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Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT
July 13, 2009 Jen Howard, (202) 418-0506
Jen.howard@fcc.gov
FCC CHAIRMAN GENACHOWSKI 
ANNOUNCES MANAGING DIRECTOR AND GENERAL COUNSEL
Washington, DC -- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski 
announced two key appointments, noting that this is the first in a series of announcements 
regarding senior staff.  These positions include the Managing Director, Steven VanRoekel, and 
the General Counsel, Austin Schlick.
“In striving to improve the lives of all Americans through communications, the FCC’s staff is its 
most valuable asset,” said Chairman Genachowski. “I am pleased that these exceptional 
individuals have chosen to join the Commission at this historic moment. Their superb 
management and legal talents will be an incredible resource for the agency as it reinvigorates its 
internal operations and pursues policies that unlock opportunity, unleash innovation, foster job 
creation and investment, protect and empower consumers, and help address many of our nation’s 
most pressing challenges.
Managing Director, Steven VanRoekel:  Mr. VanRoekel has over 18 years of Information 
Technology and management experience and was most recently a top executive in the Windows 
Server and Tools division at Microsoft Corporation. Mr. VanRoekel held various positions in his 
15 years at Microsoft, including managing Microsoft’s cross-industry Web Services team and 
serving as Speech and Strategy Assistant to Bill Gates.  Mr. VanRoekel also assisted Mr. Gates 
in his transition from CEO of Microsoft to Chief Software Architect and advised the Bill and 
Melinda Gates Foundation on its shift in giving philosophy from a focus on technology to a 
focus on world health. While at Microsoft, Mr. VanRoekel was awarded numerous honors for 
management and marketing excellence, including Microsoft’s Redmond Manager of the Year, 
and consumer marketing awards, including “Best in Show” at the Consumer Electronics Show 
for the use of innovative marketing and new media.
General Counsel, Austin Schlick:  Mr. Schlick has served most recently as Chief of the Civil 
Division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General, responsible for the state's civil 
litigation at the trial and appellate levels. In addition to overseeing the defense of the State of 
Maryland and its officers and employees, Mr. Schlick has led affirmative litigation in the fields 
of environmental and consumer protection. Mr. Schlick previously served at the FCC as Deputy 
General Counsel for Litigation and as Acting General Counsel. Prior to that, he was an Assistant 
to the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he argued seven cases before 
the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Schlick also was a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of 
Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, specializing in telecommunications law and 
litigation. He began his legal career as a law clerk to Chief Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court 
of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Before law school, Mr. Schlick was a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator John C. Danforth of 
Missouri.
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