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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release December 18, 1997
                            PRESIDENT CLINTON 
                         NAMES CHERRYL T. THOMAS 
                AS CHAIR OF THE RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

The President today announced his intent to nominate Cherryl T. Thomas as Chair of the Railroad Retirement Board.

Cherryl Thomas, of Chicago, Illinois, is currently the Commissioner, Department of Buildings for the City of Chicago. Appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley to this cabinet position in 1994, Ms. Thomas is responsible for managing the second largest building department in the country with a $28 million dollar budget. Ms. Thomas has worked in various capacities for the City of Chicago for over 15 years, including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor from 1992 to 1994, and from 1989 to 1992 as Director of Personnel Policy and Utilization for the Department of Water, which employs approximately 2,500 skilled and unskilled persons. From 1983 to 1989, Ms. Thomas was Director of Management Services for the Department of Aviation where she was responsible for directing the management services and human resources for O'Hare International Airport. She designed and maintained the Department's personnel record system and represented the Department and City in employee relations practice hearings and labor contract negotiations involving over eighteen national unions. Ms. Thomas received her B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Marquette University and her M.S. in Physiology from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

The Railroad Retirement Board's mission is to administer the Railroad Retirement Act and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, and to assist in the administration of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code as they relate to railroad retirees. The Board is comprised of three Members, including the Chair.

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