see also: in October 2003:   Port of Otay Mesa Cargo Facility to Test Expanded Hours   Border Patrol Makes Two Significant Drug Seizures in New Mexico and Texas   CBP Officers Seize 3,149 Pounds of Marijuana at Otay Mesa   CBP Border Patrol Aid Local Law Enforcement Agencies With San Diego Wildfires   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Appoints Director For the Office of Trade Relations   4th Annual Trade Symposium to be Held November 20 & 21   U.S. Customs and Border Protection to Open Vacancy for Officer Positions Nationwide ...more on cbp.gov:   Press Officers   CBP News Releases

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Washington, D.C. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that S.W. Hall, Jr., Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Information and Technology, will retire from government service effective November 1, 2003. Hall has been in his current position since the U.S. Customs Service transitioned into the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

From 1998 through 2003, Hall was the Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Information and Technology and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. Customs Service. Prior to that Hall worked for the Department of Energy, where he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Management and Chief Information Officer, from February 1994 through April 1998. He joined the Department of Energy after a 23-year career as a civilian with the Department of the Air Force, including a tour as the Director of Architectures, Technology and Interoperability for the Deputy Chief of Staff, Command, Control, Communications and Computers, USAF, Washington, D.C.

During his 33 years of government service, Hall has received the Air Force Civilian Meritorious Service Medal and the Presidential Ranks of Distinguished and Meritorious Executive for career achievements in the use of information technology to improve mission performance.

Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, "With Hall at the helm, U.S. Customs Office of Information and Technology has become a recognized government leader in providing IT services and has been recognized for best practices in the fields of investment management, Enterprise Architecture and information systems security. He has been instrumental in launching the Customs Modernization Program, including the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) project."

Commissioner Bonner added, "Woody Hall epitomizes all of the qualities that make an outstanding public servant. I speak for everyone at U.S. Customs and Border Protection in saying that he will be missed."

Commissioner Bonner also announced that he has designated Charles R. Armstrong as the Acting Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer for Customs and Border Protection's Office of Information and Technology, effective upon Hall's departure. Armstrong has managed a variety of automation development and acquisition efforts. Since 2001, he has been heading the Modernization program office implementing the ACE project.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security that unifies U.S. Customs, Immigration and Agriculture Inspectors and the Border Patrol.