United States Steel Corp. announced the appointment of Charles L. "Chuck" Rice to the position of General Manager—Public Affairs, effective Sept. 1, 2004.

Rice succeeds Craig D. Mallick, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, who will focus his efforts full-time on corporate governance and related legal responsibilities. Rice will report to Dan D. Sandman, Vice Chairman and Chief Legal and Administrative Officer.

"Chuck is an experienced public relations professional with outstanding communication skills," said John P. Surma, President and Chief Operating Officer of U. S. Steel. "We are delighted he has joined the U. S. Steel team and look forward to his leadership in public affairs."

Rice, a native of Huntington, W.Va., began his career in public relations at the University of Charleston in Charleston, W.Va. In 1989, he joined Ashland Petroleum Co. in Ashland, Ky., where he served in increasingly responsible positions in the company's Corporate Communications Department. When Ashland and Marathon Oil Co. formed a petroleum refining and marketing joint venture in 1998, Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP), Rice was transferred to MAP's offices in Findlay, Ohio, to serve as Communications Manager. Most recently he served as Director of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications for MAP.

Rice graduated from Marshall University's W. Page Pitt School of Journalism in 1987.