William L. Ball

William L. Ball III (born June 10 1948) is an American former government service worker and political appointee. He held senior posts in the Reagan Administration, beginning as an Assistant Secretary of State under George Shultz in 1985 . He moved to the White House staff in 1986 as President Reagan’s chief lobbyist and liaison to Congress. After two years in that capacity, he was nominated by President Reagan and confirmed by the Senate to become the 67th Secretary of the Navy in 1988.

Biography

Early years

Ball was born in Belton, South Carolina, and earned a Bachelor of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. [ [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/20786a.htm Appointment of William L. Ball III as Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs ] ]

Career

Before joining the Reagan Administration, Ball worked for ten years as a staff member for two former United States Senators: Herman Talmadge of Georgia and John Tower of Texas. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DF1731F931A15752C0A961948260 WASHINGTON TALK: WORKING PROFILE: William L. Ball 3d; Taking Reagan Agenda To a New Capitol Hill - New York Times ] ] Previously, he served for six years as a naval officer aboard ship and then at the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., before being released from active duty in 1975.

He was President of the American Beverage Association (formerly the National Soft Drink Association) from 1990-2005. ["William Ball to Leave American Beverage Association," Jan. 2005: http://www.ameribev.org/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=60] He currently serves as Managing Director of the Loeffler Group, the Washington DC-based government affairs practice of Loeffler Tuggey Pauerstein Rosenthal LLP.

He was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Asia Foundation in January 2002 . ["Asia Foundation Trustees & Officers" http://www.asiafoundation.org/About/ball.html] He has been a member of the Foundation’s board since 1995, and served as vice chairman from January 1999 to December 2001.

Ball is president of the Navy Museum Foundation, a former member of the Board of Trustees for the Maine Maritime Academy, and a director of the Naval Historical Foundation.

Personal life

Ball and wife, Patty, have four daughters and reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

See also

References

External links

* [http://www.loefflerllp.com/TLG/ourpeople_1.asp?id=106 The Loeffler Group: William L. Ball, III]