Press Release - Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced the nomination of six individuals and his intention to designate one individual to serve in his administration:

The President has nominated Robert McFarland, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Information & Technology). Mr. McFarland previously served as vice president for government relations with Dell Computer Corporation, where he earlier served as general manager for the government sector. Earlier in his career, Mr. McFarland served two years active duty in the U.S. Army, and continued to serve two more years on reserve status. He received his bachelor's degree from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas.

The President has nominated Susan Johnson Grant, of Virginia, to be Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Energy. She currently serves as Director for Corporate Resources for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, where she also previously served as program manager. Earlier in her career, she served as a budget analyst for the Under Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. Ms. Grant studied financial management at the Professional Military Comptroller School in Montgomery, Alabama. She participated in a Senior Executive Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and went on to study Executive Development at the Federal Executive Institute, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The President has nominated Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Djibouti. She currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Khartoum. She previously served as Chief of the Political Section at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Director of the Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Department of State. Ms. Ragsdale is a graduate of the American University; she earned her master's degree and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and her law degree from Columbia University.

The President has nominated Margaret Scobey, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Syrian Arab Republic. Ms. Scobey currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She previously served as Director of the Office of Arabian Peninsula at the Department of State. Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Sanaa, Yemen and as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. Ms. Scobey earned both her bachelor's and her master's degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The President has nominated Margaret DeBardeleben Tutwiler, of Alabama, to be Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. Ms. Tutwiler most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco. Prior to serving as Ambassador, she was Assistant to the President and Special Advisor for Communications at the White House. Earlier, Ms. Tutwiler served as Senior Vice President for Public Affairs for the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. Her previous Presidential Appointments include Assistant to the President for Communications from 1992 until 1993 and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 1989 until 1992. Ms. Tutwiler is a graduate of the University of Alabama.

The President has nominated Drew R. McCoy, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation (Academic), for the remainder of a six-year term expiring November 22, 2007.

The President intends to designate Jeffrey E. Phillips, of Texas, to be Acting Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Public and Intergovernmental Affairs).