FHFA announces appointments John Koskinen and Philip Laskawy as chairmen of the boards of Freddie Mac and Fannie MaeMortgagePress.comFHFA, John Koskinen, Philip Laskawy, Freddie Mac
FHFA Director James B. Lockhart has announced the appointments
of new non-executive chairmen of the Boards of Directors of Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac. John A. Koskinen has agreed to serve as the
non-executive chairman of Freddie Mac. Philip A. Laskawy will serve
as the non-executive chairman of Fannie Mae. FHFA directed new
boards to be formed for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure
solid leadership and good corporate governance.
"Both men bring distinguished experience to their new roles, and
I thank them for their public service during this difficult period,
said FHFA Director James B. Lockhart. Good corporate governance at
the Enterprises is especially important right now, and I appreciate
the willingness of both of these men to provide Board leadership
during these challenging times."
John Koskinen has extensive public and private sector
experience. He worked at Palmieri Company for many years, including
serving as President and CEO from 1979 to 1993. There he
participated in the restructuring and turnarounds of many companies
including the Penn Central Transportation Company and Mutual
Benefit, the largest insurance company in history to fail.
Most recently, Mr. Koskinen served as president of the United
States Soccer Foundation. Prior to that, he served as deputy mayor
and city administrator of the District of Columbia, where he was
responsible for the operation of all city departments. Mr. Koskinen
has also occupied several senior positions with the Federal
Government, including service as deputy director for management in
the Office of Management and Budget, where he coordinated the work
of the chief financial officers, chief information officers and
inspectors general of all government agencies.
Koskinen earned his law degree from the Yale University School
of Law, where he was graduated cum laude. He also has a Bachelors
degree in physics from Duke University. He served for 12 years as a
trustee of Duke University and was also chairman of the Board for
three years. He currently serves on the Boards of the AES
Corporation and American Capital, Ltd.
Philp Laskawy also has extensive corporate management and board
experience. He served as chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young from
1994 until September 2001. He joined the firm in 1961 after
graduating from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania with a BS in economics. He became a firm partner in
1971, and by 1981 was the managing partner of the New York office.
In 1985, Laskawy was named both vice chairman and managing partner
of the New York Region and a member of the firms management
committee.
In 1994, Mr. Laskawy became chairman and CEO of Ernst &
Young and held that position until he retired in 2001. In
2006-2007, he served as chairman of the International Accounting
Standards Committee Foundation, which sets accounting standards in
more than 100 countries. Mr. Laskawy currently serves on the Boards
of Directors of General Motors Corp., Henry Schein, Inc., Lazard
Ltd., and Lowes Corp. In addition, Mr. Laskawy serves on the
non-profit boards of the Dance Theatre Foundation (Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater) and the Educational Broadcasting
Corporation (Channel 13-New York).
"Both of these individuals have the types of skills and
experience needed to ensure a healthy financial future for Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac," Lockhart said.
For more information, visit www.freddiemac.com or www.fanniemae.com.
