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Press Release | July 17, 2001

Director of National Security Agency Welcomes Two New Hires to His Senior Leadership Team

National Security Agency (NSA) Director Lt Gen Michael V. Hayden, USAF, has filled two key positions on his senior leadership team after completing an extensive selection review process of highly qualified individuals from both inside and outside of NSA.

Richard G. Turner is the new NSA Chief Information Officer. Mr. Turner brings to NSA over 29 years of experience in information systems and information resources management and was recently employed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. His background also includes positions within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Army.

Michael G. Lawrence is the new NSA Chief of the Legislative Affairs Office, a position recently designated as a Principal Director, reporting directly to Lt Gen Hayden. Mr. Lawrence brings with him 20 years of legislative, intergovernmental and public affairs experience at all levels of government that includes positions in the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency of the District of Columbia, Executive Office of the President, U.S. Office of Special Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Labor and five years serving as the Executive Assistant to a member of Congress.

"The NSA has much to gain by hiring from the outside for skills that are not directly related to our missions of SIGINT and Information Assurance," Lt Gen Hayden said. "We need to leverage the skills available from other sources that will encourage us to focus on being world class in those skills that directly define who we are."

The addition of these two new senior-level hires parallels the Agency's aggressive transformation. Both Richard Turner and Michael Lawrence reported on July 16, 2001.