White House Fellows Appointment of 17 Fellows for the 1979-80 Program.

The President today announced the appointments of the 1979-80 White House Fellows, the 15th group since the creation of the program.

The Fellows, who were chosen from among 1,346 applicants and screened by 11 regional panels, will begin their year of service with the Federal Government on September 1. The President's Commission interviewed 32 national finalists before recommending the 17 persons to the President.

The 1979-80 White House Fellows are:

MARI C. APONTE, 32, of Philadelphia, Pa., associate counsel, Blue Gross of Greater Philadelphia;

LINCOLN W. CAPLAN II, 28, of Cambridge, Mass., consultant, the Boston Consulting Group, Inc.;

FREDRICA P. CHALLANDES-ANOELINI, 29, of London, England, vice president, Amex Bank Ltd., London;

VICTORIA L. CHAN-PALAY, 33, of Concord, Mass., associate professor of neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston;

ANNE H. COHN, 34, Of Washington, D.C., Congressional Science Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, in the office of the Honorable Albert Gore, Jr.;

ELIZABETH A. FETTER, 31, of Tyler, Tex., student/writer, Carpenter's Workshop, Pine Cove Conference Center, Tyler;

MARSHA ANNE JOHNSON, 31, of London, England, lieutenant commander, United States Navy, Mideast/CENTRO Plans and Policy Officer, United States Naval Forces, Europe;

KENNETH A. JONES, 32, of Pittsburgh, Pa., manager, functional analysis I, systems engineering department, pressurized water reactors division, Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh;

JUDITH MERCADO, 28, of Chicago, Ill., director, corporate development, Northwest Industries, Chicago;

RICHARD NORTHERN, 30, of Louisville, Ky., partner, Jones, Rawlings, Keith & Northern, Louisville;

JAY A. REICH, 30, of Seattle, Wash., assistant chief criminal deputy, Juvenile Section, King County, Seattle;

R. GEORGE SARAUSKAS, 33, of Evanston, Ill., associate pastor, Saint Athanasius Church, Evanston;

KATHERINE A. SEBO, 34, of Greensboro, N.C., State senator, State of North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C.;

CARL G. SUHLER, 30, of Springfield, Colo., president, Baca Oil Co., Springfield; partner, Suhler Farmers, Springfield;

PAUL W. SWEENEY, JR., 28, of Chevy Chase, Md., attorney-associate, Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C.;

GORDON TUCKS. R, 27, of Bronx, N.Y., assistant to the chancellor and assistant professor, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York;

JUAN R. VIGIL, 35, of Albuquerque, N. Mex., manager, Bernalillo County, Albuquerque.

The White House Fellowship program was established in 1964 to provide outstanding Americans with firsthand experience in the process of governing the Nation. It is open to U.S. citizens, early in their careers, from all occupations and professions. Employees of the Federal Government are not eligible, with the exception of career Armed Forces personnel.

In addition to their job assignments with the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, and with the White House staff, the Fellows participate in an education program that includes off-the-record discussions with top-level Government officials, journalists, and leaders from various other segments of private life.

Leadership, intellectual and professional ability, and a commitment to community and Nation are broad criteria employed in the selection process.

Applications for the 1980-81 program will be available in August 1979. Application forms and additional information on the program may be obtained by sending a postcard to the Director, President's Commission on White House Fellowships, Washington, D.C. 20415, or by calling (202) 653-6263.