Federal

Bush Names Leidinger to Assistant Secretary for Management Post

By Erik W. Robelen — October 10, 2001 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

William J. Leidinger, a former county executive and local politician, has been named by President Bush to fill a long-vacant slot at the Department of Education: assistant secretary for management.

And a published report indicates that the president may reach into cutting-edge territory for an assistant secretary for postsecondary education, naming to the position a lobbyist for a for-profit university known primarily for its online courses.

Mr. Leidinger served as the county executive for Fairfax County, Va., a suburb of Washington, from 1992 until 1996, when he was fired by the board of supervisors on a 7-2 vote. He also served as a City Council member in Richmond, Va., and as the city manager there before moving to Fairfax County.

Position Long Vacant

Lindsey Kozberg, a spokeswoman for Education Secretary Rod Paige, said the job of assistant secretary for management had not been filled for six years, spanning most of the Clinton administration. The position, which reports to the deputy secretary of education, will be focused largely inward to improve the structure, functioning, and administrative matters within the department, Ms. Kozberg said.

The duties include work on personnel issues, financial management, contracting, facilities, and support services, she said. The appointment requires Senate confirmation.

From 1997 until several months ago, Mr. Leidinger worked in a suburban Washington office of PricewaterhouseCoopers, a New York and London-based accounting and business-consulting company. When he left the company earlier this year, he was the Mid-Atlantic business- development manager.

Mr. Leidinger, 61, had an increasingly rocky relationship with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors before its decision to vote him out. Among the reasons board leaders cited at the time were Mr. Leidinger’s purported failure to adequately communicate with the board and questions about his handling of a contract for a computer-system upgrade that went far above the original budget. There were also disagreements over fiscal policy.

But Michael R. Frey, a Republican supervisor who served on the Fairfax County board during Mr. Leidinger’s tenure, said that the former county executive was swept out by a political changing of the guard.

“Bill is very talented, very capable,” Mr. Frey said. “He was let go for political reasons. It didn’t have anything to do with his performance.” Mr. Frey noted that when Mr. Leidinger was appointed, the board was controlled by Republicans, but that in 1995, Democrats took the majority.

The Final Slot

Department of Education officials also say President Bush will soon announce his selection for the position of assistant secretary for postsecondary education, now the only assistant secretary’s position without a name officially attached to it. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported last week that the name will be Sally Stroup, a Washington lobbyist for the University of Phoenix.

One of the nation’s largest private accredited universities, the for- profit University of Phoenix has more than 105 campuses, but is best known for its online degree programs.

Ms. Stroup worked for 11 years with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, where she helped manage programs for the student-loan-guarantee agency, before becoming an aide to then- Rep. Bill Goodling, a Republican from Pennsylvania who chaired the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

Edward Elmendorf, a former assistant secretary for postsecondary education during the Reagan administration and now the vice president for government relations and public affairs for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, said Ms. Stroup would bring a strong background on a variety of higher education issues to the position.

“She is a knowledgeable person who has seen the pros and cons of most education legislation and regulation,” Mr. Elmendorf said.

But the job of assistant secretary for postsecondary education today, he noted, carries responsibilities different from those during his tenure in the 1980’s. “The role has been reduced significantly,” he said. “It’s now more of a policy position rather than having direct oversight of program funds.”

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Evidence & Impact: Maximizing ROI in Professional Learning
  Is your professional learning driving real impact? Learn data-driven strategies to design effective PL.
Content provided by New Teacher Center

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Trump Wades Into DEI Fight Over Native American Mascots in Schools
Scholars and Native American activists have long pushed back on schools’ use of such images.
6 min read
Chiefs signs and logos are at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y., on April 25, 2025.
Chiefs signs and logos are at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y., on April 25, 2025.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
Federal Trump to Schools: Banish 'Equity Ideology' in Discipline
Trump’s latest action continues to take aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
8 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Viral AI Gaffe and Ed. Dept. Cuts: How Educators View Linda McMahon So Far
Here's what educators think about the education secretary's performance so far.
6 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks at the ASU+GSV Summit at the Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego on April 8, 2025.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks at the ASU+GSV Summit at the Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego on April 8, 2025.
Ariana Drehsler for Education Week
Federal Inside Trump's Full-Force Approach to Ban Trans Athletes and DEI in Schools
Trump’s return to the White House has brought a new era of aggressive investigations of entities that flout the president's orders.
8 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. The pair were announcing a lawsuit against the state of Maine over state policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports.
Jose Luis Magana/AP