Appointment of Bently T. Elliott as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting

The President today announced his intention to appoint Bently T. Elliott to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Speechwriting Office. He will succeed Aram Bakshian.

Mr. Elliott joined the White House staff in April 1981. He has served in the Speechwriting Office as senior writer and recently as Acting Director.

He has a background in journalism, freelance writing, and speechwriting. Prior to his position at the White House, he joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1979 as director of executive communications. He created press operations for Representative Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.) in 1977-1978 and was speechwriter to Treasury Secretary William E. Simon in 1976. In 1970-1975 he was with CBS News as a producer of CBS Newsfilm for the domestic affiliates and foreign broadcasting clients.

Mr. Elliott graduated from Bucknell University (B.A., 1966) and received a degree in international relations at L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris, France. He is married to the former Adrienne Stetson of Dallas, Tex. They have three children and reside in Alexandria, Va. He was born November 6, 1944, in Bryn Mawr, Pa.