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.
David Klaus, counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is joining the Energy Department as director of the Office of Management and Administration. He will be in charge of personnel and procurement policy as part of Secretary Bill Richardson's reforms at the department. Klaus replaces Richard Farrell, who has joined the Environmental Protection Agency.
John Hart, deputy director of President Clinton's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, is heading to the private sector to be vice president of Ovations, a division of one of the nation's largest health care companies, United Health Group. The COPS program provides funding for community police officers. Hart is being replaced by Dennis Greenhouse, a former Office of National Drug Control Policy official.
The IRS has filled two key positions in its new management structure. Larry R. Langdon will be commissioner for the new large and mid-size business division, and Deborah M. Nolan will serve as deputy commissioner. The large and mid-size business division will help businesses with tax law interpretation and accounting, including international issues. In his last job, Langdon was responsible for Hewlett-Packard's worldwide business tax matters. Nolan has been with the IRS since 1972 and currently heads the modernization implementation and planning team for the large and mid-size business division.
Sarah E. Wisely has been named director of the Utah office of the Bureau of Land Management. Wisely, a 22-year BLM veteran who is currently serving as acting state director in Alaska, will succeed Bill Lamb in Utah.
The U.S. Postal Service has been honored with three "Closing the Circle" awards recognizing federal agencies' contributions to a clean and safe environment. The first ever "green" post office, in Ft. Worth, Texas was recognized for its energy efficient design. The post office has walls made of wheat straw. The Dallas Purchasing and Materials Service Center was honored for recycling 60,000 cash registers instead of relegating them to a landfill. Finally, USPS's battery recycling program was recognized for placing drop-off containers for household batteries at 17 post offices in Macomb County, Mich.
The U.S. Geological Survey, the nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian mapping agency, is establishing a new Senior Executive Service position of Geographic Information Officer (GIO). Like a chief information officer, the GIO will be responsible for developing information technology solutions and for ensuring the security of USGS scientific information. USGS hopes to have a GIO in place by October. USGS provides scientific information to more than 2,000 organizations across the country.
Kudos to research scientist Jim Estes, also of the USGS. Estes was awarded a 1999 Pew Marine Conservation fellowship of $150,000. He will use the money to spend the next four years studying how to help resource managers restore the Bering Sea and the North Pacific ecosystem.