Tapella Resigns to Allow Recess Appointment of Boarman as Public Printer
WASHINGTON, DC—Dec. 29, 2010—On the heels of an announcement (below) from the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) of Public Printer of the United States Bob Tapella’s resignation, The White House issued a press release detailing six “Recess Appointments,’’ including William J. Boarman as the 26th Public Printer of the United States. The change in GPO leadership was originally announced last April, but was pending Boarman’s confirmation, which has now been sidestepped.
Boarman has been serving as president of the Printing, Publishing & Media Workers Sector of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and as senior vice president of CWA. He has been associated with the printing industry, its labor relations and personnel management for over 40 years, starting with his four-year apprenticeship at McArdle Printing in Washington, DC.
In 1974, Boarman accepted an appointment as Printer to GPO. In 1977, he took a leave of absence from GPO to serve in various elected posts within the International Typographical Union, which merged with CWA in 1987.
Public Printer Bob Tapella Resigns
Public Printer of the United States Bob Tapella announces his resignation as head of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). Tapella has led the men and women of the 150-yearold agency the last three years. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2007 to become the 25th Public Printer of the United States. Deputy Public Printer Paul Erickson becomes the Acting Public Printer effective immediately.
Prior to becoming Public Printer, Tapella served as a senior executive at GPO for five years. He was part of the team that took GPO from a survival mode to the thriving operation it is today. Tapella helped turn GPO’s financial situation from years of significant losses into the positive net operating income the agency enjoys today. Fiscal year 2010 marked the seventh consecutive year of positive results. The agency also launched GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) during Tapella’s tenure, giving the American people a one-stop site to authentic, published government information.
“It has been a pleasure serving both President Obama and President Bush during the last eight years at GPO,” said Public Printer Bob Tapella. “I want to thank the hardworking men and women of GPO who have transformed an agency that opened in 1861 into a 21st century printing, digital media, secure credentialing and ISO 9001 premiere manufacturing organization. I believe the successful launch of FDsys positions GPO to meet the challenges of the Digital Age.”
About the U.S. Government Printing Office
The GPO is the federal government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging,
producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published U.S. government information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the federal government. In addition to publication sales, GPO makes government information available at no cost to the public through GPO’s Federal Digital System (www.fdsys.gov) and through partnerships with approximately 1,220 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov. Follow GPO on Twitter http://twitter.com/USGPO and on YouTube www.youtube.com/user/gpoprinter.
Source: Press release.
