Fenty Fills Six More Cabinet Positions

Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty added six members to his cabinet yesterday, including holdovers from the current administration.

Staying put in their jobs will be four agency directors: Devon Brown, corrections; William O. Howland, public works; Vincent N. Schiraldi, youth rehabilitation services; and Deborah A. Gist, state education officer.

Fenty also named Brender L. Gregory as director of the Office of Personnel and Janice Quintana as the director of the city's Unified Communications Center. The D.C. Council must confirm Gregory and Quintana because they are new appointees.

With less than two weeks to go until he officially takes the reins of D.C. government, Fenty still has some important positions to fill, including that of fire chief. Fenty has announced he will not keep Fire Chief Adrian H. Thompson, but he said yesterday that he does not expect to choose a permanent replacement by Jan. 2 and will instead name an interim chief.

Fenty, who campaigned on the theme of bringing new energy and leadership to District government, defended his decision to retain other members of Mayor Anthony A. Williams's administration. He said that all four directors he decided to keep have been agents of change in their departments.

Schiraldi and Brown have generated headlines in the past year as they tried to implement changes in their agencies. Schiraldi, 47, who is a nationally known juvenile justice advocate, has battled with union leaders over several decisions, including the dismissal of nine managers at Oak Hill Youth Center in October.

Brown acknowledged a "major breakdown" in his department and fired 11 employees after two inmates staged a brazen daytime escape from D.C. jail in June. He took over the corrections agency in January, after leaving his post as commissioner of New Jersey's Department of Corrections.

Fenty commended Howland, 51, a longtime District employee, for boosting the city's recycling rates. He also lavished praise on Gist, 40, who has headed the State Education Office since July 2004.

If Fenty is successful in getting mayoral control of the school system, a proposal he said he may make public right after the inauguration, Gist's State Education Office likely will take on more responsibility.

Gregory is a protege of Fenty's city administrator-designee, Dan Tangherlini. Gregory worked as Tangherlini's special assistant when Tangherlini was interim general manager of Metro and was Tangherlini's chief of staff when he headed the District's Department of Transportation.

Fenty said Gregory, 50, has "a personnel mind." During the Williams administration, agency directors often expressed frustration that the Office of Personnel moved slowly in the hiring process and became an impediment in attracting talented people to work for District government.

"I know the problems, I know the people, and I think we can quickly get our hands around some of the challenges," Gregory said yesterday as Schiraldi clapped and hooted.

Quintana, 44, will be receiving a promotion. She is currently operations manager for the Mayor's Citywide Call Center.