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Date: Thursday, May 14, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the appointment of Sue Swenson as commissioner for the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) in HHS' Administration for Children and Families.

"Sue Swenson brings to HHS a career rich in experience in the field of developmental disabilities," said Shalala. "As a nationally known teacher and trainer on disability issues, she will lead the Department's efforts to improve the range of opportunities available to people with disabilities."

ADD is the federal agency that administers programs for the nearly four million Americans with developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities are severe, chronic conditions attributable to mental and/or physical impairment which manifest before age 22 and are likely to continue through life. The major goal of the programs is a partnership with state governments, local communities, and the private sector to assist people with developmental disabilities to reach their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity, and community integration.

As a teacher and trainer on disability policy issues for the past 10 years, Ms. Swenson has worked on strategies to form viable and productive partnerships between parents, organizations, professionals, and people with developmental disabilities, specifically in analyzing and developing public policy affecting people with developmental disabilities and in developing organizational strategies.

Ms. Swenson has been an education specialist at the University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration in Minneapolis and a public policy fellow of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation in the U.S. Senate Labor Subcommittee on Disability Policy. She has also been an independent consultant on marketing and a marketing manager for the Barr Engineering Company in Minneapolis and for the Minnesota Heart and Lung Institute. She has served on the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities and national task forces for the State of Minnesota, Pew Center, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (both nationally and in Hennepin County).

"Sue has a long and extraordinary career in the field of disability advocacy and policy," said Olivia Golden, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. "Her personal commitment and dedication, and her ongoing work with the developmental disabilities community is impressive and I know she will make a valuable contribution to children and families."

Ms. Swenson is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Minnesota. She is married and has three sons.