Connaughton set to step down at MarAd

Because of the change in administration, Sean T. Connaughton's tenure as Maritime Administrator will end on January 20, 2009. At that time, Mr. James E. Caponiti, the agency's Assistant Administrator, will become Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator.

Mr. Caponiti is a member of the federal government's Senior Executive Service. He was named Assistant Administrator in May 2008; prior to that, he served as the agency's Associate Administrator for National Security.

President Bush had nominated Mr. Connaughton to be a Federal Maritime Commissioner. That nomination died in committee when the 110th Congress ended--along with the nominations of many other Bush appointees who had hoped to "burrow in" to the next administration.