the California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) after being chosen by the state's governor, Pete Wilson.

The WCAB, which has seven commissioners, attends to all claims for workers' compensation benefits due to industrial injuries and deaths occurring within California.

The organisation serves both as an adjudicating body as well as a rule making entity in matters relating to contested claims from workplace injuries.

Mr. Johnson, who lives in Oakland, California, graduated from Hampton Institute, in Virginia, in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received a law degree from the Catholic University of America in 1976. He was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1976 and the California Bar in 1981.

From 1977 to 1980, he was on active duty as a Captain in the US Army Judge Advocate General Corps, serving at the Presidio of San Francisco.

He has had two stints as a self-employed attorney, from 1981 to 1985 and from 1988 to 1990, in Oakland, California, specialising in insurance defence and civil litigation.

From 1983 to 1985, he was an assistant legal officer for the 445th Civil Affairs Co., US Army Reserves.

In Bermuda, he served as a legal consultant and corporate administrator for local law firm Richards, Francis and Francis from 1985 to 1987. During 1987 and 1988, he was CEO of the former American-Bermudian Corp. Ltd.

As a commissioner, Mr. Johnson will receive a salary of $88,056 per year. He is married to American Darlene Ayers-Johnson. His father, Mr. Perry Johnson, of Devil's Hole, Smith's, flew to California to see his son being sworn in.

MR. PERRY JOHNSON -- appointed to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board in California.