Mr. Willkie, 56, is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of MeadWestvaco Corporation. From 1996 until the merger of Mead and Westvaco in January 2002, he was senior vice president and general counsel of Westvaco. Mr. Willkie began his law career in 1978 with the New York firm of Simpson Thacher and Bartlett. Between 1982 and 1993, he held several senior law and management positions with the U.S. government. Under President Reagan, he served as associate counsel to the President, as well as general counsel and chief of staff of the Department of Education. Under President George H. W. Bush, he was general counsel and acting deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce. From 1993 to 1995, he was a fellow in legal policy and international trade at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2005, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations.