Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton has appointed William L. Rogers as his Special Assistant for the 10 - state Missouri Basin Region, with headquarters in the Denver Federal Center. The post has been vacant and the appointment is effective immediately.
Rogers, 52, is a professional engineer who joined Interior in June, 1970, to serve as Deputy Under Secretary. He has handled a variety of top-level assignments in the Department, serving most recently as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.
"Mr. Rogers' professional training and his extensive background in Interior programs make him an excellent choice for this new assignment," Secretary Morton said. "Natural resources challenges in the Missouri Basin include balancing the pressures to develop new fuel supplies from such sources as oil shale and low sulfur coal deposits, with a mandate to protect the high quality natural environment. They also include new concepts in land use and water resources management, as well as services to the area's large Indian population.
"As Special Assistant to the Secretary, Mr. Rogers will function as a direct extension of my office in the Missouri Basin region. He will coordinate the many activities of the Department of the Interior in this Region and assist the Regional Directors of our various Bureaus in their efforts to serve the people in the 10 Missouri Basin States. He will provide a point of contact for other Federal agencies, State and local agencies wherever my office can assist in solving problems of the region. I will look to him for recommendations of steps we might take to improve Interior's service to the region," Secretary Morton added.
The Missouri Basin Region includes the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
Before joining Interior, Rogers was an executive in the aero jet-General Corporation in Sothern’s California for more than 27 years. He held numerous positions in the company -- from assistant department chief to vice president and general manager of its electronics division.
Rogers was born in Pendleton, Oregon, on March 19, 1921. He attended junior college in Boise, Idaho, and is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a life member of the Navy League and belongs to Tau Beta Pi -national engineering honor society -- and many other professional organizations.
He lived in San Marino, California, before moving to Washington, D.C. three years ago. He will make his home in Denver.
