December 10, 1985
The President today announced that Donald R. Fortier will serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. He will succeed John M. Poindexter.
Mr. Fortier joined the National Security Council staff in September 1982 as Director for Western Europe and NATO. In June 1983 he assumed the position of Senior Director for Political-Military Affairs and Special Assistant to the President. In December of 1983 he was appointed to the rank of Deputy Assistant to the President with responsibility for policy development. From February 1981 until joining the National Security Council staff, Mr. Fortier served as Deputy Director for Policy Planning at the Department of State. He received the Department's Superior Honor Award for his work in that position. Prior to his service in the Department of State, Mr. Fortier served for 5 years as a senior member of the professional staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Prior to joining the Government, Mr. Fortier also worked as a consultant to the Rand Corp. on national security issues.
Mr. Fortier received a B.A. from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and his M.A. in political science and international relations from the University of Chicago. He was the recipient of a Ford Foundation fellowship in Chicago and served as the executive administrator of the university's symposium on ``The Role of the Expert in a Democracy.'' Mr. Fortier is married, has one child, and resides in Bethesda, MD. He was born January 9, 1947, in Columbus, OH.