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76–447 PDF 2001

S. HRG. 107–197

SPEAKE NOMINATION

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON THE

NOMINATION OF THERESA ALVILLAR-SPEAKE, NOMINEE TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MINORITY ECONOMIC IMPACT, DEPARTMENT

OF ENERGY

JULY 27, 2001

(

Printed for the use of the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

(II)

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico, Chairman

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii

BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota

BOB GRAHAM, Florida

RON WYDEN, Oregon

TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana

EVAN BAYH, Indiana

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California

CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware

FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico

DON NICKLES, Oklahoma

LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado

CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming

RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama

CONRAD BURNS, Montana

JON KYL, Arizona

CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska

GORDON SMITH, Oregon

ROBERT M. SIMON, Staff Director

SAM E. FOWLER, Chief Counsel

BRIAN P. MALNAK, Republican Staff Director

JAMES P. BEIRNE, Republican Chief Counsel

(III)

C O N T E N T S

STATEMENTS

Page

Akaka, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii .............................................. 1

Feinstein, Hon. Dianne, U.S. Senator from California ......................................... 1

Speake, Theresa Alvillar, Nominee to be Director of the Office of Minority

Economic Impact, Department of Energy .......................................................... 3

(1)

THERESA ALVILLAR-SPEAKE NOMINATION

FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2001

U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Washington, DC.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m. in room SD– 366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Daniel K. Akaka presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA,

U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII

Senator AKAKA. Because this is a special meeting here, I want

to say hafa adai to all of you, and aloha. The hearing will come to

order. I welcome our guests, our witnesses to this hearing, particularly those of you who have traveled from Guam.

Our hearing this morning is on the nomination of Theresa

Speake to be the Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact at the Department of Energy, and on two bills pertaining to

Guam. They are H.R. 308, the Guam War Claims Review Commission Act, and H.R. 309, the Guam Foreign Investment Equity Act,

and we will begin this morning with Ms. Speake’s nomination.

Without objection, Ms. Speake’s written statement, her committee questionnaire and her financial statements will be entered into

the record.

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Senator Feinstein wanted to be here to introduce

you to the committee but had to catch an airplane to California.

That is halfway to Hawaii. She has provided us with a written

statement which, without objection, we will enter into the record.

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you.

[A prepared statement from Senator Feinstein follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, U.S. SENATOR

FROM CALIFORNIA

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to welcome Theresa Alvillar-Speake and say a few

words to introduce her to the Committee.

Ms. Alvillar-Speake has been nominated by the President to be Director for the

Office of Minority Economic Impact in the Department of Energy. This is the office

that advises the Secretary of Energy about the effects of policy on minorities and

minority business enterprises.

In her previous position as the Manager of Small Business and Disabled Veteran

Business Enterprise Programs for the State Department of Transportation, Ms.

Alvillar-Speake served the people of California well.

She has had over twenty-five years of extensive administrative experience in business development and community outreach efforts.

Before serving with the California Department of Transportation, Ms. AlvillarSpeake was Assistant Director of Business Relations for the California Employment

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Development Department for three years. Prior to that, she served with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and at the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1991 to 1993 as the Assistant Director for Program Development in the

Minority Business Development Agency.

In 1992, Ms. Alvillar-Speake founded a non-profit Minority Business Development

Center called the National Economic Development Association to help ethnic minority owned business with financial development, construction assistance, and management advice. She started the organization in Fresno and soon centers spread

statewide.

She is a member of the Fresno County Fair Board of Directors and has served

on a local bank’s Community Reinvestment Act Advisory Board.

I am happy to see the President nominate someone from California’s central valley—the heart of our State’s and our nation’s agricultural economy. Ms. AlvillarSpeake represents the strength and diversity of the region well and it will benefit

the Department of Energy to have her experience and perspective.

Ms. Alvillar-Speake is a graduate of Fresno State University and received a MBA

from Golden Gate University in my hometown of San Francisco.

I would like to welcome her to the Committee and I wish her well.

Senator AKAKA. The rules of the committee, which apply to all

nominees, require that nominees be sworn in in connection with

their testimony, so I ask you to please rise and raise your right

hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to

give to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

Ms. SPEAKE. I do.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much. You may be seated.

Before you begin your statement, I will ask you three questions

addressed to each nominee who will appear before this committee.

Will you be available to appear before this committee and other

congressional committees to represent departmental positions and

respond to issues of concern to the Congress?

Ms. SPEAKE. I will.

Senator AKAKA. Are you aware of any personal holdings, investments, or interests that could constitute a conflict of interest or create the appearance of such a conflict should you be confirmed and

assume the office to which you have been nominated by the President?

Ms. SPEAKE. My investments, personal holdings, and other interests have been reviewed both by myself and the appropriate ethics

counselors within the Federal Government, and I have taken appropriate action to avoid any conflicts of interest. There are no conflicts of interest or appearances thereof to my knowledge.

Senator AKAKA. Are you involved, or do you have any assets held

in a blind trust?

Ms. SPEAKE. No, I do not.

Senator AKAKA. We are delighted to have you here.

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator AKAKA. Do you have any members of your family here?

Ms. SPEAKE. Unfortunately, my family is all in California. I have

three children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren,

so I am going to miss them, but I know that they are here in spirit.

I do have some friends here with me today.

Senator AKAKA. Well, you are blessed, with a family like that.

Before you begin your statement, Ms. Speake, I want to tell you

that we are delighted to have you here and look forward to your

testimony, so will you please proceed with your statement?

3

TESTIMONY OF THERESA ALVILLAR-SPEAKE, NOMINEE TO BE

DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MINORITY ECONOMIC IMPACT, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. My

name is Theresa Speake, and I have a few remarks that I would

like to make this morning, and as has been mentioned, my written

statement. I would request that it be entered into the record, and

I thank you.

I am here today as the President’s nominee for Director of the

Office of Minority Economic Impact at the Department of Energy.

If confirmed, I will be responsible for advising the Secretary of Energy on the impact of energy policies, of regulations and rules as

they affect minorities, minority businesses, and minority institutions.

I think it’s important to note that I spent most of my life, almost

all my professional career, working in the field of minority business

development. I began my career with the National Economic Development Association, NEDA, in Fresno, California, in 1972. I

worked with that organization until it closed down its operation in

Fresno in 1980.

In April 1981, because I felt that the need for continued services

to minority and women business was still there, I started up a new

venture called NEDA San Joaquin Valley, because we were located

in the San Joaquin Valley. The NEDA San Joaquin Valley operated

from 1981 until 1997. During that time, we assisted thousands of

individuals reach their American dream of business ownership, and

we provided technical assistance to many people.

We also assisted hundreds of firms receive millions of dollars in

funding and bonding, which are critical to small business growth.

We also assisted firms to become certified and to bid successfully

on contracts, and to provide—that provided products and services

both within the public and private sector.

I spent most of my career promoting opportunities for small,

women, and minority-owned businesses. I was selected as the—in

1980 as the Woman Business Advocate of the Year in the State of

California, and in 1990 I was awarded the National Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Minority Business Department

Agency.

If I am confirmed to the position of Director of the Office of Minority Impact, I will strive to continue to provide equal opportunities for minorities, and to increase the participation of minorities

in contracting opportunities at the Department of Energy. I propose to do this with the advice of the Secretary of Energy, this committee, other members of Congress, and the minority business community.

I am honored to be here today, and I look forward to working

with you. Thank you. I will answer any questions the members of

the committee may have for me at this time.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Speake follows:]

4

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THERESA ALVILLAR-SPEAKE, NOMINEE TO BE DIRECTOR OF

THE OFFICE OF MINORITY ECONOMIC IMPACT, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, it is my honor and privilege to testify before you today as the nominee of President George W. Bush to the position

of Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact at the Department of Energy.

If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to working with the Secretary of Energy in carrying out the statutory duties of the Office of Economic Impact and in

advising the Secretary on the effects of energy policies, regulations, legislation and

other actions of the Department on minorities, minority business enterprises and

minority educational institutions.

I would like to briefly discuss with you my credentials for the position and my

thoughts on how I plan to make the program work for those it is intended to serve—

women and minority businesses.

I have been involved in the area of small and minority business development since

the early seventies when I went to work for a national business development organization known as the National Economic Development Association (NEDA). NEDA

was organized in California to assist Hispanic individuals and business owners and

was initially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration to operate eight

business centers. They later obtained funding from the Office of Minority Business

Enterprise (OMBE) in the Department of Commerce and moved their headquarters

to Washington, D.C. I started my career in December of 1972 as the Administrative

Assistant in the Regional Office in Fresno, California. I moved up the ladder in the

organization becoming a Market Analyst in 1975 and the Director by 1978. In 1980,

NEDA closed down its national operations including the Fresno Regional Office.

In April of 1981, I founded NEDA San Joaquin Valley, a California business development organization, based on my observation of the continued need for management and technical assistance services to small, women and minority individuals

and business owners. NEDA started with one office in Fresno, California and over

the next sixteen years opened up centers in Riverside, Bakersfield, Tulare, Stockton,

Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco. Our services were provided to all ethnic

minorities, women and small businesses. The goal of the organization was to start

and expand the number of minorities in business. The type of services provided included business structuring, loan packaging, bonding assistance, certification services, contracting/procurement assistance and general management/marketing assistance.

As the Director of NEDA, I worked closely with the U.S. Small Business Administration to ensure that firms got 8 (a) certified for federal contracting purposes, and

with local, state and federal government agencies to obtain those certifications and

to ensure the participation of minority firms in their contracting opportunities. I

also developed working relationships with the private sector, including Pacific Gas

& Electric, Southern Cal Edison, So-Cal Gas, Metropolitan Water District and Lawrence Livermore Laboratories. Additionally, I established working relationships with

financial institutions such as Wells Fargo Bank, Washington Mutual Bank and the

Bank of America.

Each NEDA office worked closely with the Associated General Contractors to promote contracting, joint-venturing and/or mentoring opportunities between majority

prime contractors and minority sub-contractors. NEDA was also active with various

minority, women business and trade organizations including, but not limited to, Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE), the Latin Business Association

(LBA), California Black Business Chamber of Commerce, the California and U.S.

Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the Women Construction Owners & Executives (WCOE).

As the Director of NEDA, I was selected as the Women’s Business Advocate for

the State of California in the 1980’s and as the National Minority Business Advocate in 1991.

From July of 1997 through June of 2001, I worked for the State of California continuing my efforts in support of small and minority business development. My last

position in California was the Director of the Small and Disabled Veteran Business

Program for the Department of Transportation.

I have dedicated my professional life to promoting equal opportunity for all particularly in the area of business development. If confirmed by the Senate, it is my

intent to continue this effort specifically with regard to promoting the increased participation of women and minorities in the contracting opportunities at DOE.

Additionally, I propose to ensure that minorities are afforded an opportunity to

participate fully in the energy programs of the department and to increase the participation of women and minorities in the contracting opportunities at DOE through

a variety of measures including, but not limited to, the following:

5

1. Increasing the awareness and sensitivity of the DOE staff to its commitment

to women and minorities;

2. Increasing the pool of women and minorities in the vendor data base at DOE;

3. Providing timely contracting information to women and minority business organizations and educational institutions;

4. Providing management and technical assistance to women and minorities wanting to do business with DOE; and

5. Enlarging the range of economic opportunities available to women and minorities.

In closing, I would like to restate my feelings about the great honor I feel for

being nominated by President Bush to the position and the commitment I have to

serving. I truly feel that my background and experience have prepared me for this

position. If I am confirmed, I will seek the advice of the Secretary of Energy, this

committee and other members of Congress as I attempt to effectively discharge the

duties of the position of Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact for the

Department of Energy.

Thank you. I will now entertain any comments and questions of you and your colleagues.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Ms. Speake. The position

to which the President has nominated you, as we all know, is very,

very important and, if confirmed, you will be responsible for promoting the role of small and minority- owned businesses at the Department of Energy, encouraging greater interest among minorities

in science and engineering, education opportunities, also advising

the Secretary on the impacts of energy policies and programs on

minorities, and ensuring that racial and sexual discrimination and

harassment are not tolerated within the Department, so these are

very, very important to people.

I have read your written statement, and the biographical statement you provided to the committee. I am convinced that you are

a well-qualified person for this position. Your background clearly

demonstrates your commitment to equal opportunity and to small

and minority-owned businesses.

I have no questions for you, Ms. Speake. I will simply congratulate you on your nomination and assure you of my support.

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I would

like to personally thank Senator Feinstein for her written comments. I did speak with her office yesterday, and she did want to

be here, and I was hoping, as a California girl, that she could, but

I want to thank her very much for her written statement, and I

thank you very much for letting me speak today.

Senator AKAKA. I will certainly pass that on to her when I see

her next.

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. All members will have until 5 p.m. this evening

to file with the committee staff any additional questions they want

you to answer for the record, and because we have no questions for

you, we want to wish you well.

Ms. SPEAKE. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Yes, thank you very much, Ms. Speake.

[Whereupon, at 9:45 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

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