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For Immediate Release: Contact: Doxie A. McCoy Mayor-Elect Gray Names Key Budget, Legal, Legislative Policy and Community Outreach AdvisersWashington, DC – Mayor-Elect Vince Gray today announced his second in a series of appointments to the Gray Administration. They are: Eric Goulet, Deputy Chief and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Finance; Brian Flowers, General Counsel to the Mayor; Cynthia Brock-Smith, Secretary of the District of Columbia; Janene Jackson, Director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs; Stephen Glaude, Director of the Office of Community Affairs; Roxana Olivas, Director of the Office of Latino Affairs; and Crystal Palmer, Director of the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development. Following are the Mayor-Elect’s remarks: Yesterday, I was pleased to announce the appointment of Allen Y. Lew, as the City Administrator of the District of Columbia, and Gerri Mason Hall, as my Chief of Staff. They are at the top of the leadership chart of my administration, and outstanding managers who will play a huge role in achieving the goals, objectives and One City mission of my Administration. Today, I am naming seven highly qualified individuals who will assist them and me in implementing programs and initiatives for the successful operation of the government and efficient and prompt response to the residents of the District of Columbia. These appointees are not new to the District government. Each has contributed immensely in their own way and I am pleased that they are joining me in new roles to use their experience and institutional knowledge to make even greater contributions. The first position announcement is Eric Goulet, who will be serving as Deputy Chief and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Finance. When I was elected Chairman, I appointed Mr. Goulet to serve as Budget Director for the Council. In this position, he has worked with me to produce balanced and fiscally prudent budgets. In addition, he has instituted numerous contracting and fiscal management reforms. I am confident that Mr. Goulet, in his new role, will be able to navigate through the serious structural challenges that we will face in balancing the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. Goulet completed his undergraduate education in political science, and public legal studies and public administration at the State University of New York – College at Geneseo; and earned his law degree from the University of Notre Dame. He has served as the legislative counsel for the Committee on Health and Aging Issues for the Committee on Human Services, and Clerk for the Committee on Finance and Revenue. Eric lives in the Palisades neighborhood of Ward 3. As General Counsel to the Mayor, Brian K. Flowers will be my chief legal adviser and I am certain he will carry out his duties with the highest integrity. I will ensure that Mr. Flowers’s role will be distinct from the Office of the Attorney General, which should deliver impartial opinions in the best interest of the government. Currently Flowers is the General Counsel to the Council of the District of Columbia. There, he also has served as Deputy General Counsel, Legislative Counsel, and Ethics Counselor. Mr. Flowers has more than 30 years of public service, including work with the Steering Committee of the D.C. Affairs Section of the D.C. Bar, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, and the D.C. Uniform Law Commission. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, D.C. Court of Appeals, and the Florida Bar. Brian is a Ward 5 resident. As Secretary of the District of Columbia, Cynthia Brock-Smith will lead the Office of the Secretary. It provides protocol and public records management services to the Mayor and District government agencies. This office manages the city's archives, and publishes the D.C. Register and municipal regulations. The Secretary also serves as the Chief Protocol Officer of the District. Ms. Brock-Smith must be confirmed by the Council. Given her excellent performance as Secretary to the Council, I have no doubt she will be approved. In her current role, Ms. Brock-Smith is the chief administrative officer responsible for managing Council infrastructure and operations and developing and administering the Council budget. Ms. Brock-Smith was formerly Senior Vice President for the D. C. Chamber of Commerce, where she developed the Chamber’s legislative and policy agenda; Director of Congressional Relations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management during the Clinton administration; and Assistant Legislative Director at the U. S. House Committee on Rules. She is a native Washingtonian, Ward 7 resident and graduate of Eastern High School and the University of Maryland. Janene D. Jackson will serve as the Director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs. This office directs the legislative strategies of the Executive and serves as the liaison to the Council and Congress. Ms. Jackson is an accomplished public policy professional and government relations expert. She has more than 10 years of experience in formulating legislative strategies. Prior to working in her current position as the Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy at the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, Jackson was on the staff of Councilmembers Phil Mendelson and Kevin Chavous. Jackson has worked extremely well with the current Council in collaborating with members on matters related to the business community. Ms. Jackson is a graduate of the City College of New York and the Washington College of Law at American University. She is a resident of Ward 5. Stephen A. Glaude, who is currently the Director of Constituent Services in my Council Office, will be the Director of the Office of Community Affairs. In that capacity he will manage the Offices of Community Relations; Ex-Offender; Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Affairs; African Affairs; the Youth Advisory Council, Commission for Women; and other constituent group areas. Mr. Glaude is an experienced community and intergovernmental relations manager. He has served as Deputy Undersecretary for Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Special Assistant to the Director in the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House. He was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Neighborhoods, and Development Director at Gospel Rescue Ministries. Mr. Glaude has been a solid go-to person not only in the Office of the Chairman, but Council-wide, when constituents are seeking help. Steve is a graduate of Morgan State University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mental Health. He is a fifth generation Washingtonian and a resident of Ward 6 Roxana Olivas will serve as the Director of the Office of Latino Affairs. This position requires Council approval. Currently, Mrs. Olivas is a Special Assistant in the Office of the Chairman. Focusing on Latino issues, she has dramatically increased our outreach to the Latino community. Olivas has almost 20 years of experience in private industry, nonprofit and local government management. She has served as a Legislative Aide and Bilingual Staffer for the Arlington County Board, Regional Director in the metropolitan area for the Casablanca Project, cofounder of Latinas Unidas for Obama and Program Director for New Avenues of Hope and Torch of Hope in El Paso, Texas. Mrs. Olivas grew up in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. The Ward 3 resident attended the University of Texas and University of Phoenix and has a Bachelor’s Degree in business management. And finally…I have named Crystal Palmer the Director of the Office of Motion Picture and TV Development. Ms. Palmer is a highly accomplished film and television executive with more than 20 years of experience in developing strategies linking the production industry with the nation’s capital. She has created highly successful entertainment marketing campaigns that generate revenue, spur tourism, and produce jobs. When she led this office from 1985 to 2008, Ms. Palmer grew production revenues from $3 million in 1985 to $100 million in 2008; established Washington as the 3rd largest production hub in the United States; and worked with award-winning producers and directors like Jerry Bruckheimer, Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood. Ms. Palmer is a resident of Ward 6 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree and an MBA from American University. With wide-ranging responsibilities, these seven very competent public servants will spark the District’s economy, advance the Executive’s outreach to constituents, ensure that taxpayers’ money is well-spent, and provide solid legal advice. |
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