Worcester, MA-Assumption College has announced Worcester-native Kenneth S. Apfel, United States Commissioner of Social Security and a member of President Clinton's Cabinet, as its commencement speaker. Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, 2000.
As Commissioner since 1997, Mr. Apfel brings a lifetime of leadership and public service experience to a position that has been frequently described as one of the most complex and challenging in the federal government. He heads an Agency that delivers benefits each month to more than fifty million people. During his tenure as Commissioner, he has significantly strengthened the policy, planning and public education activities at the Social Security Administration. He has also played a leadership role in the efforts to strengthen childhood disability programs and to enable persons with disabilities to return to work. In addition, he served from 1997-1999 as a member of the President's Management Council.
In announcing their selection, Assumption College President Tom Plough commented that he was "most impressed with the national leadership role played by Commissioner Apfel. As a Catholic College we are very proud to recognize an individual who has played a national policy stewardship role to strengthen programs critical to social justice in this country. Commissioner Apfel brings energy and vision to arguably the most important policy issue in American politics, and a monumentally critical program to safeguard the quality of life of children and the elderly in this country."
Kenneth S. Apfel had been the Associate Director for Human Resources at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President, where he served from 1995-1997. His responsibilities included budget, policy and management review of all the human resource agencies of the federal government, including SSA, the Departments of Labor and Education and parts of the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. In this capacity, he was centrally involved in efforts to reform welfare and to strengthen federal education and training programs.
Prior to his appointment to OMB, he served as Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During his tenure, he served as a principal on the Secretary's task force to elevate the Social Security Administration to independent agency status. He also served as a member of the President's working group on welfare reform and the Secretary's task force on Head Start quality improvement.
Before joining the Clinton Administration, he worked for the prior two decades in the area of social policy. From 1989-1993 he served as legislative director to Senator Bill Bradley, overseeing the formulation and development of all aspects of congressional policymaking. During 1982-1989, he was the Senator's chief staff person for federal social policy, with particular focus on programs under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee. He served as the Senator's key staff person for the Committee's actions on the historic 1983 Social Security reform legislation.
Between 1980-1982, he was committee staff for human services, education, training and income security programs for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. From 1978-1980, he served a Presidential Management Internship at the U.S. Department of Labor. He was a college administrator from 1973- 1976 at Newbury College in Massachusetts, coordinating a grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to provide outreach and remediation to veterans.
Kenneth S. Apfel was born in Worcester, Mass. He graduated from Shrewsbury High in 1966; received his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1970; a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, Northeastern University in 1973; and a master's degree in public affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas in1978. He has been elected as a Fellow by both the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Academy of Social Insurance.
He is married to Catherine Hadley and has two sons, Derek and Dana.
One other tie to Worcester. College officials noted that Worcester was also home to the chief architect of the Social Security Act of 1935, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins.