Cornell Alum Appointed to Pentagon Position

President-elect Barack Obama appointed William J. Lynn III, J.D. ’80, who served under the Clinton administration as the Pentagon’s chief financial officer, to a new position — deputy defense secretary, the number two position in the Pentagon. Lynn officially inherited the position yesterday, when the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services held a confirmation hearing.
In addition to working as the chief financial officer under Clinton, Lynn also oversaw the defense department’s strategic planning and was the Under Secretary of Defense or comptroller. His other experience includes working for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) as liaison to the Senate Armed Services Committee; serving as senior vice president of Government Operations and Strategy for Raytheon Co., a manufacturer of defense technology; serving as director of program analysis and evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; and other positions.
For all his services, Lynn has won numerous awards including, three Department of Defense medals for distinguished public service, the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the 2000 Distinguished Federal Leadership Award from the Association of Government Accountants.
Especially with the recent government bailout and economic crisis, Lynn’s experience has been touted as essential in reforming government spending, especially American’s tax dollars, according to the Washington Post.