William L Ball III

William L. Ball III, a former Reagan White House aide, Navy Secretary and association executive, has been named Managing Director of The Loeffler Group in Washington, DC. Ball joins the firm founded in 2001 by former Congressman Tom Loeffler (R-Texas) and now serving clients from its offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, in addition to the nation's capital. Following service in the Reagan Administration, Ball served as president of the National Soft Drink Association and its successor, the American Beverage Association. His government service began in 1975 on the U.S. Senate staff where he served in various positions for 10 years, leading to his appointment as chief of staff to Senators John Tower of Texas and Herman Talmadge of Georgia. In 1985, Ball joined the Reagan Administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs for then-Secretary of State George P. Shultz. The following year, he was assigned to the White House to serve President Reagan as his chief liaison to Congress. Two years later, Ball became Secretary of the Navy. During the George H.W. Bush Administration, Ball was appointed by the President to serve as a member of the 1991 Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRACC), the third appointment for which he was confirmed by the Senate during his government career. Most recently, he was appointed in 2005 by the Secretary of Defense as a member of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves. Ball is a native of South Carolina and is a 1969 graduate of Georgia Tech. He holds honorary degrees from Furman University and the College of Charleston.