THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

PRESIDENT NAMES GRIFFIN NEW CONGRESSIONAL LIAISON

President Clinton announced today that he has appointed Pat Griffin to be the Assistant to the President for Congressional Affairs. Griffin, an experienced professional with experience in academia, government, and the private sector, will begin work at the White House in mid-January.

"I am very glad to have someone of Pat Griffin's skill and experience leading my legislative team here at the White House," said the President. "We have an ambitious agenda on the Hill for the next year, with difficult challenges like health care, crime, and welfare reform to be addressed. I am counting on Pat to work closely with members on both sides of the aisle to move those issues forward."

Griffin, originally came to Washington as a fellow at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare before joining the staff of the Senate Budget Committee in 1978. From there, he moved on to the staff of the Democratic Policy Committee, and became senior floor assistant to then-Minority Leader Robert Byrd. In 1983, he was elected Secretary to the Senate Democratic Conference.

In 1985, Griffin left the Senate to join the public relations firm of Burson, Marsteller, where he headed the legislative practice until starting his own firm, Griffin, Johnson & Associates seven years ago. A 44-year old native of Brooklyn, New York, he holds a B.S. from St. Peter's College in New Jersey, and an M.S. in urban affairs and Ph.D. in education from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He and his wife, Annie Burr, have two children, Patricia, 22, and Brian, 21.

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