Comings and Goings

A regular feature of GovExec.com, Comings and Goings announces the arrivals and departures of top federal managers and executives. To submit an announcement, e-mail it to webmaster@govexec.com or fax it to 202-739-8511.

C O M I N G S

Deidre A. Lee, NASA's associate administrator for procurement, has been officially nominated as head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the government's top acquisition shop. Lee will be the administration's acquisition reform chief, filling the shoes of reformer Steve Kelman, who left Washington in September.

Retired Air Force Gen. John J. Kelly, who authored a critical report on National Weather Service management last fall, is taking the helm of the shaken-up weather service. Commerce Secretary William Daley announced Kelly's appointment last week. Kelly, who formerly headed up the Air Force Weather Service, replaces NWS Director Elbert W. Friday. Friday was removed from NWS' top spot last summer after a management dispute with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief D. James Baker.

Former American Nursing Association President Virginia Trotter Betts has been appointed senior advisor to the assistant secretary for health and senior advisor on nursing policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. Among her honors, Betts was named 1997 Professional Nurse of the Year by the Nursing Organization of the Veterans Administration and 1996 Nurse of the Year by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Former Food and Drug Administration official Lucy Rose has been appointed a vice president at the Council for Excellence in Government. Rose will direct the Excellence in Government Fellow program, which strives to improve government leadership and restore public trust in government. Rose previously held a number of high-ranking positions at FDA, including head of the division of drug marketing, advertising and communications.

The American Arbitration Association, a non-profit alternative dispute resolution outfit, has brought on Arnald B. Crews, as regional vice president for the Washington, D.C. region. Crews has mediated disputes for the National Association of Securities Dealers and the Better Business Bureau, and has argued labor cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.

G O I N G S

Federal Housing Commissioner Nicolas Retsinas is leaving Washington to make Harvard his home. Retsinas will become director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at the university after five years as head of the Federal Housing Administration. Retsinas had been dogged by allegations in The Washington Times that he may have withheld evidence in a bid tampering case. HUD denies Retsinas' resignation is connected to the allegations. HUD also lost Deputy Secretary Dwight Robinson last week and will lose public and Indian housing chief Kevin E. Marchman next month.

The Pentagon's top doctor is retiring from federal service. Dr. Edward D. Martin, acting assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, is officially leaving April 1. Martin is the executive manager of the Military Health Services System, the country's second largest health care system. Prior to his DoD career, Martin was an executive with the Public Health Service. He was twice honored with the Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal. President Clinton has nominated Dr. Sue Bailey, who held the deputy position a few years ago, to replace Martin as assistant secretary for health affairs.