FENTY ANNOUNCES NEW KEY PERSONNEL CHANGES

The following information was released by the office of the mayor of Washington, D.C.:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today announced new directors to lead the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking; the Office of Disability Rights and the Office of Zoning.

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Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking

Gennet Purcell has been appointed to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. She had been serving as the departments deputy commissioner since December 2008. Purcell is an attorney and member of both the State of Maryland Bar and the Commonwealth of Virginia Bar.

Before joining the District government, Purcell was a partner in a private law firm where her areas of practice included estate planning, insurance claims law, surety bond financing and small business planning. She has also worked as an associate at ShawPittman. She currently serves as a member on the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) Investor Education Section Committee, and is a pending nominee to serve on the District of Columbia Financial Literacy Council. Purcell earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from York University and a degree from Howard University School of Law.

Office of Disability Rights

Derek Orr, was named the director of the Office of Disability Rights, where he has been serving as the agencys acting director since January. He began his service with the District government in January 2008 when he was hired as the agencys deputy director. Prior to his District roles, Orr was the executive director of Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care Inc. a District-based organization that specialized in the mental health care for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. He also served as the deputy director of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he worked on HIV/AIDS issues effecting people in the New York City corrections system.

In the private sector, Orr was president and CEO of Aurora Concept, a behavioral health treatment company in New York City. He was also vice president of Cicatelli Associates, a management consulting company that worked with nonprofit behavioral health and medical services providers. Earlier in his career he held several positions with organizations in New Jersey including the Universal Institute, Easter Seals New Jersey and the Mid-Bergen Community Mental Health Center. Orr has a Master of Public Administration degree from Rutgers University and an undergraduate degree from William Paterson College.

Office of Zoning

Jamison Weinbaum has been selected to serve as the director of the Office of Zoning, an independent agency that provides administrative, professional and technical assistance to the Zoning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Weinbaum, who was selected for the position by the three District-appointed members of the Zoning Commission, spent the last year as a project manager in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, where he focused on large-scale infrastructure, parks and transportation projects. He spent time in the private sector as a developer and investor, working both independently and for EYA (Eakin /Youngentob Associates).

A trained lawyer, Weinbaum also worked for a pair of major law firms Seyfarth Shaw and Reed Smith. He has an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest and a law degree from the George Washington University. He is a member the DC Bar as well as the Virginia Bar. Weinbaum replaces Jerrily R. Kress, who retired in January after running the office for more than 10 years.