NEW TEAM FOR USDA'S DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION

                                                               
                                           Release No. 0111.97 


                                                               
                                  Martha Cashion (202) 720-3310
                                  Tia Young      (202) 720-3291


REED ANNOUNCES NEW TEAM FOR USDA'S DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION

     WASHINGTON, April 14, 1997--Acting Assistant Secretary for
Administration Pearlie Reed today announced the following selections for his
team to manage the administrative functions of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.

     "These selections represent the high caliber of professionals who are
dedicated to good management at the Department of Agriculture," Reed said. 
"I am convinced that with their leadership we can improve USDA's civil rights
record, strengthen other areas of management, and help to change the culture
in the department."

     Christine Pytel is serving as the acting deputy assistant secretary
for administration.  In her previous position she was the associate deputy
chief for administration in USDA's Forest Service.  A native of Texas, Pytel
received a B.A. degree in elementary education from Our Lady of the Lake
University in San Antonio, Texas; an M.A. degree in legal studies and
discrimination law from Antioch Law School; and an M.P.A. degree from
Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

     Katherine C. Gugulis is serving as associate assistant secretary for
administration with responsibility for the civil rights report
implementation.  She comes from USDA's Natural Resources and Conservation
Service where she held the position of director of operations management and
oversight.  A native of Maryland, Gugulis holds a B.A. degree in journalism
from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

     Tijuana G. Young has been named as special assistant to the assistant
secretary for administration.  Prior to her work with USDA's Civil Rights
Action Team, Young had been the confidential assistant for special projects
to the chief of staff for the Secretary of Agriculture.  A native of Gary,
Ind., Young holds a B.S. degree in business administration from the
University of Memphis and is completing an M.S.A. degree in human resources
administration from Central Michigan University.

     Lloyd E. Wright has been named as director of the Office of Civil
Rights.  Formerly, he was the director of the Conservation and Ecosystem
Assistance Division of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service.  A
native of Virginia, Wright holds a B.A. degree in agronomy from Virginia
State University and an M.S. degree in human resource management from the
State University of New York in Binghamton.

                                
     Named to the two deputy director positions in the Office of Civil
Rights are Jeremy S. Wu and Susan Buckingham Reilly.  Prior to this
appointment, Wu was a supervisory mathematical statistician for USDA's
Agricultural Marketing Service.  A native of Virginia, Wu holds B.A., M.A.,
and Ph.D. degrees in mathematical statistics from George Washington
University in Washington, D.C.  

     Reilly was formerly the director of the Washington field office for
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  A native of Utica, N.Y.,
Reilly holds a B.A. degree in philosophy from George Washington University
and a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

     Roger L. Bensey has been named as director of the Office of Human
Resources Management.  He was formerly the State Conservationist for the
Natural Resources Conservation Service in West Virginia.  A native of West
Virginia, Bensey received a B.S. degree in business from Concord College in
Athens, W.Va., and an M.B.A. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University.

     Robert W. Whiting has been named as the deputy director for Human
Resources Management.  Prior to serving on USDA's Civil Rights Action Team,
Whiting was chief of the Information Management Division under the Office of
the Chief Information Officer.  A native of Washington, D.C., he holds a
B.A. degree in management from the University of the District of Columbia
and an M.B.A. degree in finance and investments from George Washington
University.

     Denise Decker has been named as the head of the quality management
sub-team for the Civil Rights Implementation Team.  Previously she was a
quality management specialist for the East Region of USDA's Natural
Resources Conservation Service.  A native of New York, Decker holds a B.A.
degree in language education from the State University of New York at
Geneseo and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in language education from the University
of Wisconsin at Madison.  She works with the assistance of a Seeing Eye dog
named Quadrant.
                                
                                
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