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PRESS RELEASE
Gray Names Directors to Bring New & Improved Customer Services & Programs to D.C. AgenciesWashington, DC – Mayor-Elect Vince Gray today nominated seven agency and office directors in the customer service cluster of the District of Columbia government. They are: Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Office of Planning; Nicholas A. Majett will be the Director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA); William O. Howland, Jr. will continue as the Director of the Department of Public Works; Lucinda M. Babers,of the Department of Motor Vehicles; "Julie" Koo will be the Director of the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs; Ronald R. Collins, the Director of the Office of Boards and Commissions; and E. Richardson, the Director of the Office of Cable Television (OCT). Gray’s remarks follow: These government professionals are seasoned public servants and well-versed in the inner-workings of the government of the District of Columbia. They have shown that they understand why the service delivery to our constituents must be fast and efficient. They are aware that I am counting on them to—as the young people say—"step up their game," in areas that need attention and improvement, as identified by my transition committees. The people standing with me today understand that it’s important for the taxpayers of the District of Columbia to trust their government to serve them to the highest degrees and spend their money wisely, especially when budgets are stretched to the limits. My first appointment is Harriet Tregoning as Director of the Office of Planning. In this position, Ms. Tregoning has worked for the last 4 years to make the District of Columbia a livable, inclusive, globally competitive and sustainable city. Prior to heading the Office of Planning, she was the director of the Maryland Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Ms. Tregoning also was the Executive Director of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, which she founded with former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening. She served Governor Glendening as both Secretary of Planning and then as the nation's first state-level Cabinet Secretary for Smart Growth. Director Tregoning’s academic training is in engineering and public policy. She was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Ms. Tregoning lives in Ward One. Nicholas A. Majett will be the Director of Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). He has served as the agency’s Deputy Director since 2006. Mr. Majett is a native Washingtonian who has worked in the District of Columbia government in several capacities for more than 25 years. These positions include Assistant Attorney General for 19 years. In the OAG, he handled regulatory, real estate, tax and civil cases and prosecuted tax and government fraud cases. Mr. Majett also served as Chief of Assessment Services for the Office of Tax and Revenue. Mr. Majett earned his Bachelor of Science and Law Degrees from Howard University. William O. Howland, Jr. will continue as the Director of the Department of Public Works, where he has served since 2004. He leads a staff of 1,400 employees who are primarily responsible for solid waste collection, parking enforcement and fleet management. Mr. Howland joined the District government 2001 as the Deputy Director for Department of Human Services. He also served as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Operations. In this role, he responded to various issues involving agencies in this cluster, particularly the Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Contracting and Procurement and Office of Property Management. Among his accomplishments are developing proposals to solicit trash hauling services for the Department of Public Works, reducing the District government's fleet size, and initiating the review of temporary tags. Mr. Howland holds a Master’s Degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. He did his undergraduate work at the University of California - Berkeley. Mr. Howland lives in the Shepherd Park neighborhood in Ward 4. I am appointing Lucinda M. Babers Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles. . Babers was as the Director of the DMV in 2007. She also served as the deputy director of this agency for the three previous years. Ms. Babers has reviewed and revised numerous customer service processes at this agency. She previously worked on management reform projects for the city manager during the Control Board era and served as an internal consultant/project manager for the city administrator and corrections. Babers started her career as an officer in the military. She holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering Degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Masters of Science Degree in Business from Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Babers lives in Ward 6 Soohyun "Julie" Koo will be the Executive Director of the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs,a position she has held since 2007. Ms. Koo came to this office in 2001 and served as its deputy director and outreach coordinator. Through her leadership, the office has significantly increased its outreach to all Asian and Pacific Islander communities, increased visibility and accessibility of the office through an extensive publicity campaign, and effectively assisted District agencies in providing culturally-sensitive services to this population. Ms. Koo holds a Master’s Degree in Interpretation and Translation from the Graduate School of International Studies of Hankook University, and earned a BA in History from Hallym University in South Korea. She lives in Ward 2. Ronald R. Collins will be returning as the Director of the Office of Boards and Commissions, a position he held from 2001 to 2007. I appointed Mr. Collins as Assistant Secretary to the Council of the District of Columbia when I became Chairman. In that role, Ron has been extremely sensitive to the unique needs of all 13 Councilmember offices, as well as quite responsive to requests from the public, including Freedom of Information Act requests. Ron has worked in city government for more than 20 years in various capacities. They included Senior Policy Officer in the Office of Contracting and Procurement, Chief Contracting Officer for the Departments of Health, and Fire and Emergency Medical Services; and Staff Director for the Departments of Human Services, and Libraries, Recreation and Charitable Games. Mr. Collins’s extensive experience working for the District government, demonstrated involvement in community service, and his understanding of the important role that appointed commissioners play, make him well-qualified to assist me in seating the right people on city boards. He also will work with my administration on a review of boards and commissions to streamline their operations. Ron has a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law at the Pennsylvania State University and a BA from the University of Scranton. He is a native Washingtonian who currently resides in Southwest Washington in Ward 6. And finally, I am naming Eric E. Richardson the Director of the Office of Cable Television (OCT). Richardson has helped to make OCT an award-winning government agency. It regulates all cable television providers in the District of Columbia. In addition, OCT manages the District's two municipal government channels - OCT TV-16 and TV-13. These stations give D.C. residents an inside look at the activities and processes of their government. Mr. Richardson directs OCT's production department, creating human interest, history, science, health, lifestyle, and news and public affairs programming. He served as OCT's director of programming from December 2006 until January 2007, when he was promoted to director of the agency. Prior to joining OCT, Richardson worked for Howard University's PBS affiliate, WHUT-TV, as the Director of Broadcast Services and Executive Producer of "Evening Exchange with Kojo Nnamdi." A native of Louisiana, Mr. Richardson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Louisiana State University. He lives in Ward 6. I am delighted to appoint these seven District government employees. I value their institutional knowledge, commitment and dedication to the District of Columbia and its people. I believe residents can rest assure they will work with my administration to bring new and innovative ideas, projects, programs, and improvements to respond to the needs of those who live, work and do business in the District of Columbia. |
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