The Honorable Robert C. Tapella
Public Printer of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office  October 4, 2007
Appointed by	President George W. Bush
Preceded by	Bruce James

[edit] Overview

As the nation’s 25th Public Printer, Tapella serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), one of the nation’s oldest and most venerable agencies with revenue in the excess of $1 billion. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Tapella oversees production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government. Many of the country’s most important information products, such as the Congressional Record and the Federal Register are produced at GPO’s main plant located five blocks from the U.S. Capitol. This 1.5 million square foot complex is one of the largest information processing, printing and distribution facilities in the world. ^[1]

[edit] Biography

President George W. Bush nominated Tapella for the position of Public Printer and he was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 4, 2007. As Public Printer, Tapella is committed to making GPO thrive as one of the largest digital information factories in the world. Tapella’s priorities are to take GPO to new levels of service in GPO’s work for the United States Congress, production of the nation’s passports for the State Department, meeting the printing needs for Federal agencies and working with the library community to provide permanent public access to the documents of our democracy. Making sustainable environmental stewardship one of his top priorities, Tapella has set out goals for GPO to be a good steward of its resources, one of which is to move GPO’s headquarters into the first LEED Platinum printing plant in the country. LEED is a voluntary green building rating system with benchmarks for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

Public Printer Bob Tapella and former OMB Director Jim Nussle view the first digital authentication of the Federal Budget.

During his first year as Public Printer, Tapella oversaw GPO authenticate, by digital signature, the first-ever electronic budget distributed by The White House Link to video, the opening of a secure production facility, on time and under budget, in Stennis, Mississippi for the production of blank passports as well as the creation of the Official Journals of Government business unit that will better serve Congress and the Office of Federal Register. In addition to producing a record number of passports, GPO produced more than 500,000 Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) cards for the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection. These cards help with border security and give the bearer faster service in crossing America’s northern and southern borders.

In his second year as the nation’s printer, Tapella oversaw the launch of GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys). [www.fdsys.gov www.fdsys.gov] This world class information management system gives the American people a one-stop site to authentic, published government information. Less than six months after the launch, Government Computer News named FDsys one of the government’s best Web sites.

Public Printer Robert C. Tapella inspects President Obama's official photograph.

Tapella also oversaw the printing and production of materials for the new Obama Administration including: the official materials for the President Barack Obama’s Inauguration, President Obama’s first budget and the President Obama’s Official Photograph.Link to video

Under Tapella’s leadership, GPO has received numerous awards:

• GPO’s Communications and Creative Services Departments won a Stevie Award for Production of the Year at the American Business Awards. The award recognized GPO’s video on the printing of the official photograph of President Barack Obama.
  

  

  GPO wins an American Business Award in the Public Relations Production of the Year category for the Printing of President Obama's Official Photograph Video. John Tobiason, Gary Somerset and Bob Tapella accept the award.

• GPO’s former Chief of Staff, Maria Lefevre, won the Stevie Award for Executive of the Year in 2008. Link to awards ceremony

Public Printer Bob Tapella, Gary Somerset, and Stevie Award winner Maria Lefevre pose for a picture with the Chief of Staff's award.

• GPO’s Communications Department won a Hermes Gold Award for the public relations plan for the launch of FDsys.

• GPO’s Communications and Creative Services Departments won two Videographer Awards for printing of the official photograph of President Barack Obama and GPO’s 2008 Annual Report video.

• GPO was named a finalist for Computerworld’s International Green Award for practicing sustainable environmental stewardship in the agency’s information technology area.

Public Printer Robert C. Tapella and OMB Director Peter Orszag

Tapella has launched two initiatives at GPO’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and at GPO’s Secure Production Facility in Stennis, MS to enhance the already high standards of the facilities. GPO is adopting ISO 9001. ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) sets industrial standards recognized around the globe. Once in place, ISO 9001 will standardize all GPO business and production processes. GPO has also adopted 5S, a workplace organization way of life. The name is derived from the steps of the process: Sort, Set-in-order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

Prior to becoming Public Printer, Tapella served as a senior executive at GPO for five years. He was part of the team that took GPO from a survival mode to the thriving operation it is today. Tapella helped turn GPO’s financial situation from years of significant losses into the profits the agency enjoys today. He was a principal architect of GPO’s, A Strategic Vision for the 21st Century. This vision outlines ways for GPO’s internal operations to run more efficiently, give employees the opportunity to learn about new technologies and create a system that will give the public a one stop site to authentic, published Government information.

Tapella has more than a decade of experience as a professional staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also has an extensive background in graphic arts. At the age of 12, he learned the art of calligraphy, illumination and bookbinding. Two years later Tapella became a freelance designer with The New Scribes in San Jose, California. He built his own design business that included work in print brokering, direct mail, corporate communications and strategic planning. A California native, Tapella is an alumnus of the American Council of Young Political Leaders and an alumnus of Leadership Sunnyvale. He is a 1991 graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, one of the country’s leading schools in printing and graphic communications. ^[2]

[edit] Congressional Record Printed on 100% Recycled Paper

Public Printer Robert C. Tapella meets with Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Public Printer Robert C. Tapella attends a press conference at the Speaker of House's office

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the U.S. Congress achieved a major milestone in their joint effort to reduce the Federal Government’s carbon footprint. GPO began printing the Congressional Record on 100% recycled paper, which will reduce the Nation’s paper landfill waste across the country. The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of Congress, and it is printed by GPO everyday that Congress is in session. GPO has been testing 100% recycled paper during the past year. Those tests showed no difference in printability or run-ability as compared to the 40% post-consumer waste recycled paper GPO has been using for years.

The Clerk of the House Lorraine Miller and Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson recently toured GPO’s plant and inspected the printing of the Congressional Record on 100% recycled paper.

Public Printer Bob Tapella presented Speaker Nancy Pelosi with copies of the Congressional Record printed on 100% recycled paper. The Speaker congratulated Public Printer Tapella and all GPO employees for their efforts to green the Capitol complex and help reduce the overall environmental impact of the U.S. Congress.

[edit] References

• www.gpo.gov

 http://www.gpo.gov/newsroom-media/image.htm 

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