President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 12/21/10

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Jerry Patterson, State Representative, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
• Alice T. Perry, State Representative, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force was established by an Executive Order signed by the President on October 5, 2010.  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was selected to chair the Task Force.  Each of the five Gulf State governors was asked to recommend an appointment to the panel.  Today’s announcement names the two remaining choices for task force members.  Mimi A. Drew of Florida, Dave Stewart of Alabama, and Garret Graves of Louisiana already have been appointed as State Representatives of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.  

The task force’s mission is to coordinate efforts to implement restoration programs and projects in the Gulf Coast region.  It also will coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services on public health issues and with other federal agencies on ways to enhance the economic benefits that ecosystem restoration will bring to the region.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Jerry Patterson, Appointee for State Representative, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
Jerry Patterson is currently the Texas Land Commissioner, a statewide elected position he has held since 2002.  As Land Commissioner, he has focused on developing new renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and geothermal, in addition to traditional oil and gas exploration and development. Prior to becoming Commissioner, Mr. Patterson was a Texas State Senator for District 11 (Harris, Galveston, Brazoria), where he worked on the state coastal management plan, as well as several other major legislative initiatives, in addition to chairing the Senate Veterans Affairs committee.  In August 2007, he was named president of the Western States Land Commissioners Association. Mr. Patterson is a Vietnam veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1970 until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993.  He received his undergraduate degree in History from Texas A&M University.
 
Alice T. Perry, Appointee for State Representative, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
Alice Perry has been the Assistant Director for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) since 2008. In this role, she serves as Policy Advisor to the agency’s executive director, and as MDEQ’s liaison with federal, state and local officials. Prior to working at MDEQ, she served as Director of Public Information and Policy Development at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and before that was Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Haley Barbour and Chief of Staff to First Lady Marsha Barbour. From 1999-2003, Ms. Perry served as Director of Development for the Mississippi Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. She was also the Business Development Director at BFI Waste Systems of North America, and the first Solid Waste Division Manager for the City of Jackson, Mississippi. Previously, Ms. Perry served as Executive Director of Keep Jackson Beautiful. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Natural Science Museum Foundation. Ms. Perry received her B.A. (1971) and Masters of Social Studies (1974) from Mississippi State University.