Several Bush Nominees Have Nonprofit Experience

Apart from think tanks and universities, “the nonprofit sector has

been underappreciated as a source of talent for presidential appointees over the past 20 years,” says Paul C. Light, a vice president for the Brookings Institution in Washington who has studied such appointments.

But that may be changing.

President Bush has tapped Elaine L. Chao, who ran the United Way of America before joining the Heritage Foundation, as his choice to head the Department of Labor. Secretary of State nominee Gen. Colin Powell also has experience running a national nonprofit group, America’s Promise. And Elizabeth Dole, former head of the American Red Cross, has been mentioned as a possible ambassador to the United Nations.

“Large nonprofits are much more visible than they were 10 years ago, and in a positive fashion,” says Mr. Light.

Even so, the screening process for becoming a presidential appointee may prevent some charity leaders from serving if asked, says Mr. Light, who with Virginia L. Thomas, of the Heritage Foundation, has just published a report on how charity, corporate, and government leaders view the process. The survey included responses from 85 leaders at the country’s biggest charities.

Most of those interviewed, including 84 percent of the charity executives, felt that it would be an honor to get a presidential appointment.

But many also raised concerns about the appointment process, including 45 percent of charity leaders who described it as “embarrassing.”

One troubling finding, according to Mr. Light, was that fewer than half of the charity leaders felt that their boards would encourage them to accept a presidential appointment.

“I had hoped that there would be more support from the senior echelon in the sector for taking these kinds of positions,” he says, “because they are platforms for making a difference in a different kind of way.”

The report, “Posts of Honor: How America’s Corporate and Civic Leaders View Presidential Appointments,” can be obtained via the Web at http://www.appointee.brookings.org. Free printed copies can also be ordered online or by contacting the Presidential Appointee Initiative, 1730 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., Suite 301, Washington 20036; (202) 496-1330.