Secretary Norton Announces the Appointment of
Dr. Abraham Haspel as Assistant Deputy Secretary

WASHINGTON--Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today announced the appointment of Dr. Abraham E. Haspel as Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Interior. The position is not subject to U.S. Senate confirmation and is effective June 10, 2002.

"Dr. Haspel brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will make him a tremendous asset in addressing the challenges and issues before the department," Secretary Norton said. "Abe is a distinguished civil servant of the highest caliber, and I am delighted that he has agreed to join our team at Interior."

Haspel is no stranger to the challenges and issues before the Interior Department. He spent 12 years at Interior, beginning in 1978, where he served in a variety of policy and management positions, including Assistant Director for Program Review of the Minerals Management Service.

In his new position as Assistant Deputy Secretary, Haspel will provide program and management guidance for areas under the purview of the Office of the Deputy Secretary. He will serve as a focal point for Indian trust reform issues, historical accounting, and other projects.

Haspel recently served (1999-2002) as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Budget and Management (Chief Operating Officer) of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy, an organization of almost 550 employees and a budget of $1.3 billion. Before 1999 he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy, Environment and Economic Policy Analysis; Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs; Director, Office of Economic Analysis and Competition; and Chief Economist in the Office of Policy and International Affairs of the Department of Energy.

Before joining DOE in 1990, Haspel spent 12 years (1978-1990) at the U.S. Department of the Interior where, in addition to being the Assistant Director for Program Review of the Minerals Management Service, he was a Senior Economist/Staff

Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management and a Senior -- Economist in the Office of Policy Analysis. Haspel joined Interior as an Economic Policy Fellow of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., in 1978. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Haspel has received numerous honors during his distinguished federal service. He has been the recipient of four Presidential Rank awards for distinguished and meritorious service (1993, 1994, 1998, and 2001). These are the highest awards given to career civil servants. He received the gold Secretary's Award, the highest award given at DOE, in 1997 and in 2001. In1988, he received the Interior Department's Meritorious Service Honor award, the second highest award given at Interior.

He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania (1974), and a bachelor's degree (magna cum laude) in mathematics and economics from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. (1971).

Dr. Haspel resides in Annandale, Va., with his wife and two of his three sons.

- DOI -