(Washington, D.C.) -- The Corporation for National and Community Service today welcomed Elizabeth D. Seale as the agency’s Chief Operating Officer. Seale, who has a five-year appointment, will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Corporation and its programs.

"We’re very excited to have found a person with Elizabeth’s mix of personal and professional qualifications," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, which administers the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America national service programs. "I am confident that her leadership and management skills, experience working with social programs, and personal concern for people in need will significantly strengthen the Corporation’s ability to carry out its mission."

"I am tremendously excited by this opportunity to serve the public and to become part of the national effort to empower the armies of compassion and build a culture of service," said Seale.

Most recently, Seale served as Deputy Secretary for Planning and Programs for the Maryland Department of Human Resources, where she oversaw a $1.5 billion budget and 7,000 employees. Her purview included the Office of Planning and five administrations: Child Support Enforcement; Child Care; Social Services (child abuse and neglect, foster care and adoption); Family Investment (Food Stamps, Medicaid and Cash Assistance); and Community Services.

Before joining the Maryland Department of Human Resources, Seale served as the founding director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, one of five such Cabinet Centers created by Executive Order by President Bush in March 2001. She also served as advisor on Presidential Initiatives to the Commissioner for the Administration for Children, Youth and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In 1997, then-Governor George W. Bush appointed Seale to the Board of the Texas Department of Human Services, where she later became vice-chair. Her responsibilities included policy analysis and program oversight in such areas as welfare reform, food stamps, Medicaid, TANF, refugee assistance, family violence prevention services and long-term care services for the elderly and disabled.

Ms. Seale has a long history of involvement in community affairs. Prior to coming to the Washington area, she worked with Baptist Child and Family Services in San Antonio, directing the development of a 115-acre community service complex for nonprofit agencies with residential, administrative, and direct service components. She also served on a number of state and local boards in her native state.

A graduate of Baylor University in Texas and a former middle-school teacher, Ms. Seale earned a Certificate of Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of Wisconsin.

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

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