Many people in these six Departments contributed to this guidance. The guidance was organized under the direction of Kevin Thurm, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who enlisted the aid of his fellow Deputies: Richard Rominger, Department of Agriculture; Frank S. Hollerman, III, Department of Education; Saul Ramirez, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Eric Holder, Department of Justice; and Edward Montgomery, Department of Labor. The Deputy Secretaries each designated key Department officials to head this effort: Robert Dalrymple at Agriculture, Menahem Herman at Education, Jeffrey M. Aron at HUD, Deborah Smolover and Judy McBride at Justice, and Jennifer Beeson at Labor. At HHS, Mr. Thurm asked his Special Assistant, Lisa A. Gilmore, to oversee the project for him, and assigned general responsibility to Linda Mellgren and Michael Ambrose to coordinate the project. Ms. Mellgren and Mr. Ambrose were joined by Lois James, also of HHS, to complete the project team.
Within HHS, which because of its size and mission involved multiple agency contributions, a number of people provided critical assistance with the guidance: Veronica Alverez, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; June Dow, Office of Public Health and Science; Christopher Howe and Mel Schmerler, Health Care Financing Administration; Juanita Prioleau, with Mr. Ambrose and Ms. James, Administration for Children and Families; Karen Raykovich, Health Resources and Services Administration; Ulonda Shamwell, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and Wilbur Woodis, Indian Health Service. The contributions of Paul Legler and Elizabeth Matheson, through the development of the Office of Child Support Enforcement PIQ-00-03, State IV-D Program Flexibility with Respect to Low Income Obligors, was invaluable.
Important discussions about the guidance with Susan Golonka and Gretchen Odegard, National Governor's Association; Lee Posey, National Conference of State Legislatures; Neil Bomberg, National Association of Counties; and Nicole Bramstedt, American Public Human Services Association, were coordinated by James Mason and Delia Clayton of the HHS Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Administration for Children and Families, respectively. Additional input from other contributors to numerous to mention was solicited through discussions and meetings with representatives of fatherhood, women's and professional organizations. Their commitment and thoughtful contributions to this project are greatly appreciated, and the guidance is a better product as a result of their efforts.
Last but not least, Andrea Kane and Julie Bosland of the Domestic Policy Council, oversaw the project for the White House, providing important guidance and assistance. In addition, Nancy Hoit provided input from Vice-President Gore's National Partnership For Reinventing Government. Their support and encouragement were essential to completing the task.
It is inevitable that some key contributors will have been missed in this listing. Many people throughout the six federal agencies contributed to the materials compiled for the guidance. Many people outside the Federal government offered ideas and suggestions that have been incorporated into the document. We are especially grateful to have had several important published reviews of responsible fatherhood programs, which made the task of collecting examples an easier task.
On behalf of America's fathers and their families, the coordinating staff from all six Departments are very grateful for the patience, good will and enthusiasm shown by their many colleagues in the public and private sectors whose efforts made this undertaking possible.
Home Pages:
Fatherhood Initiative
U. S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Health and Human
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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Labor
Last updated: 1/19/01