WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) today applauded the nominations of Dr. Kathie Olsen and Dr. William Jeffrey to key positions at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), respectively. Dr. Olsen, who currently serves as Associate Director of Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), was nominated to the position of Deputy Director of NSF. Dr. Jeffrey, currently the Senior Director for Homeland and National Security and Assistant Director for Space and Aeronautics at OSTP, was nominated to serve as Director of NIST.
Chairman Boehlert issued the following statement on the nominations of Dr. Olsen and Dr. Jeffrey:
“I want to congratulate Dr. Olsen and Dr. Jeffery on their new assignments and I want to applaud the White House for selecting two fine nominees. The Committee has worked closely with Dr. Olsen and Dr. Jeffrey in their roles at OSTP, and we look forward to a continuing relationship. Both nominees have shown themselves to be energetic, thoughtful and open – exactly the characteristics both their current and new positions require. We are especially pleased that the position of NIST director will be filled. NIST is an absolutely critical agency and it needs strong leadership. We hope that Dr. Jeffrey’s association with the White House will enable him to raise the visibility – and the budget – of NIST.
“We also want to wish our best to the outgoing Deputy Director of NSF, Joe Bordogna, with whom we have worked for so many years. Joe has always had an open door, and he has been a stabilizing force at NSF. His boundless enthusiasm for science and for his agency, his institutional knowledge, and his openness to new ideas, have made him a bulwark of the federal science establishment.”
