Comings and Goings

Every Monday on GovExec.com, Comings and Goings announces the arrivals and departures of top federal managers and executives. To submit an announcement, e-mail it to ksaldarini@govexec.com or fax it to 202-739-8511.

Two top officials at NASA's international space station program have decided to move on. Gretchen McClain, deputy associate administrator for the space station program at NASA headquarters, is returning to private industry, NASA announced last Thursday. Earlier in the week, the agency announced that Randy Brinkley, who has been been space station program manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston since 1994, was also heading to the private sector. NASA officials told the Associated Press that the twin departures had nothing to do with delays in the program or problems with Russia's participation in the effort.

Deidre Lee, administrator of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy, has been named acting deputy director for management at OMB. Lee will fill both roles simultaneously, following the recent departure of G. Edward DeSeve, who left March 31 to become a partner in the consulting firm KPMG LLP. Lee will fill the deputy director position while a search for DeSeve's permanent replacement goes on.

The Department of Energy has a new deputy secretary, T.J. Glauthier. He will oversee several of the department's business lines, manage its Y2K efforts and lead environmental cleanup initiatives, among other responsibilities. Glauthier previously served as associate director for natural resources, energy and science at the Office of Management and Budget.

George A. Wacker, a metallurgist and Senior Executive Service member at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, is retiring after 42 years of civil service. Among his achievements, Wacker developed high strength, low alloy steel, the first new ship steel in 25 years. He also led the design and supervision of construction of the Navy's ship materials technology center in Carderock, Md.

Gen. Johnnie E. Wilson, commander of the Army Materiel Command, is retiring from active duty on April 26. The four-star general has served in the military for 37 years. Lt. Gen. John Coburn, AMC's deputy chief of staff for logistics, was nominated to replace Wilson.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has created a new Office of Special Programs, designed to recruit and train new generations of minority neuroscience researchers. Dr. Alred Gordon, an 11-year veteran of the National Institutes of Health, will direct the new office. Gordon will be assisted by Levon Parker in the NINDS minority and special concerns area, and John Ruffin, associate director of the NIH office of research on minority health.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Eric W. Benken, is retiring after nearly three years on the job and 29 total years of service. Benken is retiring in part because he believes service members should do so at 30 years of service to make room for younger troops to advance. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael E. Ryan said the process of nominating Benken's replacement will begin soon.

Defense Secretary William Cohen recently announced the winners of the 1999 Commander-in-Chief's Award for Installation Excellence. They are: Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.; Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, Havelock, N.C.; Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Yokosuka, Japan; Hickman Air Force Base, Oahu, Hawaii; and Defense National Stockpile Center, Alexandria, Va.