of Patagonia, Inc., a California outdoor clothing company, from 1989-1992. He was previously press secretary to US Senator Gary Hart, both in the Senate and on his 1988 Presidential campaign. He also worked in a variety of key positions in Hart's 1984 campaign. In addition, Sweeney has been a reporter for CBS television's Atlanta affiliate, and has published numerous articles on political and social topics. He has been a member of the Social Venture Network, a group of progressive business leaders, and was on the Board of Directors of the Outdoor Industry Conservation Alliance. He earned his A.B. from the University of California, Berkeley. (more) March 17, 1993 page three Thomas Williams is a Senior Professional Staff Member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. During two decades, Williams has had primary staff responsibility for most of the natural resource-related issues which come before the Energy Committee and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. He was a staff member of the of the Subcommittees on Public Lands, National Parks and Forests; Public Lands and Reserved Water; Parks, Recreation and Renewable Resources; and Environment and Land Resources. He has extensive knowledge of landmark environmental and conservation laws, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Williams received his B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and his M.A. in Political Science from Washington State University. ###