Senate Confirms Department of Interior Nominations, Including NPS Director
October 2, 2006
09:53 AM
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominations of Mary A. Bomar to be Director of the National Park Service, David Longly Bernhardt to be Solicitor, Robert W. Johnson to be Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, and C. Stephen Allred to be Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals.
Chairman Domenici’s statement:
“These confirmations come at a crucial time for the Department of Interior. Secretary Kempthorne is steering a new course for the agency, addressing internal challenges and setting ambitious goals for the management of our nation’s resources. He needs his key people in place. I thank my Senate colleagues for responding to this urgent need. These are good people. We expect excellent results from them.”
Bomar succeeds Fran P. Mainella as NPS Director. Bomar has been with the Park Service for 17 years. In 2005, she was named as director of the National Park Service (NPS) 13-state Northeast Region. The Northeast Region is home to almost half of the country’s National Historic Landmarks and more than half of the National Heritage Areas.
In 2003, she became superintendent of Independence National Historical Park in January 2003. Prior to that, she was the superintendent at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and NPS Oklahoma state coordinator. Raised in Leicester, England, Bomar moved to the United States in the 1960’s and became a U.S. citizen in 1977.
Bernhardt previously served as Deputy Solicitor. Before joining the interior, Mr. Bernhardt worked at the law firm of Brownstein, Hyatt and Farber, P.C. and held a variety of positions within the office of Congressman Scott McInnis including Legislative Director, Counsel and Committee on Rules Associate Staff. Mr. Bernhardt earned a B.A. in political science with a minor in business administration from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 1990. He graduated with honors from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1994.
Johnson replaces former Commissioner John W. Keys III. He currently serves as Regional Director of the Lower Colorado Region of the Bureau of Reclamation. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Regional Director. Earlier in his career, he was awarded the President's Meritorious Executive Award for superior accomplishment and management of Federal programs. Mr. Johnson received his bachelor's degree and master's degrees from the University of Nevada.
Allred has more than 40 years experience in engineering, management and leadership positions, both in private industry and public service. Allred most recently served as a member of former Governor Kempthorne's cabinet. Previously, Allred served as Director of the Idaho State Department of Water Resources and as a senior vice-president and group president for Morrison-Knudson Corp. Allred is a board member of the Department of Energy Environmental Advisory Board; board member of the University of Idaho Research Foundation; and Managing Member of the Allred Consultants, LLC. Allred received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Idaho.
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