Harman, Donahoe to speak at GAC

Sep 15, 2011

WASHINGTON—The National Newspaper Association has lined up some outstanding speakers for the 50th annual Government Affairs Conference, July 20-22.

Jane Harman, former representative for California’s 36th district from 1993 - 1999 and from 2001 - 2011, will speak on Thursday morning during GAC’s news briefing. During her long public career, she has been recognized as a national expert at the nexus of security and public policy issues.

In February of 2011 she resigned from Congress to become director, president and chief executive officer of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.

Representing the aerospace center of California during nine terms in Congress, she served on all the major security committees—six years on Armed Services, eight years on Intelligence and four years on Homeland Security. Harman has made numerous congressional fact-finding missions to hotspots around the world including North Korea, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Guantanamo Bay to assess threats against the U.S.

Also speaking to attendees will be Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe, who will brief publishers Friday morning at the USPS Headquarters Building at L’Enfant Plaza. Donahue was named the 73rd postmaster general October 2010. Donahoe had served as the 19th deputy postmaster general—the second highest-ranking postal official—and chief operating officer. In his dual roles, Donahoe had responsibility for the day-to-day activities of 574,000 career employees working in more than 32,000 facilities supported by a fleet of nearly 216,000 vehicles. Additionally, he was responsible for mail processing, transportation, field operations, engineering, delivery, retail, facilities and network operations.

Donahoe entered the Postal Service as a clerk in Pittsburgh, PA, and has had a 35-year career in postal operations. Donahoe earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and a master of science degree as a Sloan Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.