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1993.02.10 :  Appointment -- Claudia Cooley

Contact: Campbell Gardett (202) 690-6343
February 10, 1993

     HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala has announced the appointment
of Claudia Cooley of Washington, D.C., as executive secretary for
the Department of Health and Human Services.
     As executive secretary, Ms. Cooley, 48, serves as an adviser
to the secretary with broad responsibilities that require her
involvement in policy and programs throughout the department.  In
addition, she coordinates policy and program activities with
other federal departments and the White House.
     Ms. Cooley came to HHS after a 25-year career with the U.S.
Office of Personnel Management, having served there since 1986 as
associate director for personnel systems and oversight.  She was
responsible for a wide variety of federal human resources
management policies and programs.  
     Ms. Cooley directed the OPM technical/policy staff that
shaped and implemented landmark legislative reform of the federal
white-collar pay system, conceived and launched a new research
office to promote innovation in personnel management and
developed a government-wide policy on AIDS in the workplace which
serves as a model for other employers.
     She was born in Rochester, N.Y., March 11, 1944.  She
received her bachelor of arts degree with distinction from Mt.
Holyoke College, 1966, and her master's in public administration
from the University of Michigan in 1967.
     Ms. Cooley started her federal career in 1967 as a
management intern with the Civil Service Commission.  Over the
years she held line and staff positions that spanned a range of
program areas.  During l978-1979, she played a key role in
setting up the new Office of Personnel Management and assisting
federal agencies in implementing the Civil Service Reform Act.
     In 1980, Ms. Cooley was elevated to the Senior Executive
Service with her appointment as an assistant director for agency
relations.  She became deputy associate director for compensation
in 1981 with responsibility for federal retirement and insurance
programs.
     During 1985-1991, along with her OPM responsibilities, she
served as a member of the International Civil Service Commission,
the personnel policymaking body for the United Nations and its
specialized agencies.
     Career honors she has received include the Presidential
Distinguished Executive Rank Award, 1989; Presidential
Meritorious Executive Rank Award, 1986; and the Director's Award
for Distinguished Service, in 1984 and in 1990.
     Ms. Cooley resides in Northwest Washington with her husband,
Graeme Bell, who is an attorney with the firm of Crowell and
Moring.
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