People: NOAA chief wins gold

Olympic athletes aren't the only ones earning gold medals these days. Rear Adm. Evelyn J. Fields, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was recently awarded the Department of Commerce's Gold Medal for Leadership. Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta presented the award at a ceremony Sept. 13 in Washington. The Secretary awards the department's highest honor in recognition of extraordinary achievements that support Commerce's critical missions. Fields is the first woman and the first African American to lead NOAA. She was also the first woman to command a federal ship for an extended period at sea. Navy and Marine Corps personnel are hard at work getting on board the e-government train. To that end, the department has created a new E-Business Operations office and has selected Rear Adm. Linda J. Bird to head it. Bird previously served as Vice Commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command. Bird is charged with making Navy and Marine Corps business operations run more efficiently through centralized electronic transactions. She will also be seeking new e-business opportunities for the department. The General Services Administration has named Michael W. Carleton to be its next chief information officer, filling a a role being vacated by Bill Piatt on Oct. 20. Piatt is leaving for a position with Booz-Allen Hamilton as director of e-government strategy. Carleton joined GSA as assistant CIO and has been serving as acting CIO of the Public Buildings Service since June 2000. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Clarence E. Lewis Jr. will retire at the end of this week from his number three position in the agency. Lewis is a 35-year postal veteran and has been COO since June 1998. Also leaving the federal government is Mary Jean LeTendre, director of the Education Department's Title I program for the past 15 years. Upon her retirement, LeTendre will have served in the federal government for 30 years. The Title I program helps disadvantaged children reach higher standards in education. Diane P. LeBlanc was recently elected chair of the Greater Boston Federal Executive Board for 2001, her sixth term in the position. LeBlanc is the regional administrator for the National Archives and Records Administration's Northeast Region. She has been with the agency for 22 years.