Stephen A. Perry Becomes GSA Administrator

GSA # 9831

May 31, 2001
Contact: Viki Reath (202) 501-1231
viki.reath@gsa.gov

Washington, D.C. -- Stephen A. Perry, a former Ohio senior business executive, today became the 17th Administrator of General Services (GSA).

Deputy Administrator Thurman Davis administered the oath in the presence of GSA's senior executives and Michael Bell, Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, who represented the White House.

"It is an honor to receive the appointment, and I'm delighted to join the GSA team," Mr. Perry said.

Mr. Perry retired March 31 as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Purchasing and Communications, at The Timken Co. His retirement marked the conclusion of his 37-year career at the Canton company, a leading international manufacturer of highly engineered bearings and alloy steels, with annual sales of $2.6 billion and 20,500 workers.

Mr. Perry began his Timken career in 1963, progressing from stockroom clerk to Director of Accounting, then Director of Purchasing and Senior Vice President. In 1991, then Ohio Governor, now U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, appointed Mr. Perry to his cabinet as Director of the Department of Administrative Services, which provides state services that are similar to those GSA provides to federal agencies. Mr. Perry returned to Timken in 1993.

Mr. Perry's recent involvement with professional organizations includes the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Labor Policy Association. Additionally, he has served on the Ohio Board of Regents, which oversees Ohio's institutions of higher education, and the Board of Trustees of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mr. Perry holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from the University of Akron in Ohio, and a Master's Degree in Management from Stanford University in California. He also attended the University of Michigan Executive Development program.

GSA is the executive management agency responsible for providing one-stop, workplace solutions for 1 million federal workers to meet their real estate, telecommunications, supply and procurement needs. As GSA Administrator, Mr. Perry will oversee the agency's 14,000 workers and its $15.5 billion annual operating budget. Sales of GSA products and services generate 99 percent of its operating budget. Congress appropriates the remaining 1 percent. The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act created GSA in 1949 to improve efficiency in government.