"Jim Shaw has done a superlative job in the 5 years he has been with MMS," said MMS Director Cynthia Quarterman. "His tenure has been short in duration, but long on accomplishment. During his service, the royalty program has improved markedly, becoming more responsive to the concerns of industry, state and Indian constituents; twice being a finalist for the President's Quality Improvement Prototype Award; developing a strategic plan that placed increased emphasis on royalty payments being right the first time; and working with RMP employees to create a program that truly works better and costs less. It has been a privilege to have served with him." Shaw was a recent recipient of the Interior Department's Distinguished Service Award.

Quarterman also announced the following staff changes:

* Deputy Director Carolita Kallaur will be Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management. She has a Masters in Economics from the University of Connecticut and has been in federal service for 29 years. During her federal service, she has worked on offshore oil and gas matters in the Bureau of Land Management and the Office of the Secretary as well as MMS. She has most recently served as Deputy Director for MMS. She has garnered numerous honors including the Interior Department's Meritorious Service Award in 1985, the Distinguished Service Award in 1987, the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award in 1987 and 1992, and the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award in 1995 for her exceptional contributions to the offshore program.

* Lucy Querques, Associate Director of Policy and Management Improvement, will take Shaw's place as Associate Director of the Royalty Management Program. She has a Masters in Public Administration from American University and has been in federal service for more than 21 years. During Querques' federal service she has worked at the Department of Energy and in MMS's Royalty Management Program, including serving as acting Deputy Associate Director. She received the Interior Department's Meritorious Service Award in 1991 and the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award in 1996.

* Bob Brown will serve as acting Associate Director of Policy and Management Improvement and will continue as Associate Director of Administration and Budget. Mr. Brown has a Bachelor's degree from Seton Hall University and did graduate work in American History at Georgetown University. During his 20 year federal career, Brown has served in increasingly more responsible positions in the human resources and administrative arenas, as well as recently acting as Associate Director of both the Royalty Management and Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Programs. Mr. Brown received the Navy Department Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1983, the Interior Department's Meritorious Service Award in 1993, and is a 1996 recipient of the Interior Department's Distinguished Service Award.

All are Senior Executive Service members, with their new duties beginning on January 21. Commenting on the new personnel changes, Director Quarterman noted that "both Ms. Kallaur and Ms. Querques have spent many years in different positions in the programs that they will now oversee. They both have also recently spent a few years working outside of those programs. I believe these two things--programmatic expertise and objectivity--will help them to be successful in continuing to reinvent and improve the programs they will now lead. I am confident that all three of these managers will continue to provide superb leadership to MMS in their new positions."

The positions of Deputy Director and of Associate Director for Policy and Management Improvement will be filled at a later date. "It will be very difficult to find individuals to replace the energy, skills and devotion that Carolita and Lucy brought to these positions," said Quarterman.

MMS is the federal agency that manages the Nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects, accounts for, and disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on federal and Indian lands.