Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott announced today that President George W. Bush has nominated Pete Johnson of Clarksdale, Mississippi, to serve as Federal Co-Chairman of the new Delta Regional Authority, which was authorized by Congress to provide a vehicle through which federal funds can assist local communities in overcoming generations of poverty through effective economic development.

Johnson is an attorney and member of the Mississippi and Coahoma County Bar Associations, and he is certified by the Mississippi Supreme Court as a Mediator.

Johnson served as President of the Clarksdale-Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce and Director of Delta Council's Community and Industrial Development Board. He was a Senior Vice President, trust officer and member of the Bank of Clarksdale's management team. He formed a financial planning firm and in 1984 was appointed by the Governor as Chairman of the Mississippi Marketing Council.

In 1988, Johnson was elected State Auditor and in 1992 was appointed by President George Bush as State Director of the Farmers Home Administration.

Cochran said, "As a long-time resident of Clarksdale, Pete has worked on behalf of the Delta community, and he knows the region, its leaders and its problems. I have known him for many years, and I am confident he will do an outstanding job."

"Pete Johnson is a Mississippian who understands the challenges faced by the Mississippi Delta and the entire lower Mississippi region," Lott said. "It certaintly would be good for the people of our state to have a fellow Mississippian of Pete Johnson's caliber as head of this important new authority."