Stephen A. Perry was appointed the 17th administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration on May 31, 2001. He is a former Canton, Ohio, senior business executive, who retired March 31, 2001, as senior vice president -- human resources, purchasing and communications. His retirement marked the conclusion of a 37-year career at The Timken Co. of Canton, a leading international manufacturer of highly engineered bearings and alloy steels, with annual sales of $2.6 billion and 20,500 workers.

Mr. Perry began his career at Timken in 1964, progressing from an initial position as stockroom clerk to various accounting positions to director of accounting to director of purchasing to senior vice president. In 1991, then-Governor, now U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, appointed him to his Cabinet as director of the Department of Administrative Services, which provides services to state agencies that are similar to what GSA provides federal agencies. After his success in state government, Mr. Perry returned to Timken in 1993, when he was elected by its board of directors as an officer of the company and named vice president -- human resources, purchasing and communications. In 1997, he was promoted to senior vice president.

Prior to his appointment as administrator of GSA, Mr. Perry had been active for many years in diverse civic and professional associations. His most recent involvement with professional organizations includes serving as chairman of the Human Resources Council of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, serving on the Human Resources Policy Committee Steering Group of the National Association of Manufacturers and on the board of the Labor Policy Association.

Also, prior to his relocation to the Washington, D.C., area from Ohio, his volunteer work in community and civic activities included his 1993 gubernatorial appointment to the Ohio Board of Regents, which oversees Ohio's institutions of higher education, and membership on the Board of Trustees of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, he served as general chairman of the Professional Football Hall of Fame Festival. He also served on the Management Improvement Commission, to which he had been appointed by Ohio Governor Bob Taft.

Additional past support of his local community includes serving as chairman of:

• The Junior Achievement Investment Drive, 1999
• 1996 United Way Campaign for Central Stark County
• Stark County District Library Board
• Leadership Stark County Selection Committee
• Board of Trustees, Timken Mercy Medical Center
• Canton Scholarship Foundation, and
• Board of Trustees of the Canton Urban League.

Mr. Perry's awards include:

• Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Akron, 2001
• Man of the Year, Canton Christian Hall of Fame, 2000
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Timken High School Alumni Association, 1999
• Dr. Frank L. Simonetti Distinguished Business Alumnus Award, University of Akron College of Business Alumni Association, 1999
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Kent State University, Stark Campus Alumni Council, 1996
• President's Social Responsibility Award, Kent State University, 1995, and
• Jaycees Distinguished Service Award 1977.

A 1963 graduate of Timken High School in Canton, Mr. Perry earned his bachelor's degree in accounting at the University of Akron in Ohio, attended the University of Michigan Executive Development program and earned a master's degree in management from Stanford University in California.

Mr. Perry and his wife, Sondra, have five adult children and six grandchildren.