July 9, 2002
Contact:
Hugh Vickery, 202-208-3171
(WASHINGTON) Interior Secretary Gale Norton has appointed David P. Smith
of Austin, Texas, as deputy assistant secretary and counselor to the
assistant
secretary for fish and wildlife and parks. In this position, Smith will
assist in management
oversight and policy direction for the National
Park Service and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife
Service.
"David Smith has a national reputation as a problem-solver in
conservation
and parks management," Norton said. "He has earned this new
appointment with his
work and leadership on parks and wildlife issues, and he will continue
to be a
valuable asset to my team."
As one of the Bush administration's initial appointees to the department,
Smith has been serving in the assistant secretary's office since January
2001. Prior to
being designated deputy assistant secretary, he served as counselor
to Assistant Secretary
Craig Manson.
Smith was a member of the Bush/Cheney Transition Team following his
service
in the Texas governor's office under then Gov. George W. Bush. He was
an advisor
to Gov. Bush on agency policy and appointment issues in the fields of
natural resources,
conservation, real estate, housing, finance, water and river authorities.
Before devoting his career to public service, Smith was an attorney
in
private practice in Austin, where he concentrated on federal, state
and municipal environmental and land-use regulatory issues.
Smith is a graduate of Washington & Lee University in Lexington,
Va., and
the University of Texas School of Law. He currently resides in Alexandria,
Va., and is an
avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman.
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