Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Gloria LaFriniere and Liz McDevitt to the Rehabilitation Council for the Blind.

Gloria LaFriniere, of Bagley, is the Director of White Earth Reservation Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which is a Section 121 project. She is appointed to the Council position for a representative of American Indian vocational rehabilitation projects and will serve a term ending January 3, 2005. LaFriniere replaces Connie Lee Berg on the Council.

Liz McDevitt, of St. Paul, is Parent-to-Parent Coordinator at Children's Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. She also serves as an active volunteer at the PACER Center. She is appointed to a Council position for a representative of PACER Center and will serve a three-year term which ends January 1, 2007. McDevitt replaces Susan Shogren-Smith on the Council.

The Rehabilitation Council for the Blind gives advice and recommendations to State Services for the Blind and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development concerning products and services for the blind. The Council consists of eighteen members appointed by the Governor, as well as an ex-officio member from the State Services for the Blind.