President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions

May 10, 2024

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to serve in key roles.

U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts was established by Congress in 1910 as a permanent body to advise the federal government on matters pertaining to the arts and national symbols, and to guide the architectural development of Washington, D.C. The Commission is composed of seven members with expertise in the arts. Appointed by the President, Commission members serve four-year terms.

William J. Lenihan, to be a Member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Bill Lenihan, AIA, NCARB is a Principal and Partner of Tevebaugh Architecture based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. The firm's areas of practice include civic, cultural, academic, healthcare, corporate, and industrial project types. His extensive experience in architecture, planning, and design includes prominent institutional, cultural, and historic preservation projects including Ammi B. Young-designed 1855 historic Custom House, Schwartz Center for the Arts, State of Delaware Family Courthouses and Family Justice Centers, University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, Brandywine Conversancy Museum of Art, First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, and several regional Transit Centers on the Northeast Corridor.

Lenihan holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Norwich University and holds professional registrations in more than ten states. He is a founding member of the Rodney Square Conservancy, member of the Friends of Furness Railroad District and Washington Memorial Bridge Partnership, former Board Member and Sustainability Chair of the Delaware chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and former member of the Del-Mar-Va Council of Boy Scouts of America.

The Commission of Fine Arts is an independent federal agency charged with giving expert advice to the President, the Congress and the federal and District of Columbia governments on matters of design and aesthetics, as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation's capital. The Commission is composed of seven presidentially appointed experts in relevant disciplines including art, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design.

The Commission reviews designs proposed for memorials, coins, medals, and new or renovated government buildings, as well as privately owned properties in certain areas of Washington under the Shipstead-Luce and Old Georgetown Acts. In addition, the Commission supports a variety of arts institutions in Washington, DC, through the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs (NCACA) program.

Through its unique work as the only federal commission dedicated to design review and aesthetic excellence, the Commission of Fine Arts serves the American people, international visitors, and those who live and work in the nation's capital, contributing to the beauty and dignity of this international symbol of American democracy.