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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  immediate  release:  News  Media  Contact:  November  13,  2002  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511  (voice) 
 (202)  418-  1169  (TTY)  e-  mail:  rkimball@  fcc.  gov 


 THOMAS  E.  CHANDLER  NAMED  CHIEF  OF  CGB’S  DISABILITY  RIGHTS  OFFICE;  CHERYL  J.  KING  NAMED  DEPUTY  CHIEF; 
 PAM  GREGORY  TO  BECOME  SPECIAL  ADVISOR 
 Washington,  DC  --  Thomas  E.  Chandler  has  been  named  Chief  of  the  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau’s  Disability  Rights  Office  (DRO).  Cheryl  J. 
 King  has  been  named  to  the  new  position  of  Deputy  Chief  of  the  Office.  Former  DRO  Chief  Pam  Gregory  will  become  a  special  advisor  to  the  chief. 


 DRO  initiates  and  implements  policy,  monitors  the  effects  of  telecom  policy  on  the  disability  community  and  makes  recommendations  based  on  its  findings.  At  the 
 time  the  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  was  reorganized  in  March  of  this  year,  DRO’s  policy-  making  function  was  significantly  expanded. 


 Chandler  had  been  an  attorney  in  the  Litigation  Division  of  the  FCC’S  Office  of  General  Counsel.  Before  coming  to  the  FCC,  he  was  an  attorney  in  the  Appellate 
 Section  of  the  Civil  Rights  Division  at  the  Department  of  Justice.  While  at  Justice,  Chandler  briefed  and  argued  civil  rights  cases  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  in  the 
 United  States  Courts  of  Appeals  and  also  assisted  in  drafting  briefs  for  the  Supreme  Court.  He  was  directly  involved  in  a  number  of  major  cases  involving  the  Americans 
 with  Disabilities  Act,  including  Martin  v.  PGA  Tour,  Inc.  and  Bragdon  v.  Abbott. 
 King  has  been  an  attorney-  advisor  with  the  Commission  since  1997,  serving  in  the  former  Cable  Services  Bureau  on  pole  attachment  rulemaking  and  enforcement. 
 She  has  been  with  DRO  since  July,  2002.  Ms.  King  has  extensive  experience  working  in  Congress  on  disability,  women’s  and  social  policy  issues,  as  legislative  and  political 
 staff  person  for  four  United  States  Senators  and,  most  recently,  as  legislative  director  for  a  ranking  member  of  the  House  Commerce  Committee.  She  has  a  long  history  of 
 advocacy  and  dedication  to  disability  issues.  From  1992-  1994,  King  was  Assistant  Secretary  for  the  Office  of  Planning,  Innovation  and  Government  Relations  in  the 
 Indiana  Family  &  Social  Services  Administration  (IFSSA),  the  state  agency  that  administers  Federal  and  state  programs  for  people  with  disabilities.  She  has  been  a 
 speech,  hearing  and  language  therapist  in  public  schools  and  in  private  pediatric  and  geriatric  therapy.  She  is  the  mother  of  a  special  needs  child. 
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 Pam  Gregory,  who  has  served  as  DRO  chief  since  its  inception  in  1999,  requested  to  step  down  from  her  supervisory  responsibilities  but  to  continue  working  in 
 DRO  in  a  different  capacity.  She  will  be  a  special  advisor  to  the  chief. 
 K.  Dane  Snowden,  Chief  of  the  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau,  said,  “On  behalf  of  the  Commission,  I  thank  Pam  Gregory  for  her  outstanding  leadership  of 
 DRO  since  the  Office  was  created.  During  her  tenure  as  chief,  the  Disability  Rights  Office  grew  from  a  task  force  to  a  driving  force.  Given  her  institutional  knowledge  and 
 expertise,  I  am  delighted  that  Pam  will  continue  to  serve  within  DRO. 


 “I  am  also  delighted  to  have  Tom  and  Cheryl  accept  the  baton  to  lead  our  very  active  Disability  Rights  Office.  Tom’s  extensive  background  in  civil  rights  law  and 
 Cheryl’s  experience  with  disabilities  issues  at  both  the  state  and  federal  levels,  as  well  as  their  strong  personal  commitment  to  protecting  the  rights  of  people  with  disabilities, 
 will  be  tremendous  assets  to  DRO.” 


 Chandler  clerked  for  then-  Chief  Judge  Pierce  Lively  at  the  U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals  for  the  Sixth  Circuit.  He  received  a  J.  D.  with  honors  and  an  LL.  M.  with  highest  honors 
 from  the  National  Law  Center,  George  Washington  University,  Washington,  DC,  and  a  B.  B.  A.  with  high  distinction  from  the  School  of  Business  Administration,  University  of 
 Michigan,  Ann  Arbor,  MI.  He  has  also  taught  law  at  the  National  Law  Center  and  at  the  University  of  Kentucky  College  of  Law. 


 King  is  a  graduate  of  Columbus  School  of  Law,  Catholic  University  of  America,  Washington,  DC,  and  Purdue  University,  West  Lafayette,  IN.  From  1987-  1991  she 
 practiced  administrative  law  in  Tampa,  Florida  with  the  law  firm  of  Fowler,  White,  Gillen,  Boggs,  Villareal  and  Banker. 


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