July 9, 1999
Mayor Williams Announces Three New Appointments
Mayor Fills Positions at the Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Contracts & Procurement and the Office of Competitive Services
(Washington, D.C.) Mayor Anthony Williams today announced the appointments of three new members to his administration. He nominated Mr. Elliott B. Branch to head the Office of Contracts and Procurement, Mr. Peter G. LaPorte to serve as Director of Emergency Management Agency, and Ms. Cheryl A. Calloway as Director of Competitive Services.
As Director of Contracts and Procurement, Mr. Branch will be responsible for directing and coordinating all the contracting and procurement activities for D.C. agencies.
Mr. Branch served as the Executive Director of Acquisition and business Management in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) and was responsible for establishing policy and providing oversight for contracting throughout the Department of the Navy.
Mr. Branch served as a contract specialist in the Naval Air Systems Command; he supported various Naval Aviation programs. In 1986, he became head of the Submarine Combat Systems Contracts Branch at the Naval Sea Systems Command.
Mr. Branch received his BS degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1978.
"He is an unbiased, apolitical outsider whose only priority will be to fix our broken procurement system," said Mayor Williams. "I hope that all of our City's leaders will rally behind him and give him the support he needs to make the system work so that students can get books on time and government services can improve."
As Director of Emergency Management Agency, Mr. LaPorte will administer a critical District agency charged with mobilizing and employing emergency services, training emergency personnel, and informing the public of impending emergencies.
Previously, Mr. LaPorte was Chief of Staff to the Executive Assistant Chief of Police, Terrance Gainer and assisted Mr. Gainer in commanding a 4,200-member department, which oversees the operational services of the Metropolitan Police.
Prior to his position as Chief of Staff to the Executive Assistant Chief of Police, Mr. LaPorte held the position of Executive Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Mr. LaPorte coordinated disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts for the state, including the floods of October 1996 and the blizzard of 1997.
Mr. LaPorte earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and he holds a Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law. He also completed a Senior Government Executive Project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
"Peter LaPort has the experience and expertise we need to help the District deal with – and avoid – emergency situations," said Mayor Anthony A. Williams. "We are fortunate to have such a well qualified successor to Sam Jordan."
Ms. Calloway has been nominated as the Director of Competitive Services of the District of Columbia and will be responsible for overseeing the training of District of Columbia employees to better compete with the private sector.
Ms. Calloway served as the Senior Project Manager at the Michigan Department of Management and Budget from October 1997 to July 1999. Her responsibilities included managing Michigan's Supplier compliance Project and documenting the Year 2000 compliance status of state-owned buildings.
She began her service to the State of Michigan in 1989 and has served as the Director of Privatization; the Assistant to the Director and Deputy Directors/ Inspector General Health, Safety and the Environment; and as a policy advisor to the Department of Natural Resources.
Ms. Calloway earned a Law Degree from Georgetown's University Law Center and a B.S. degree from Case Western Reserve University.
"Cheryl knows what it takes to compete and with her help, we will bring our agencies up to a higher level of performance," said Mayor Williams. "Cheryl will be a strong partner in our efforts to make this city work for everyone—particularly our most vulnerable citizens. We believe that our workers—given the proper motivation, training, and support—can and will provide first class service to residents."
