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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 19, 1996

PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES THREE TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY

ADVISORY BOARD

President Clinton today announced the appointment of the following individuals to the Social Security Advisory Board. These nominees will serve as recess appointees. All three individuals were nominated on August 10, 1995 and are pending before the Senate.

Senator Harlan Mathews of Tennessee will be appointed Chair of the Social Security Advisory Board. Senator Mathews served as a member of the U.S. Senate from January 3, 1993 through December 2, 1994. Prior to entering the Senate, he led a long and distinguished career in Tennessee state government. Senator Mathews served on the staff of Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter serving as secretary of the Cabinet, until January 2, 1993. In 1974, Senator Mathews was elected State Treasurer, a position which he held until 1987; he held that office longer than anyone in Tennessee history. As State Treasurer, Senator Mathews administered a statewide public employee pension program--an Old Age and Survivors Insurance coordinated program in which benefits from Social Security are supplemented by a public pension fund. From 1950 to 1973, Senator Mathews served in a number of positions in the Tennessee state government, including the budget staff of Governor Frank Clement, Commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration and as Legislative Assistant to the State Comptroller. Senator Mathews received a Bachelor's degree in Business from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and a M.A. from Vanderbilt University.

William C. Brooks is currently vice president of corporate relations for the General Motors Corporation. He is chairman of the GM Foundation. He is also chairman of the board and president of Motor Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of General Motors which is a specialized small business investment company. Mr. Brooks is also on the board of directors of many community organizations including Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce (vice chairman), Economic Club (Vice President), Michigan Jobs Commission, Music Hall Center (chairman), Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, City of Detroit Private Industry Council (chairman), Detroit Public Schools' School-to-Work Program (Chairman) and Concerned Citizens for Arts in Michigan (president). Previously, Mr. Brooks served as Assistant Secretary of Labor Employment Standards in the Bush Administration. He received his B.A. from Long Island University, his M.A. from the University of Oklahoma and completed his Harvard Business Schools' Advanced Management Program.

Gerald M. Shea of the District of Columbia has been serving as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO since May 11, 1994 and is currently a member of the Advisory Council on Social Security. Prior to becoming
Secretary-Treasurer, he was Director of the Employee Benefits Department of the AFL-CIO. Previously, Mr. Shea held the position of Assistant to the President for Government Affairs at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). He began his tenure with SEIU in 1972 as an organizer for the Massachusetts Hospital Workers Organizing Committee. Subsequent to that time, he served the union in various capacities, including Executive Director, Local 880; Business Manager, Local 285; and Health Care Coordinator and SEIU Health Care Division Director. Mr. Shea is a graduate of Boston College.

The Social Security Advisory Board was created by Public Law 103-296 in 1994, and consists of seven members, three of whom are appointed by the President. The Board is responsible for advising the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration on policies related to old-age, survivors, and the disability insurance program and the supplemental security income program. With both the House and Senate members appointed to the Social Security Advisory Board, these recess appointments complete the Board.

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