The President on April 5, 1999 announced the appointment of Barbara Bostick-Hunt as Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House.

"Ms. Bostick-Hunt will be a valuable addition to the Administration," said Mickey Ibarra, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. "Her commitment to bringing people and organizations together, coupled with her proven experience in local government, will be a tremendous asset."

Ms. Bostick-Hunt, of Baltimore, Maryland, is currently Deputy Chief of Staff to Kurt L. Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore, a position she has held since October 1994. As a member of the Mayor's Cabinet, she serves as liaison to Cabinet members for policy coordination, interagency concerns, and long range planning. Prior to her current position, Ms. Bostick-Hunt served as Executive Director of Community Building in Partnership, Inc., a public-private partnership between the City of Baltimore and The Enterprise Foundation that focused on community revitalization. There she designed a 10-year comprehensive neighborhood transformation plan that became a model for the country. She also served as the first woman Commissioner of Corrections for Baltimore City.

Additionally, Ms. Bostick-Hunt is active on numerous boards and committees. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Healthy Start, Inc. the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, a charter member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women, a former Executive Board Member of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP, and a former member of the Mayor's Task Force on AIDS. Ms. Bostick-Hunt received a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Tennessee and a Masters of Education degree from Bowie State University.

As Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs, Ms. Bostick-Hunt is primarily responsible for responding to the concerns of city and county elected officials. The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs serves as the President's principal liaison between the White House and state and local governments.