THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary 
                     (Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts)
______________________________________________________________________ 
For Immediate Release                                September 3, 1997 

                   PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES TOM MCDONALD 
             AS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE

President Clinton today announced his intent to nominate Tom McDonald to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Mr. McDonald, of Cleveland, Ohio, has practiced with Arter & Hadden since 1983, serving as Partner in the firm for the last ten years. He works in the areas of litigation and government relations. In addition to his national law practice, Mr. McDonald has significant experience in democracy-building projects. He has a life-long commitment to African affairs. His international assignments have included four missions to Africa. Mr. McDonald was an election observer in South Africa in 1994 and an election monitor in Uganda in the same year. In February, he served as an advisor to the U.S. Information Agency in Kenya, working on election reform issues. Previously, he served as the Senior Election Law consultant to the National Democratic Institute in Cambodia for two months in 1995. He was a member of the Presidential Delegation to observe the election in Bosnia in September 1996.

Mr. McDonald earned a B.A. from the School of Public and International Affairs at the George Washington University in 1976 and a J.D. Degree from the University of Minnesota in 1979.

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