Appointments Watch: Who’s coming, who’s going

While President Bush has been busy announcing his picks for some of the top jobs in his administration, others are packing their bags and getting ready for life after government. Here's a look at some comings and goings:

In April, Bush officially nominated Kay Coles James as director of the Office of Personnel Management. James, who served in the first Bush administration as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Health and Human Services Department and as associate director at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, will play a key role in the future of federal pay and benefits. James, currently at the Heritage Foundation, will step into the slot currently occupied by Acting OPM Director Steve Cohen. Cohen will return to his position as associate director of OPM's Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness.

Another alumna of the first Bush administration, Maryland labor consultant Cari Dominguez, was nominated earlier this month to be a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Dominguez, who headed the Employment Standards Administration at the Labor Department under the President's father, will serve a five-year term. The agency's five commissioners are appointed for staggered five-year terms. Upon her confirmation, Bush will name Dominguez EEOC chairwoman, replacing current Clinton appointee Ida L. Castro.

The same day Bush announced Dominguez' nomination, he also nominated John P. Walters as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Walters was chief of staff to William Bennett, former Education Secretary and the government's first drug czar. Walters is not new to the drug policy office; he served as deputy director and acting director of the agency during the first Bush administration. Edward H. Jurith is the current acting director of the office.

The IRS is losing one of its top officials in September. Bert Concklin, director of the agency's business systems modernization, announced his departure earlier this month. Concklin, who said he is trading in his "intensive, hands-on" job at the agency for one that is more "advisory," joined the IRS in June 2000, after serving as president of the Professional Services Council. John Reece, deputy commissioner for modernization and chief information officer at IRS, will fill Concklin's shoes until the agency finds a successor.

In April, Stephen A. Perry drew the nomination to be administrator of the General Services Administration. The 55-year-old Ohio native retired from The Timken Co., a Canton, Ohio-based manufacturer of bearings, alloy wheels and components, in March after 35 years, leaving the company only once to serve as director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Perry will replace former Administrator David Barram, who retired from the position in December.

F. Joseph Moravec, 50, has been tapped to be commissioner of GSA's Public Buildings Service. Moravec, a commercial real estate professional, spent the past three years as senior advisor for business development at The George Washington University in Washington. Moravec replaces current Commissioner Robert Peck.

John D. Graham is Bush's choice to direct the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget. Graham is a professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health and is the founder of Harvard's Center for Risk Analysis. His nomination hearing was slightly contentious because of complaints from consumer groups who said his academic work has been influenced by industry contributions to the Harvard center. But the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved Graham's nomination on May 23.

The next postmaster general will be John Potter, a 23-year veteran of the Postal Service who currently serves as chief operations officer and executive vice president. Potter's nomination was announced May 21. He is the sixth career employee to ascend to the rank of postmaster general. Potter replaces William Henderson, who retires May 31.

National Academy of Public Administration president Robert J. O'Neill is serving as a temporary counselor for management issues to Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels. O'Neill will fill the role typically performed by the deputy director for management, such as chairing governmentwide management councils and heading up OMB management initiatives. His temporary term ends Sept. 7.