President Bush to Designate Williams as Acting GSA Administrator

The White House announced today that President Bush intends to designate Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Commissioner James A. Williams as Acting Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), effective Aug. 30, 2008.

Washington, D.C. (EMWNews) August 20, 2008 — The White House announced today that President Bush intends to designate Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Commissioner James A. Williams as Acting Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), effective Aug. 30, 2008.

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Williams will succeed Acting Administrator David Bibb, who is retiring August 29, 2008 after 37 years in federal civil service.

“I am both honored and humbled by this appointment,” Williams said. “Leading GSA during this period of transition is an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to teaming with our superior workforce on key ongoing initiatives and preparing for the next administration.”

Williams, who has 28 years in the federal civil service, 17 of those years as a senior executive, was nominated to be GSA Administrator on June 25, 2008. Mr. Williams’ nomination awaits Senate confirmation.

Williams became FAS Commissioner on June 25, 2006. In this capacity, he provides strategic direction, performance management and leadership for efficient and effective program execution necessary to provide the best value for the government and for taxpayers, proactive customer assistance and simplified procedures.

Prior to his current assignment, Williams served as the Director of the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program at the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, he served in several executive leadership positions at the Internal Revenue Service, including Deputy Associate Commissioner for Program Management, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for procurement and later as Director of Procurement at the IRS.

Earlier in his career, Williams was Director of the Local Telecommunications Procurement Division at GSA, where he was responsible for all nationwide local telecommunications purchases for the agency.

A native of Virginia, Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1979 and a master’s in business administration from The George Washington University in 1986.

GSA provides a centralized delivery system of products and services to the federal government, leveraging its enormous buying power to get the best value for taxpayers.

• Founded in 1949, GSA manages more than one-fourth of the government’s total procurement dollars and influences the management of $500 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 208,000 vehicles.
• GSA helps preserve our past and define our future, as a steward of more than 420 historic properties, and as manager of USA.gov, the official portal to federal government information and services.
• GSA’s mission to provide superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services, purchasing and E-Gov travel solutions and management policies, at best value, allows federal agencies to focus on their core missions.

Did You Know? USA.gov was named by Time magazine as One of 25 Sites You Can Not Live Without.

Contact:

Mike Collins/202.208.4220

michael.collins @ gsa.gov