SCHUMER PRESIDES OVER THE NOMINATION HEARING OF STEPHEN T. AYERS TO ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL POST

Ayers nominated to be the 11th Architect of the Capitol after 12 years of service

Schumer: We are fortunate to have a nominee of his caliber for this important post

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, presided over the nomination of Stephen T. Ayers to be the Architect of the Capitol. President Barack Obama nominated Mr. Ayers to a ten-year term to be the next Architect of the Capitol on February 24, 2010. Mr. Ayers has served as Acting Architect since February 2007, heading up the 2,600-person Office of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) which oversees the care and improvement of more than 450 acres of Capitol grounds and the operation and maintenance of 16.5 million square feet of buildings.

“Mr. Ayers’s long list of accomplishments in his 12 years of service with the Architect of the Capitol demonstrates the leadership and expertise with which he will tackle the diverse and pressing challenges the Architect of the Capitol faces in the coming ten years,” Schumer said. “We are fortunate to have a nominee of his caliber for this important post.”

Former Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman retired on February 4, 2007, making Mr. Ayers, who was then serving as the Deputy Architect and Chief Operating Officer, the Acting Architect of the Capitol. Mr. Ayers's nomination by the President to become Architect of the Capitol came after a rigorous bipartisan and bicameral selection.

Mr. Ayers completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture at the University of Maryland and received his Master's of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and was later promoted to Design Team Chief and progressed to the rank of Captain. Mr. Ayers was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his military service and served five years of active duty.

Mr. Ayers joined the Architect of the Capitol as an Assistant Superintendent for the Senate Office Buildings in 1997 after leading several construction efforts in Greece and Germany as a General Engineer. He was later promoted to Deputy Superintendent before becoming the Superintendent of the Library Buildings and Grounds in 2002 and the Deputy Architect of the Capitol in 2006.

In 2007, Mr. Ayers was named the Acting Architect of the Capitol and since that time has overseen the completion of construction of the Capitol Visitor Center and the staging of the historic 56th Presidential Inauguration.

The Architect of the Capitol is responsible for the facilities maintenance and operation of the historic Capitol Building, the care and improvement of more than 450 acres of Capitol grounds, and the operation and maintenance of 16.5 million square feet of buildings including the House and Senate Congressional Office Buildings, the Capitol Visitor Center, the Library of Congress Buildings, and the U.S. Supreme Court Building. The Architect of the Capitol employs 2,600 staff members and manages an annual budget of nearly $600 million.

Mr. Ayers was joined by his family at today’s hearing and if confirmed, will become the 11th Architect of the Capitol.

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