Honorable Nancy P. Dorn (August 1991 - January 1993)

By U.S. ArmyOctober 30, 2017

Hon. Nancy P. Dorn
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Honorable Nancy P. Dorn served as Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) from July 1991 to January 1993. Ms. Dorn's responsibilities included, but not limited to, matters associated with the Panama Canal Commission and Arlington National Cemetery. She was the first woman and, at age 33, the youngest person to be nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate to the position of Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).

During Ms. Dorn's tenure, the Army Corps of Engineers made great strides in defining and, in some cases, broadening its environmental mission. As a result, the Corps put its talents and expertise to work on environmental clean-up projects, which included the nuclear production sites of the Department of Defense and Energy, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund sites. The Corps increasingly became the Nation's Engineer, performing environmental and construction work for some 25 Federal agencies, in addition to its Civil Works mission in all 50 states.

During the Bush Administration, the Corps adopted a balanced approach to protection of the environment while allowing for prudent and much-needed economic development. In the wetlands regulatory program, there was an attempt to reintroduce common sense and flexibility through significant regulatory reforms and policy guidance. A common set of rules was adopted by the federal regulatory agencies and timeframes for completing permit applications were established.

Prior to Ms. Dorn's Presidential appointment and confirmation, she was Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. She also held the positions of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Inter-American Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs. From 1992-1998, Ms. Dorn worked as a partner in the Washington, D.C. firm of Hooper, Hooper, Owen and Gould, which specializes in energy, taxes and international issues, and then spent time serving on the board of the Inter-American Foundation. Following this, in 2001 Ms. Dorn worked as an assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for legislative affairs. The following year, Ms. Dorn assumed the position of deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, in which office she served until May of 2003. At that point, Ms. Dorn became Vice President of Corporate Government Relations at The General Electric Company, in which position she currently serves.