Clinton Makes Three
Recess Appointments to NCLIS

President Clinton announced three recess appointments December 29 to serve as members of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). The appointees were originally nominated on September 25, 2000.

In addition to Marilyn Gell Mason, whose nomination was previously reported, the new commissioners are:

• Paulette H. Holahan of New Orleans, Louisiana, retired deputy judicial administrator for public information for the Louisiana Supreme Court. A member of NCLIS from 1980 to 1985, she served on the executive board of the Urban Libraries Council and as a delegate to the White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services in 1979. Holahan has received many awards for her work with libraries, including the NCLIS Silver Award and an ALA award as the Outstanding Library Trustee in the United States.
• Donald L. Robinson of Washington, D.C., an adjunct professor of political science at Boston University and director of its Washington Internship Program. Following service as an officer in the Navy, Robinson held key staff positions on Capitol Hill.

NCLIS Executive Director Robert S. Willard said the president made the recess appointments, which do not require Congressional confirmation, because the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee did not have time to act on the nominations before adjournment last year.

Willard also said that the fourth NCLIS nominee announced by Clinton in September, Bredex Corporation President and former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen, withdrew his name, feeling that the financial-disclosure information required by the Senate was overly intrusive.

Posted January 8, 2001.