James to Leave GPO January 3
Bruce James, the United States Public Printer, has announced that he plans to retire from his post on January 3. Bill Turri, Deputy Public Printer, will act as Public Printer until the vacancy is filled.
James, recently honored as Civilian Executive of the Year in a ceremony sponsored by Government Computer News, has served as chief executive officer of the Government Printing Office since December 2002.
The following tribute from Senator Trent Lott, chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing, appeared last week in the Congressional Record:
Mr. President, as chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing, I want to commend and pay tribute to Bruce R. James, the 24th public printer, who has announced he will retire from his post as chief executive officer of the Government Printing Office on January 3, 2007.
At the President’s request, Bruce came out of retirement to take office at the GPO in December 2002. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to transform that venerable institution from a printing agency into a 21st century digital information processing facility.
After a period of factfinding and consultation with GPO’s stakeholders, he issued a strategic vision for the GPO’s future that has guided the management of the agency ever since. Under the plan, he initiated the effort to construct a future digital system to organize, manage, and output authenticated Government information in a broad range of online and print formats. He led efforts to modernize the GPO’s plant operations supporting Congress. He assisted the State Department’s development and issuance of the new electronic U.S. passport and has led efforts to further enhance the GPO’s security and intelligent documents operation. He worked with the library community to ensure the continued transition to predominately electronic Federal Depository Library Program and began a pilot project to test the GPO’s ability to digitize retrospective Government publications for online public access. Throughout his tenure, Bruce has ensured that we have the products and services we need to conduct our daily business in Congress.
In carrying out this program of change, Bruce brought to the GPO a broad range of business principles and practices, earning him the title of 2006 Civilian Executive of the Year from Government Computer News. He instilled a new focus on customer service for Congress and the departments and agencies that depend on the GPO and has provided new service options that make it easier and more convenient to use the GPO. He turned around the financial status of the agency, posting a positive financial performance every year since 2004 and reversing a pattern of previous losses that has provided the agency with the capital to make much-needed investments in technology. He brought aboard a wide range of experts in technology and systems integration, finance, marketing, secure and intelligent documents, digital media, and related fields, to guide the GPO forward. And to his credit, Bruce brought before the Congress the issue of how best to utilize the GPO’s aging and outsized buildings for its future operations.
Mr. President, Congress, Federal departments and agencies, and all those among the public who rely on the GPO have been well served over the past 4 years by Public Printer Bruce James. His unceasing call for technology modernization and his steadfast adherence to business best practices will leave a legacy of continued improvement at the GPO for many years to come. As Bruce departs the GPO to return to retirement in his beloved Nevada, he leaves with our best wishes and the thanks of a grateful nation for a job well done.
