Home > News & Policies > March 2002

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 29, 2002

Appointments
President Bush Today Announced the Recess Appointment of Five Individuals

President George W. Bush today announced the recess appointment of five individuals.

The President has appointed Dennis L. Schornack to be Commissioner and Chairman of the International Joint Commission for the United States and Canada.  The intention to nominate Mr. Schornack was announced on May 10, 2001, and his nomination was transmitted to the Senate on June 29, 2001.

Schornack is presently Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives to Governor John Engler of Michigan, serves as Commissioner of the Low-level Radioactive Waste Authority and sits on the Board of Directors for the Great Lakes Protection Fund.  From 1984 to 1991 he served as a Legislative Assistant to the Senate Majority Leader of the Michigan State Senate and before joining the Senate, was a policy analyst for the Michigan House of Representatives from 1979 to 1984.  He is a graduate of Michigan State University and earned a Master's degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

The President has appointed Emil H. Frankel to be Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Transportation Policy.   The intention to nominate Mr. Frankel was announced on July 30, 2001, and his nomination was transmitted to the Senate on September 14, 2001.

Frankel served as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation from 1991 to 1995 during which time he was the Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Environment of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and Vice Chairman of the I-95 Corridor Coalition. After leaving public service in 1995, he became Of Counsel to Day, Berry and Howard LLP, where he has consulted primarily on transportation and public policy issues. Frankel is presently a member of the Connecticut Governor's Council on Economic Competitiveness and Technology and is an Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, and Harvard Law School and was a Fulbright Scholar at Manchester University in the United Kingdom.

The President has appointed Jeffrey Shane to be Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation.  The intention to nominate Mr. Shane was announced on September 18, 2001, and his nomination was transmitted to the Senate on October 10, 2001.

Shane has practiced law since 1993, first as Counsel and Partner at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering and then as a Partner at Hogan and Hartson where he now serves. From 1979 to 1985, Shane served at the Department of Transportation as Assistant General Counsel for International Law, then as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs. From 1985 to 1989, Shane served at the Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs. In 1989, he returned to the Department of Transportation as Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs where he served until 1993. Shane is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia University School of Law.

The President has appointed Michael E. Toner to be a Member of the Federal Election Commission for the remainder of a term expiring April 30, 2007. The intention to nominate Mr. Toner was announced on November 21, 2001, and his nomination was transmitted to the Senate on March 4, 2002.

Toner is currently Chief Counsel to the Republican National Committee and was General Counsel to the Bush/Cheney Transition and Bush/Cheney 2000. From 1997 to 1999, Toner served as Deputy Counsel to the Republican National Committee, and in 1996, he was Counsel to the Dole/Kemp campaign. He was an Associate with Wiley, Rein and Fielding in Washington, D.C. from 1992 to 1996. Toner received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a J. D. from Cornell Law School.

The President has appointed Gerald Reynolds to be Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights.  The intention to nominate Mr. Reynolds was announced on June 25, 2001, and his nomination was transmitted to the Senate September 25, 2001.

Reynolds has served since 1998 as Senior Regulatory Counsel at Kansas City Power and Light. From 1997 to 1998, he was President and Legal Counsel for the Center for New Black Leadership and continues to sit on the Board of Directors. Reynolds served as a Legal Analyst for the Center for Equal Opportunity from 1995 to 1997. He is a graduate of the City University of New York at York College and received his J. D. from Boston University School of Law.