William F. McSweeny

William F. McSweeny "of Washington, D.C. is a former President and Member of the Board of Directors of Occidental International Corporation. He entered government as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the Johnson Administration. He subsequently served as Special Assistant to Postmaster General Marvin Watson in 1968 and 1969. Mr. McSweeny acted as Special Counsel to the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1971-1972. He served as a President's Representative to the U.S.S.R. in 1979 under the Carter Administration. Mr. McSweeny was also a Presidential Special Representative to Oman in 1980, and to Bolivia in 1982. From 1943 to 1967, Mr. McSweeny was a journalist for Hearst Newspapers, winning 17 major prizes as a foreign correspondent. He is the author of several books including The Impossible Dream (1967), Violence Every Sunday (1966) and Up For Glory (1965).

"Since retiring, Mr. McSweeny has devoted himself to public service, concentrating on a number of local organizations including the Kennedy Center (Co-Chair Community Board), Ford's Theater (Chair), Holton-Arms (President), State Department Endowment Foundation (Co-Chair), and Georgetown University Hospital Cancer Center (Co-Chair). Mr. McSweeny, a combat infantry veteran of the Korean War, has been a Presidential Commissioner for the Korean War Memorial since 1984. In recent years, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Helen Hayes Award, the Lincoln Medal and the District of Columbia Distinguished Citizen Medal."

"Mr. McSweeny is currently a Director of Chevy Chase Bank FSB and Chair of its Community Committee. He also chairs the Cultural Crossovers Foundation, with which his wife, Dorothy, shares responsibility as Treasurer."

In 1995 President Clinton appoint William to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.


 * National Advisory Board, Free Enterprise Foundation
 * Trustee, Meridian International Center
 * Board of Governors, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
 * Board of Overseers, Fletcher School