THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

               PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES J. BRIAN ATWOOD AS
          U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL

The President today announced his intent to nominate J. Brian Atwood to be U.S. Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Mr. J. Brian Atwood, of Wareham, Massachusetts, currently serves as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, a position to which he was appointed by President Clinton in 1993. During his tenure as the head of the world's largest bilateral development program, Administrator Atwood has been credited with restoring America's leadership role in international development cooperation. His career in foreign policy began over 30 years ago, when he joined the Foreign Service to serve in Cote d'Ivoire and Spain. He served as a foreign policy advisor on the staff of former Senator Thomas Eagleton. During the Carter Administration, Administrator Atwood was named Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations at the State Department and later served as Dean of Professional Studies and Academic Affairs at the Foreign Service Institute. He served for eight years as the President of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and in 1992 was tapped by then President-elect Clinton to serve as transition leader at the State Department.

Administrator Atwood graduated from Boston University in 1964 and has done graduate work at American University, where he later received an honorary doctorate. He is married to Susan J. Atwood and has three children, John, Deborah and Michelle.

30-30-30