Prepared by Public Affairs 312-751-4777
President Bush has appointed Michael S. Schwartz as Chairman of
the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. His nomination was confirmed by the Senate
on May 23, and he was sworn into office on July 1. Mr. Schwartz succeeds Cherryl
T. Thomas. An independent Federal agency headquartered in
Chicago, the RRB administers the $8.5 billion-a-year benefit programs provided
under the Federal Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Acts covering
the nation's railroad workforce and their families. A long-time
official with the State of Illinois, Mr. Schwartz previously served as the
Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) from
1995 to 2002, and as Associate Director of CMS from 1989 to 1995. CMS provides a
wide variety of centralized services to other State and local government
agencies, including procurement, data processing and data communication,
personnel, property management, and administration of State employee benefit
plans. Mr. Schwartz has also served the State of Illinois as
Assistant Director of Personnel, Office of Governor (1988-1989); as Executive
Assistant to the Director of Revenue (1986-1988); and as Assistant to the
Director of Professional Regulation (1985-1986). Prior to his service with the
State he was an elementary school teacher in New Berlin, Illinois.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Schwartz received his B.S. degree in Education from
Illinois State University (1975), and his M.A. degree in Educational
Administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield (1980). ### |