THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release May 18, 1993

PRESIDENT NAMES FISH AND WILDLIFE OFFICIALS

(Washington, DC) President Clinton announced today his intention to nominate Molly H. Beattie, the director of a Vermont public policy center and former state natural resources official, to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, the President announced that his longtime environmental aide Kenneth Smith has been appointed the Fish and Wildlife Service's Deputy Director.

"Secretary Babbitt and I have placed a high priority on finding new ways to protect biological diversity without endangering economic growth," said the President. "The Fish and Wildlife Service will play a big role in that process. I have full confidence in the ability of Molly Beattie and Ken Smith to do the hard work and the fresh thinking that needs to be done."

Molly Beattie has been Executive Director of the Richard A. Snelling Center for Government since its inception in 1991. She had previously been Deputy Secretary of the State of Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources, with particular responsibility for forestry, fish, wildlife, and public lands. Beattie also served from 1985-89 as Vermont's Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation, and from 1983-85 as Program Director for the Windham Foundation, a private foundation which conducts seminars on issues facing Vermont and which manages more than 1,000 acres of land. She has additional experience as a forester, an Outward Bound instructor, and a news reporter. She holds a bachelors degree from Marymount College, a masters in Forestry from the University of Vermont, and a masters in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government.

Kenneth Smith was a Special Assistant to then-Governor Bill Clinton from 1989 until Clinton resigned that office in 1992. He advised Clinton on a variety of environmental issues and coordinated the actions of Arkansas' natural resource agencies, as well as working with federal agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service. Smith had previously been Chief of Research for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Program Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, and a science teacher in the Jonesboro public schools. He holds a B.S. from Southern Arkansas University and an M.S. from Arkansas State University.

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