Executive Government Positions of Influence in Biodefense: The Bio-Plum Book

Table 1. Executive Government Positions of Influence in Biodefense

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Department of Defense
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
State Department
White House
Key
Notes
Sources

Positions in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbenta	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS	Secretary	Oversees HHS.	Tommy Thompson, JD	PAS	All
HHS	Surgeon General	Responsible for disease prevention and overseeing various volunteer groups during public health emergencies.	Vice Adm. Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS	PAS	Program, Policy
HHS	Assistant Secretary, Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)	Serves as the Secretary’s principal advisor on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. The position also coordinates interagency activities between HHS and other federal departments, agencies, offices, and state and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.	Stewart Simonson, JD	PAS	All
HHS	Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, PHEP	Assists the Assistant Secretary for PHEP; assists with interfacing with the Food and Drug Administration on biodefense matters.	William Raub, PhD	Career	All
HHS	Director, Office of Research & Development (R&D) Coordination, PHEP	Oversees the office of R&D, which is tasked to quickly procure vaccines, with smallpox and anthrax being the major focus of research and development. This position works closely with the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and other medical research organizations.	Jerome Donlon, MD, PhD (Acting)	Career	Program
HHS	Director, Office of State and Local Preparedness, Office of the Assistant Secretary, PHEP	Responsible for coordinating all HHS activities related to bioterrorism and public health preparedness; the staff works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant programs.	William Raub, PhD (Acting)	Career	Program
HHS	Director/Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning and Emergency Response Coordination, Office of the Assistant Secretary, PHEP	Provides a centralized location to coordinate the federal response to public health emergencies and is the focal point of HHS incident management activities.	Robert Blitzer	Career	Program
HHS	National Coordinator, Health Information Technology	Supports efforts across government and in the private sector to develop the standards and infrastructure to allow more effective use of information technology to promote higher quality care and reduce health care costs. [Authors’ note: This position was included because electronic health information would assist doctors and public health officials during a bioterrorism event.]	David J. Brailer, MD, PhD	Career	Program
Positions within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS/AHRQ	Director, Bioterrorism Preparedness Research Program	Manages and oversees activities to develop and assess alternative approaches to ensuring health care surge capacity; models that address training and information needs; alternative uses of information technology and electronic communication networks; and protocols and technologies to enhance interoperability among health care systems.	Sally Phillips, RN, PhD	Career	Program, Policy
Positions in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS/CDC	Director	Oversees CDC.	Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH	Noncareer	All
HHS/CDC	Director, Terrorism Preparedness & Emergency Response	Responsible for coordinating the BioSurveillance program, public health state bioterrorism grants program, and Strategic National Stockpile.	Capt. Charles Schable, MS	Career	Program
Positions in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS/HRSA	Administrator	Oversees HRSA.	Elizabeth M. Duke, PhD	Career	All
HHS/HRSA	Director, Division of Health Care Emergency Preparedness, Special Programs Bureau	Responsible for the management and operation of the national bioterrorism hospital preparedness program, state trauma planning grants, and poison control center grants.	Rick Smith^b	Career	Program
HHS/HRSA	Associate Administrator, Special Programs	Responsible for the executive direction and management of a variety of programs including: national bioterrorism hospital preparedness program; state trauma planning grants and poison control centers; state planning grants; organ donation, transplant, and bone marrow programs; childhood and smallpox vaccine injury compensation; health facilities; and pharmacy affairs.	A. Michelle Snyder^b	Career	Program
Positions in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS/NIH	Director	Oversees NIH.	Elias Zerhouni, MD	PAS	All
HHS/NIH	Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)	Responsible for the bulk of civilian infectious disease basic science research, including biodefense basic research.	Anthony Fauci, MD	Career	All
HHS/NIH	Deputy Director, NIAID	Assists the Director of NIAID.	John R. La Montagne, PhD^†	Career	Program
HHS/NIH	Assistant Director for Biodefense Research, Office of Biodefense Research	Oversees coordination of NIAID biodefense research activities within NIH and across the federal government.	Ernest T. Takafuji, MD, MPH	Career	Program
HHS/NIH	Director, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases	Directs NIAID extramural division, which supports much of NIAID biodefense research.	Carole A. Heilman, PhD	Career	Program
HHS/NIH	Director, Division of Intramural Research	Directs NIAID intramural program, which conducts many biodefense research projects.	Thomas Kindt, PhD	Career	Program
HHS/NIH	Chief, Biodefense Clinical Research Branch, Office of Clinical Research	Directs intramural research branch that emphasizes research in biodefense with a clinical focus, to better understand disease processes and improve clinical outcomes.	Mary Wright, MD, MPH	Career	Program
HHS/NIH	Director, Vaccine Research Center	Directs center devoted to vaccine research, including vaccines against potential agents of bioterror such as Ebola and related viruses, as well as SARS and West Nile virus.	Gary Nabel, MD, PhD	Career	Program
Positions in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS/FDA	Commissioner	Oversees FDA.	Lester Crawford, DVM, PhD (Acting)	PAS	All
HHS/FDA	Director, Counterterrorism Policy	Develops and coordinates counterterrorism policy and supports FDA’s strategic planning activities related to counterterrorism.	Margaret Glavin^b	Career	Policy
HHS/FDA	Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition	Manages and oversees FDA’s food counterterrorism activities.	Robert Brackett, PhD	Career	Program, Policy
HHS/FDA	Chief Medical Officer, Office of Counterterrorism Policy	Primarily responsible for coordinating activities related to medical countermeasures.	Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH	Career	Policy
HHS/FDA	Associate Commissioner, Regulatory Affairs	Serves as the senior regulatory official in FDA.	John Taylor^b	Career	Program, Policy
HHS/FDA	Director, Office of Crisis Management	Serves as the main FDA emergency coordinator and directs overall FDA operations in emergency and crisis situations.	Ellen Morrison^b	Career	Program, Policy
HHS/FDA	Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research	Manages and oversees FDA’s review and evaluation of new drugs before they can be sold; includes the oversight of medical countermeasures approvals.	Stephen Galson, MD	Career	Program, Policy
HHS/FDA	Director, Center for Biological Evaluation and Research	Manages and oversees FDA’s regulation of biological and related products, including blood, vaccines, tissue, allergenics, and biological therapeutics.	Jesse Goodman, MD, MPH	Career	Program, Policy
HHS/FDA	Director, Center for Devices and Radiological Health	Manages and oversees the FDA’s review and evaluation of radiation-emitting products and other devices, including diagnostics.	Daniel G. Schultz, MD	Career	Program, Policy
Positions in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
HHS/SAMHSA	Administrator	Oversees SAMHSA.	Charles Curie, MA, ACSW	PAS	All
HHS/SAMHSA	Emergency Management Coordinator	Manages and oversees mental health response to specific disasters and terrorist attacks, including the FEMA Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program; supplemental emergency assistance; emergency grant support; and public safety worker grants.	Daniel Dodgen, PhD	Career	Program
Positions in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
DHS	Secretary	Oversees DHS.	Tom Ridge, JD	PAS	All
DHS	Undersecretary, Directorate of Science and Technology	Oversees the Science and Technology Directorate, which is responsible for developing technology- and science-based countermeasures.	Charles McQueary, PhD	PAS	All
DHS	Assistant Secretary, Plans, Programs and Budgets	Oversees Plans, Programs & Budgets, which is responsible for setting budget priorities and developing new research programs.	Penrose “Parney” Albright, PhD	PAS	All
DHS	Director, Office of Research and Development	The primary arm for research in DHS. This position also oversees the new National Biodefense Analysis Center.	Maureen McCarthy, PhD	Schedule C	Program
DHS	Director, Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA)	HSARPA is the external research and development arm of DHS that works with industry and academia to develop new technologies.	Vayl Oxford (acting)^b	Schedule C	Program
DHS	Director, Systems Engineering and Development	Department responsible for final engineering and implementation of new programs.	John Kubricky^b	Schedule C	Program
DHS	Director, Biological Portfolio (Office of Plans, Programs and Budgets)	Responsible for biological countermeasures in the S&T directorate.	John Vitko, Jr., PhD	Career	Program
DHS	Director, National Biosecurity Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC)	NBACC will be the interagency biodefense forensics R&D complex.	Gerry Parker, MD	Career	Program
DHS	Undersecretary, Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection	Head of the IAIP directorate of DHS, which is responsible for analyzing data, identifying threats, and assessing vulnerabilities.	Lt. Gen. Frank Libutti (Ret.)	PAS	All
DHS	Directorate (IAIP) Undersecretary, Emergency Preparedness	Oversees the Emergency Preparedness directorate of DHS, formerly the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).	Michael D. Brown, JD	PAS	All
DHS	Chief, National Disaster Medical System	Manages the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), which is responsible for managing and coordinating the federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters.	Jack Beall	Career	Program, Policy
DHS	Executive Director, Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness	The federal government’s lead agency for preparing the nation against terrorism; serves as the primary source for distributing homeland security grant money.	C. Suzanne Mencer	PAS	All
Positions in the Department of Defense
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
DOD	Secretary	Oversees DoD.	Donald Rumsfeld	PAS	All
DOD	Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs	Oversees bioprotection of warfighters; vaccine-related issues.	William Winkenwerder, Jr., MD^c	PAS	All
DOD	Director, Military Vaccine Program	Directs joint military vaccine strategy/deployment.	Col. John Grabenstein, RPh, PhD^c	Career	All
DOD	Director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency Chemical and Biological Defense Directorate	Demonstrates and rapidly deploys key DoD chemical and biological defense technologies and capabilities such as detection, protection, and decontamination.	Chuck Gallaway, MD	Career	Program
DOD	Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs	Responsible for all chemical and biological defense, including all chemical and biological defense science and technology development and procurement for things such as tents, suits, masks, vaccines, antibiotics, antibodies, and new and emerging threat countermeasures in those areas, as well as their strategy and funding.	Dale Klein, PhD	PAS	Program, Policy
DOD	Deputy Assistant to the Secretary for Chemical and Biological Defense	Senior deputy to Assistant to the Secretary of DoD for chem-bio programs; has been technical expert in chem-bio.	Vacant	Career	Policy
DOD	Commander, USAMRIID	Directs military biodefense R&D program at Ft. Detrick, Md.	Col. Erik Henchal, PhD^c	Career	All
Positions in the Environmental Protection Agency
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
EPA	Administrator	Oversees EPA.	Mike Leavitt	PAS	All
EPA	Assistant Administrator, Research & Development	Responsible for EPA’s research and development strategies.	Paul Gilman, PhD	PAS	All
EPA	Assistant Administrator, Water	Oversees water safety assessments.	Ben Grumbles, JD, LLM	PAS	All
EPA	Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response Preparedness	Manages the environmental rapid response teams.	Tom Dunne^b	PAS	All
EPA	Director of EPA Office of Homeland Security	Sets policies for the Agency’s homeland security priorities.	Mary Upchurch Kruger^b	Career	Policy
EPA	Director of Research for Homeland Security Center	Responsible for EPA’s research in the fields of decontamination, water safety, and rapid assessment.	Tim Oppelt^b	Career	Program
Positions in the Department of Agriculture
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
USDA	Secretary	Oversees USDA.	Ann Veneman, JD, MA	PAS	All
USDA	Director, USDA Homeland Security Office	The mission of the Office of Homeland Security is to provide leadership and coordination for the department’s homeland security efforts. This role may be likened to the role of the Homeland Security Council at the White House in that the Director serves as an advisor to the Secretary, ensuring coordinated homeland security efforts across agencies within the department, and represents the Secretary before internal and external entities concerning homeland security matters.	Jeremy Stump^b	Schedule C	All
USDA	Administrator, Agricultural Research Service	Responsible for developing new technology to solve technical agricultural problems of broad scope and high national priority in order to assure adequate protection of food and agricultural products.	Edward Knipling, PhD	Career	All
USDA	Associate Administrator, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)	Responsible for overseeing APHIS’s mission of protecting animal and plant health, including APHIS preparations to protect against agroterrorism and response and recovery.	Peter Fernandez, DVM, MPH	Career	Program, Budget
USDA	Assistant Administrator, Office of Food Security and Preparedness, Food Safety and Inspection Service	Responsible for overall coordination and leadership in food security activities for FSIS.	Carol Maczka, PhD	Career	All
Positions in the Department of Commerce
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
DOC	Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security	Key official in deciding export controls.	Kenneth I. Juster, JD, MA	PAS	All
DOC	Director, Office of Chemical and Biological Controls & Treaty Compliance	Office responsible for helping industry to comply with the CW and BW conventions: demonstrating industry compliance, emphasizing the protection of confidential information, and minimizing burdens and cost to industry.	Kevin Kurland^b	Career	All
Positions in the State Department
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
State	Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation	Responsible for leading efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons) and their missile delivery systems; to secure nuclear materials in the states of the former Soviet Union; and to promote nuclear safety and the protection of nuclear materials worldwide.	Susan F. Burk, MA (Acting)	PAS	All
State	Director, Office of Chemical, Biological and Missile Nonproliferation	Leads the working-level U.S. government effort to impede and roll back the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons and cruise missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction, and related equipment and technology.	Vann H. Van Diepen^b,c	Career	Policy
State	Coordinator for Counterterrorism	Coordinates all U.S. government efforts to improve counterterrorism cooperation with foreign governments.	J. Cofer Black, MA	PAS	Policy
State	Assistant Secretary for Arms Control	Responsible for developing policy in the areas of conventional, chemical/biological, and nuclear forces, for supporting arms control negotiations, for implementing existing agreements in these areas, and for advising the Secretary on related national security issues such as nuclear testing and missile defense.	Stephen G. Rademaker, JD, MA^c	PAS	All
State	Director, Office of Chemical and Biological Weapons, Bureau of Arms Control	Responsible for policy and support on biological and chemical issues.	Robert Mikulak, PhD^c	Career	Policy
State	Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs	Agency that handles international health issues, including bioterrorism.	John F. Turner, MS	PAS	All
State	Director, Office of International Health Affairs	Lead office that handles, among other issues, the science and health aspects of bioterrorism in the State Department.	Jack Crawdy^b	Career	Policy
Positions in the White House
Agency	Position title	Description	Name of incumbent^a	Type of appointment	Program, policy, or budget focus
Homeland Security Council	Assistant to the President	Chair of the Homeland Security Council.	Frances Townsend, JD^c	Schedule C	Policy
Homeland Security Council	Deputy Assistant to the President	Second in command for the Homeland Security Council.	Ken Rapuano^c	Schedule C	Policy
Homeland Security Council	Senior Director for Biodefense	Top biodefense advisor on the Homeland Security Council.	Kenneth Bernard, MD^c	Schedule C	Policy
Office of Science and Technology Policy	Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant Director of Homeland Security	Lead homeland security position in the Office of Science and Technology Policy.	Lawrence Kerr, PhD^c	Schedule C	Policy
National Security Council	National Security Advisor	Council chair and chief advisor on national security issues.	Condoleezza Rice, PhD^c	PAS	Policy
National Security Council	Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation, and Homeland Defense	Key bio position within the NSC.	Robert Joseph, PhD^c	Schedule C	Policy

	Key
	-	PAS = Presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed.
	-	Schedule C = political appointment; typically appointed by the Secretary or lead executive agency; not protected by civil service laws.
	-	Noncareer = Position appointed by the Secretary; lacks career civil service protections and Schedule C exemptions.
	-	Career = Career civil service position.
	Notes
	a	Incumbents are listed in the positions they held as of the date the information was received (see Sources, below).
	b	Unable to verify the academic credentials of this person.
	c	This position was not verifiable due to lack of response from the agency's press office and was verified via open source materials.
	d	John R. La Montagne died on November 2, 2004.
	Sources
	-	Vitco confirmed by DHS, sourced independently, personal communication, 9/16/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the HHS Press Office, personal communications, 9/8/04, 9/13/04, 9/15/04, 9/30/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the DHS Press Office, personal communications, 8/20/04, 9/16/04, 9/30/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the FEMA Press Office, personal communication, 9/27/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the EPA Press Office, personal communications, 9/15/04, 9/29/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the USDA Press Office, personal communications, 9/29/04, 10/4/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the DoD Press office, personal communication, 10/15/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the DoC Press Office, personal communication, 9/28/04.
	-	Spokesperson for the State Department Press Office, personal communication, 9/21/04.
	-	State Department Website: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/.
	-	Department of Defense Website: http://www.dod.gov.

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