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Former vice president to join U.S. staff assembled to help fix Iraqi government

April 21, 2003

A former MSU vice president will join President M. Peter McPherson as part of the U.S.-led efforts to rebuild Iraq.

Charles W. Greenleaf, who left MSU on Feb. 7, expects to travel to Iraq in the next few weeks to aid in the establishment of the country's civil government. The former university administrator is part of a Defense Department policy team working with the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.

"This is a very difficult undertaking," Greenleaf said during a telephone interview from Berrien County, where he was collecting some belongings for a move to the Washington area. "But there are tremendous assets there, both in human rescues and in natural resources, that will enable them to do things other countries wouldn't be able to do.

"I'm not pessimistic at all about it. I'm optimistic."

The Pentagon has yet to announce Greenleaf's official position, but he's been working on the project for about six weeks. He's part of the team led by retired Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure and establish an interim government.

"When you look at the history of war, even more important is what happens afterward," said Greenleaf, 62. "That's one of the reasons that's motivated so many of us to help, even though it's a tremendous challenge."

Greenleaf, a one-time aide to former Michigan Gov. William Milliken, has an extensive background in international development and government policy.

"He certainly knows the Middle East well and has a lot of experiences with the challenges of economic development in the region," said Jeff Riedinger, executive director of MSU's Office of International Development. Greenleaf worked with the office during his time at the university.

McPherson, 62, is expected to be named liaison between the Defense Department and the Treasury Department, effectively making him Iraq's treasurer. He's expected to take leave from MSU during his time in Iraq.

"Both he and Peter are very qualified choices for the roles they've been asked to play," Riedinger said. "It's unusual a university would have that kind of expertise, but neither one of them is a traditional academic."

The two men have a long history of working together.

Greenleaf was assistant administrator of the Agency for International Development, which monitors U.S. foreign aid, during five of the six years McPherson served as administrator in the 1980s. During his time at USAID, Greenleaf's work focused on Asia and the Middle East.

McPherson brought Greenleaf to MSU in 1995 - two years after becoming president - to serve as vice president for university projects. Greenleaf led university efforts to expand study abroad programs, explore international issues and evaluate the Guiding Principles, MSU's six-point mission statement.

"Peter looked to him for results, both at USAID and here because Charlie is a kind of results guy," university spokesman Terry Denbow said.

While at the university, officials knew they could rely on Greenleaf to explain international and domestic political issues, MSU Board of Trustees Chairperson David Porteous said.

"I always found him a fascinating person to visit with on almost any political issue or international issue because of the people he knew and his knowledge," Porteous said.

June Mills, who served as Greenleaf's executive assistant at MSU, described him as a charming, personable man who gets along with everyone.

"He was very nice to work for," said Mills, who retired after Greenleaf left. "I really enjoyed my job."

Bill McWhirter, a former correspondent for Time magazine and editor-in-residence at MSU's School of Journalism, described Greenleaf as "one of those quiet people in the room." The two men became friends while students at Princeton University.

Despite Greenleaf's vast credentials, which include a stint as chief of staff for Vice President George H. W. Bush, McWhirter said his friend is one of the least pretentious people he knows.

"The whole time he was vice president here he either lived in university housing or bunked off sublets from faculty on leave," McWhirter said. "I don't think he's bought a new suit or a pair of shoes in years. He drives around this nondescript Mercury of a nondescript year on American back roads.

"There's nothing very conventional about Charlie."

And yet Greenleaf has been a trusted adviser to officials at all levels of government, gaining the trust of people such as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and McPherson, McWhirter said.

"Frankly, I don't know how much of a factor he was in pulling McPherson onto the team, but you have to assume there was a link," McWhirter said.

Greenleaf declined to comment about what role, if any, he might have had in promoting McPherson. But Greenleaf said he has been in contact with the MSU president. The Defense Department has not yet announced McPherson's appointment.

"I obviously know the president well and other people in Washington do, too," Greenleaf said. "He's a person who I think people would obviously think of when an issue of this complexity arises."

But no matter who else is involved in Iraq's reconstruction, friends and colleagues believe Greenleaf could be the greatest asset.

"Charlie, I know, is going to be the one man in the room who listens," McWhirter said. "This is very important because you have a very big collection of Pentagon egos at stake, and now you're starting to hear the long-silenced voices of freedom in Iraq, and that's a lot of noise.

"You've going to have a quiet listener in the room that everybody is going to trust."

Jeremy W. Steele can be reached at steelej7@msu.edu.

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