Appointment of the 1986-1987 White House Fellows

The President today announced the appointment of the 1986-1987 White House fellows, the 22d class of fellows since the program began in 1964. The 11 fellows were chosen from among 585 applicants nationwide and were screened by 11 regional panels. The President's Commission on White House Fellowships, chaired by Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, USN (Ret.), interviewed 34 national finalists before recommending 11 names to the President. The fellows' year of government service will begin on September 2, 1986. The 1986-1987 White House fellows are:

Paul A. Gigot, 30, of Green Bay, WI; editorial page editor, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong;

Kristine A. Langdon, 28, of Waltham, MA; associate, McKinsey & Company, Inc., Boston, MA;

Maj. William J. Lennox, U.S. Army, 36, of Houston, TX; student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, KS;

Meredith A. Neizer, 29, of Dover, NJ; transportation analyst, Exxon International Co., Florham Park, NJ;

Capt. Vicki A. O'Meara, U.S. Army, 29, of Burnsville, MN; Assistant to the General Counsel, the Pentagon, Washington, DC;

Maj. Michael R. Reopel, U.S. Army, 33, of West Point, NY; assistant professor, department of social sciences, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY;

Maj. Michael C. Ryan, U.S. Army, 36, of Arlington, TX; student, College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Navy War College, Newport, RI;

Thomas A. Saponas, 37, of Colorado Springs, CO; research and development manager, Hewlett-Packard Co., Colorado Springs, CO;

Robert G. Schwetje, 37, of Longmont, CO; vice president, personnel, Valleylab, Inc., Boulder, CO;

Maj. William L. Webb III, U.S. Army, 35, of Vienna, VA; associate professor and executive officer, department of social sciences, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY;

Diane C. Yu, 34, of Albany, CA; Superior Court Commissioner, Alameda County Superior Court, Oakland, CA.

Fellows serve for 1 year as Special Assistants to the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, and the President's principal staff. In addition to the work assignment, the fellowship includes an educational program which parallels and broadens the unique experience of working at the highest levels of the Federal Government. The program is open to U.S. citizens in the early stages of their careers and from all occupations and professions. Federal Government employees are not eligible, with exception of career Armed Forces personnel. Leadership, intellectual and professional ability, and commitment to community and Nation are the broad criteria employed in the selection of fellows.