Every Monday on GovExec.com, Comings and Goings announces the arrivals and departures of top federal managers and executives. To submit an announcement, e-mail it to ksaldarini@govexec.com or fax it to 202-739-8511.
Tom Luedtke has been selected as NASA's new associate administrator for procurement. He has been in the position on an acting basis since last August. When Luedtke was the deputy associate administrator for procurement, he launched several initiatives to upgrade the NASA procurement process. He began his career as a contract specialist with the Naval Air Systems Command.
National Security Advisor Sandy Berger has announced the appointment of Jeffrey A. Hunker as senior director for infrastructure protection in the Office of Transnational Threats. Hunker has been director of the Commerce Department's Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office since 1988. During his career he has also served as a deputy assistant Secretary of Commerce and, prior to that, a senior policy advisor at the department.
Richard Farrell became EPA's associate administrator for the office of reinvention on June 14. In his new role, Farrell will be responsible for a wide-ranging agency program aimed at protecting the environment and public health. He has served as director of management and administration at DOE since October 1998.
Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart became the fourth commander of the Air Combat Command on June 11. Eberhart succeeds Gen. Richard E. Hawley, who retired after 35 years of service. Eberhart previously served at the Pentagon as vice chief of staff of the Air Force.
The Office of Personnel Management recently announced two new staff appointments. Mara Patermaster has joined the agency as Combined Federal Campaign operations director, leading the annual federal fund-raising drive for non-profit charities. Patermaster joins OPM from Independent Sector, a national coalition of voluntary organizations, where she was assistant vice president for planning and governance.
In addition, Suzanne B. Seiden has been named general counsel at OPM. She will provide legal and advisory services to OPM officials and offices. Prior to her appointment, Seiden was a lawyer at the Labor Department.
Meanwhile, former OPM general counsel Lorraine Pratte Lewis was recently sworn in as the Department of Education's inspector general. Lewis played an important role in the passing of the 1988 Inspector General Act Amendments and has served with the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee as general counsel, counsel and assistant counsel.
A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Air Force Weather Agency and the Navy recently received Vice President Gore's Hammer Award for reinventing government. The group, known as The Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Hotline Team, received the award for excellence in keeping the nation's Doppler weather network running. Based in Norman, Okla., the team provides telephone and onsite support to 304 radar and user sites, serving thousands of federal weather forecasters and system operators.