United States Department of Defense

DEFENSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN THE SERVICE WELCOMES EIGHT NEW MEMBERS

Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen has announced today the selection of the 2001 appointees to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). The incoming members are:

• Karen L. Frey of Manassas, Va.
• Lucy Ann Hand of Washington, D.C.
• Harriet T. Heywood of Silver Spring, Md.
• Barbara A. Kingsby-Stroble of Summerville, S.C.
• Laura Coffin Koch of Edina, Minn.
• State Sen. Drue Pearce of Anchorage, Ala.
• Silvana Rubino-Hallman of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
• Lynda Blackmon Smith of Old Saybrook, Conn.

The 2001 DACOWITS is comprised of 34 civilian members from throughout the United States who were selected on the basis of achievements in business, their professions, and in civic affairs. Members are appointed by the Secretary of Defense for a three-year term, without compensation, to advise him on matters relating to the effective utilization of women in the Services. The DACOWITS was established in 1951 by then Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall.

DACOWITS members perform a variety of duties including visiting at least two military installations each year, conducting a review and evaluation of the Services' responses to requests for further information, and developing recommendations on these issues to Service leadership and the Secretary of Defense.