Press Release - President Bush to Nominate Ong to be Ambassador of the United States to Norway

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate John D. Ong to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Norway.

"John has a long and distinguished record as a leader in the business world and in his community. His commitment to public service makes him an excellent choice to serve the United States as Ambassador to Norway," said President Bush.

John Ong is presently Chairman Emeritus of the BFGoodrich Company. He retired as chairman of the Board of Directors in 1997 after more than 36 years of service to the company. Ong was elected chairman and chief executive officer in 1979 and was elected president in 1975. He held a variety of positions during his tenure at BFGoodrich including vice president and president of International BFGoodrich. President Ronald Reagan appointed Ong to the President's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness in 1984.

Ong serves as a trustee of the University of Chicago and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and he is the Chairman of the Board of the Musical Arts Association of Cleveland, Ohio. He is a former Chairman of the Business Roundtable, the National Alliance of Business, and the Ohio Business Roundtable. He is presently a trustee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, chairman of New American Schools, Inc. and a member of the Business Committee on the Arts. Ong is also a recipient of the Humanities Award of Distinction from Ohio State University's College of Humanities. An Ohio native, he received both his undergraduate and Master's degree from Ohio State University and his law degree from Harvard University.