For Immediate Release
July 31, 2003 

TWO U.S. TRUSTEE PROGRAM EMPLOYEES ARE HONORED 

            WASHINGTON, D.C.–Two employees of the United States Trustee Program were among those honored yesterday at the Justice Department’s 51^st Annual Awards Ceremony at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. More than 140 Justice Department employees, along with 21 other federal employees and law enforcement officers, received awards at the ceremony. 

            Clifford J. White III, Deputy Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees in Washington, D.C., received the Department’s second highest award, the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. The Department presented 13 Distinguished Service Awards this year. White received the award for his extraordinary leadership of the U.S. Trustee Program’s fraud fighting efforts and his superior management of program activities. 

            Martha J. Watson, a Legal Clerk in the U.S. Trustee Program’s Norfolk, Va., office, was one of two Department employees to receive the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Legal Support (Legal Secretary). She was recognized for her dedication and accomplishments, which have been critical to the Norfolk office’s transition to electronic case filing. 

            “The honors bestowed upon Cliff White and Martha Watson by the Attorney General are a testimony to the U.S. Trustee Program’s phenomenal success with its National Civil Enforcement Initiative,” stated Lawrence Friedman, Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees. “These awards recognize that all Program employees play essential parts in our enforcement activities, from Cliff’s role in planning and directing our fraud-fighting efforts to Martha’s role in reviewing each case in detail. On behalf of the entire Program, I extend my congratulations to these two creative, dedicated, and hard-working employees.” 

            Clifford J. White III has served as Deputy Director for the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees since March 2001. Prior to that, he served as Assistant U.S. Trustee for the Program’s office in Greenbelt, Md.; as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General; and as counsel in the U.S. Information Agency and the Office of Personnel Management. He graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. 

            Martha Watson joined the Program seven years ago, after working as a paralegal for a Chapter 7 trustee for four years. She graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a Paralegal Certificate. 

             The U.S. Trustee Program is a component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. The Program has 21 regions and 95 field offices.

[End]