GSA Deputy Administrator Thurman Davis Announces July 3 Retirement

GSA #10013

May 7, 2003
Contact: Eleni Martin (202) 501-1231
eleni.martin@gsa.gov

WASHINGTON  - Thurman M. Davis, Deputy Administrator of GSA has announced his intention to retire on July 3. He has served as Deputy Administrator of GSA since 1995, where he has been the number two official with three different Administrators.

"All of us at GSA and his colleagues throughout the federal government will miss Thurman for his professionalism, friendship, wisdom, compassion and the value he brought to his work in public service," said Stephen A. Perry, GSA Administrator. "I join with everyone here at GSA, and all those who have worked with Thurman through the years, in expressing gratitude for his outstanding service to GSA and to our Nation. We extend best wishes to him and his family for the best of everything in a well-deserved retirement."

Mr. Davis served on the US Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) since 1995, twice as its Chairperson. The Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Its responsibilities include developing and maintaining accessibility requirements for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and for electronic and information technology. The Access Board provides technical assistance and training on these guidelines and standards and enforces accessibility standards for federally funded facilities.

Prior to this appointment as Deputy Administrator, Mr. Davis served as Regional Administrator for the National Capital Region and was responsible for the execution all GSA operations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He has also served as Regional Administrator and the Assistant Regional Administrator for Public Buildings in the Mid-Atlantic Region, based in Philadelphia, PA. He began his work at GSA in 1963 as a management intern.

Active in church and community activities for most of his life, Mr. Davis has mentored countless young people. He served as a mentor for the Presidential Management Intern Program and the Executive Leadership Program. He developed a program to interest young African Americans in the professions of architecture and engineering in Cleveland, Ohio, he aided in an effort to establish a day care center for economically disadvantaged families in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and has facilitated the donation of refurbished computers to schools and non-profit organizations. Mr. Davis also serves on the Local Federal Coordinating Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Combined Federal Campaign in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Mr. Davis has twice been awarded the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive and once the rank of Distinguished Executive, the highest recognition awarded to a career federal executive. He has also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Administrator of General Services for sustained superior service to GSA. He received the Director's Award for outstanding service to the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottsville, Virginia.

He was the joint recipient with his wife, Loretta, of the Richard Allen Award from the Bethel AME Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund recently recognized him with its Community Leadership Award. He received the Alumni Award from his Alma Mater, Hampton University in 2002. He recently received the Pillow Award from the National Conference of Black Mayors (NCBM) for his ongoing commitment to provide technology and other materials to NCBM.