Mike Alexander (202) 720-0044
                                        mike.alexander@usda.gov
                                                               
  KEITH JACKSON NAMED ASSOCIATE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER AT
  USDA
  
       WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 1999 USDA's Chief Information Officer Anne F.
  Thomson Reed today announced the selection of Keith Jackson as associate chief
  information officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
  
       "I am extremely pleased to have Keith Jackson join our senior management
  team," Reed said.  "He brings the knowledge and leadership USDA needs to effectively
  manage our telecommunications resources.  I am confident in Keith's ability to establish
  the management processes necessary to successfully navigate the uncertain waters of
  today's telecommunications world." 
  
       As the head of USDA's telecommunications services and operations, Jackson will
  be responsible for formulating and determining long-range policy and programs for
  USDA; providing the leadership and management toward the integration of USDA's
  telecommunication infrastructure; and facilitating and coordinating department-level
  support for the implementation of approved telecommunications initiatives.
  
       Prior to his selection to this position in January 1999, Jackson was director of
  regional services management at the General Services Administration's Federal
  Technology Services.  In that position, he provided operational and programmatic
  direction of GSA's $250 million regional telecommunication program.  In addition, he
  provided national oversight to the 11 regional offices servicing 550,00 customers with
  425 systems.  Since joining GSA in 1988, he has held several management positions at
  headquarters and in the San Francisco regional office.  For his leadership efforts, Jackson
  was the recipient of a Government Computer News Award in 1996 and the GSA
  Administrator's Meritorious Service Award in 1998.
  
       From 1985 to 1988, Jackson was a telecommunications account manager for
  Contel-Executone and Harris-Lanier.  He began his government career in the military,
  where he is currently a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, Signal Corps.  Jackson is a
  native of Cambridge, Md., and he holds a B.S. in business administration from Towson
  University and has completed graduate work at Central Michigan University.
  
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