Engineer Gretchen Lindsay Semi-Finalist in
White House Fellowship Competition

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (3/27/00) -- Gretchen M. Lindsay, a project engineer for The Aerospace Corporation at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, has been named a semi-finalist in the White House Fellowship Program, America's most prestigious fellowship for leadership and public service.

White House fellows spend a year serving the president as full-time paid special assistants to cabinet members and senior White House staff.

Program alumni include Colin Powell, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Doris Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian, and Jane Pfeiffer, former NBC chair.

The White House Fellows program, established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, gives outstanding Americans a one-year assignment in which they work with leaders in federal government.

The fellowship year begins in September and is unaffected by changes in administration.

Those chosen are expected to have a record of remarkable achievement early in their careers, the skills required to serve at the highest levels of government, the potential to be leaders in their professions, and a proven commitment to public service.

Citizen panels in Washington, New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles will interview the semi-finalists in April and select up to 30 national finalists.

Final interviews will be conducted in June by the 34-member President's Commission on White House Fellowships; 11 to 19 will be recommended to President Clinton for appointment as fellows.

The semi-finalists come from 23 states. Their average age is 33, and 38 percent are women.