THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For Immediate Release December 16, 1993 PRESIDENT NAMES 9 TO REGIONAL AND SES POSTS The President announced today that he has made the following appointments: LaVarne Addison Burton, Senior Analyst/Advisor, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Management and Budget Mary Lou Crane, Regional Administrator, Region I, Department of Housing and Urban Development Vonya Beatrice McCann, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Telecommunications Donald M. Itzkoff, Deputy Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration Wushow (Bill) Chou, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Information Systems Michael J. Armstrong, Regional Director, Region VIII, Federal Emergency Management Agency Rita A. Calvan, Regional Director, Region III, Federal Emergency Management Agency Karen R. Adler, Regional Administrator, Region II, General Services Administration Leslie R. Jin, General Counsel, U.S. Information Agency Biographical sketches of these appointees follow. (more) LaVarne Addison Burton: Ms. Burton joins the Department of Health and Human Services from many years of experience in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ms. Burton has served as the senior analyst of Medicare and Social Security on the Budget Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1983. In that capacity, she advised and made recommendations to the Budget Committee on funding policy and other legislative positions for Social Security, Medicare, and health reform. Prior to 1983, Ms. Burton served as the senior analyst for Health, also on the Budget Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, she was primarily responsible for advising the Budget Committee on policies regarding spending and legislation for federally-funded health programs. From 1969 to 1979, Ms. Burton served the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources in various positions. She worked as a management intern from 1969 to 1972; a budget analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget from 1972 to 1976; the chief of the Financial Management Branch at the Bureau of Community Health Services from 1976 to 1978; and the director of the Office of Financial Management in the Health Resources and Services Administration from 1978 to 1979. Ms. Burton received the Administrator's Award for Excellence from the Health Services Administration in 1977, 1978 and 1979. In 1987, she received a Congressional Staff Commendation Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers. She has also received Staff Commendations from the Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Burton is on the board of directors at Women in Government Relations and on the finance committee at the Howard County General Hospital. Ms. Burton earned her Master of Arts from George Washington University, where she majored in sociology with an emphasis in political sociology. She received her B.A. from Howard University, where she graduated cum laude. Mary Lou Crane: Ms. Crane joins the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with more than thirteen years of experience in dealing with housing issues. Most recently, Ms. Crane was with the Connecticut Housing Authority in West Hartford, where she held the title of executive director since 1990. Prior to her work at the Connecticut Housing Authority, she served as the executive assistant to the Commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Housing for three years. From 1979 to 1987, Ms. Crane was with the Hartford Housing and Urban Development office, where she began as a special assistant to the Manager and in 1985, became the community development representative. In 1979, she served as a consultant for governmental affairs at the Board of Trustees of Connecticut Community Colleges. Ms. Crane worked for U.S. Representative Toby Moffett in his Connecticut Congressional Office as the district director from 1978 to 1979. Ms. Crane is a member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, Connecticut Community Development Association, and Connecticut Women in Planning and Development. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund. Ms. Adler earned her M.S. from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut and her B.A. from the College of New Rochelle in New York. (more) Vonya Beatrice McCann: After more than twelve years with the law firm of Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn, Ms. McCann joins Telecommunications in the Department of State. As an associate since 1980 and a partner since 1985, Ms. McCann has gained telecommunications experience related to developments arising out of the introduction of competition into the telecommunications industry, the regulatory regime fostered by the divestiture of the former Bell System, and the introduction of new telecommunications technologies and services. She has handled all aspects of a major local exchange company's federal regulatory work and advised it on related state regulatory matters. Prior to her work at the law firm, Ms. McCann clerked for Commissioner Tyrone Brown at the Federal Communications Commission on common carrier matters from September through December of 1979. During the summer of 1978, Ms. McCann served as a policy analyst on consent decree matters at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Ms. McCann is a member of the Agenda Planning Committee at the American Heart Association, a member of the Legal Counsel for the Elderly Advisory Board, and a former chairperson of the Legal Counsel for the Elderly Policy Board. In 1980, Ms. McCann earned her J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California in Berkeley, her M.P.P. in 1979 also from UC in Berkeley, and her B.A. in political science from UC in Los Angeles in 1976. Donald M. Itzkoff: Mr. Itzkoff assumes his position at the Federal Railroad Administration coming from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where he has served as senior counsel assigned to the Surface Transportation Subcommittee. There, he had senior staff responsibility for all areas of Subcommittee jurisdiction, including Amtrak, freight railroads, high-speed ground transportation, commercial motor carriers, and hazardous materials transportation. From 1986 to 1991, Mr. Itzkoff was a practicing attorney in the Washington office of Reed Smith Shaw & McClay. In this capacity, he specialized in the legal and regulatory aspects of high-speed ground transportation and telecommunications. Mr. Itzkoff also was appointed general counsel to the High-Speed Rail/Maglev Association, prior to joining the Commerce Committee in 1991. Mr. Itzkoff authored "Off the Track: The Decline of the Intercity Passenger Train in the United States;" he was the editor of "On Track," a legal marketing publication on high-speed ground transportation; and he was a contributing editor to "Railway Age" in 1990 and 1991. Mr. Itzkoff earned his law degree from the University of Michigan. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude with department honors in history. Mr. Itzkoff was a regional finalist in the 1991-1992 White House fellowships competition. (more) Wushow (Bill) Chou: Mr. Chou comes to the Department of Treasury from North Carolina State University, where he has been a professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering since 1976. In addition to his work at NCSU, he has served as a principal at ACK Computer Applications, Inc. which is a small management and technical consulting firm in computing and communications. From 1976 to 1988, Mr. Chou served as the director of the Computer Studies Program at North Carolina State University. Prior to 1976, he was the vice president of Network Analysis Corporation, which is a high tech consulting firm, now part of GTE. Mr. Chou is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; he has received an award from the U.S. General Service Administration for significant contributions relating to FTS 2000; he was chosen as "editor's choice" by the IEEE Communications Magazine; and is listed in Who's Who in America. Mr. Chou has co-authored three books, published more than 70 articles and over 50 technical reports/memos and has published two invention disclosures. Mr. Chou earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California at Berkeley; his M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque; and his B.S. also in electrical engineering from the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. Michael J. Armstrong: Mr. Armstrong joins the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the Colorado Democratic Party where he has been the executive director since January of 1992. In addition, he serves as the deputy director of the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation. Prior to 1992, he was the city attorney in Aurora, Colorado for ten years. In that capacity, he served as a prosecutor and as a specialist in personnel and land use law. From 1971 to 1980, Mr. Armstrong was with the city of Aurora, Colorado where he served as the recreation leader and supervisor. In 1979, he was a law clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice, in the Office of the U.S. Attorney in Denver. Mr. Armstrong's other experiences include: section editor and reporter/photographer at The Brighton Blade (1977); section editor and reporter at The Colorado Daily (1973-1977); and reporter at The Mountain Mail (1976). Mr. Armstrong is currently chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party. Additionally, he has lectured on a wide range of subjects, such as substance abuse and AIDS, planning commissions, and understanding the legal system. Mr. Armstrong has also published numerous articles and columns in daily, weekly and twice weekly newspapers and in journals. In 1980, Mr. Armstrong earned his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California. He received his B.S. in Journalism and his B.A. in English from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1977. (more) Rita A. Calvan: Ms. Calvan comes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the National Capital Planning Commission where she has served as an environmental specialist for preparation of a 50-year plan for Washington's Monumental Core since August of 1992. She was previously with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she has held the following positions: special assistant to the director of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (June, 1989-August, 1992); special assistant to the assistant administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response (June, 1987-June, 1989); and intergovernmental relations specialist and acting director of intergovernmental relations (October, 1983 - June, 1987). From 1981 to 1983, Ms. Calvan worked as a private consultant where she conducted a variety of land use planning and management studies while completing her graduate degree. For approximately four years, she worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where one of her management areas included the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration, the precursor of FEMA. She began in 1977 as special assistant to the secretary and was promoted in 1980 to the New Community Development Corporation where she served as the acting deputy general manager. Ms. Calvan served as the HUD Secretary's representative to the Presidential reorganization project that created FEMA. Prior to August of 1980, Ms. Calvan worked as a legislative assistant to two members of the New York delegation on Capitol Hill. Ms. Calvan earned her masters of urban and regional planning from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where she concentrated on urban development economics. She also received her bachelor of arts from Kansas Newman College in Wichita, Kansas, where she majored in language and linguistics. Karen R. Adler: Ms. Adler comes to her political appointment in the General Services Administration from the Clinton for President Committee, Clinton/Gore '92 where she has served in the following positions since October of 1991: New York State Political Director, Clinton Campaign Credentials Manager, and the National Jewish Coordinator. Prior to 1991, Ms. Adler served as the senior vice president of the Adler Group, Inc. for more than two years. In that role, she implemented a strategic marketing plan for a real estate investment group and assisted the chairman and president in designing a strategy for advancing the company's investment portfolio, with specific emphasis on overseas expansion. Prior to June of 1990, Ms. Adler was the vice president of the Progressive Policy Institute of the Democratic Leadership Council, where she served for more than a year. From 1986 to November of 1988, she served as the senior vice-president of Adams Cohen & Associates/Adams Cohen Securities, Inc. Ms. Adler's other experiences include: vice-president of Marketing at Ensign Bank, FSB (1983-1986); president of Adler Associates, (1981-1983); National Jewish Liaison for President Jimmy Carter, (1980); Assistant Washington, D.C. Representative for the American Jewish Committee, (1978-1979); legislative assistant for Senator Joseph R. Biden, (1975-1978); and Washington D.C. Representative for Governor Michael Dukakis, (1974-1975). Ms. Adler earned her M.B.A. in management and finance from New York University in 1987, her M.P.A. in Urban Politics and M.A. in Urban Planning from Northeastern University in 1973, and her B.A. from Urban Studies from American University in 1970. (more) Leslie R. Jin: Mr. Jin joins the U.S. Information Agency from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he has served as the associate regional counsel since 1990. In that capacity, he represented the EPA on employment matters, advised and counseled managers, and helped develop and implement employment and other human resources policy. Additionally, he is also the Region's lead counsel on ethics. Prior to 1990, Mr. Jin worked as a trial attorney at the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, where his primary responsibility was to file and litigate employment discrimination cases in federal district court. In that role, he also directed investigations and was the District Director's legal advisor on intergovernmental issues. Prior to his work at the EEOC, Mr. Jin held the title of assistant to the director at the Legal Services Corporation, where he served as general counsel for the Chicago Regional Office for two years. From 1978 to 1983, he was a staff attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, where he represented low income people in federal district court, federal appellate court and at every level of Illinois state court, as well as before administrative agencies. Mr. Jin currently serves on the boards of Citizens Information Services of Illinois, the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, and the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. He is a member of the National Association of Asian American Professionals and the Organization of Chinese Americans. Mr. Jin earned his Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1986. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon in 1978 and his Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of California. # # #