Legal Services Corp. Appoints New Inspector General

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC--The Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) today announced the appointment of Jeffrey E. Schanz as the Corporation's new Inspector General, effective March 3, 2008. The Board voted to offer the position to Mr. Schanz at its January 26 meeting in Washington, DC.

Schanz replaces Richard "Kirt" West who left LSC last fall for a position in the private sector. Ronald "Dutch" Merryman has been acting Inspector General in the interim.

LSC Chairman Frank B. Strickland said, "We are very pleased with this selection and are confident that the Corporation and the Office of the Inspector General will benefit from Jeff's knowledge, experience, and judgment in this important position. I want to thank our search committee for the time that they put into this task and for a job well done."

Schanz has had a long and distinguished career with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) where he served for the last 17 years as Director of the Office of Policy and Planning, Audit Division, Office of the Inspector General. In that capacity, he managed the full spectrum of administrative services for the 176-person Audit Division including budget formulation and execution, development of national and regional training plans, management of a paperless management information system with an audit follow-up component, preparation of semi-annual reports to Congress, and advising the Department on legislation that might impact the IG community. His 32 years with DOJ have included auditing, program analysis, investigations, and management positions and he has served with the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Justice Management Division, and the Office of the Inspector General.

Schanz holds a BS in Political Science from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and a JD from the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar.

For more information: www.lsc.gov.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974. For 50 years, LSC has provided financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 131 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.