"Everybody was at loggerheads, but slowly Ed managed to bring everybody around," he said.
Schwab said Montgomery knows he will not be able to solve all of the current problems: "There isn't a chance he'll have enough money to do everything people will want him to do. As a consequence he's going to disappoint some people."
As if his job description were not broad enough, some experts think Montgomery will get involved in trying to turn around GM and Chrysler, along with other members of the presidential task force on the auto industry.
"I think he's going to have to oversee some major plant closings and job losses," Chaison said. "And I think he's going to have to design a bankruptcy. My personal view is General Motors is heading toward a bankruptcy. Chrysler may well be."
Charles Craver, a labor relations expert at George Washington University, expects Montgomery to wield considerable influence. "I have the sense he's going to have to oversee the restructuring of the companies," Craver said.
But Schwab expressed skepticism about the notion of expanded duties. "I've never heard Ed say anything like this," he said. "He's got a particular portfolio."
Montgomery, who could not be reached for comment Monday, received a doctorate in economics from Harvard University in 1982. He arrived at Maryland in 1990 and soon received tenure. He joined the Labor Department as chief economist in 1997, rising to deputy secretary two years later. Months after joining the department, he took part in negotiations that helped end the 10-day Teamsters strike.
Montgomery returned to Maryland and since 2003 has guided the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He will take a leave of absence April 11.
An early Obama supporter, Montgomery was part of the presidential transition process and last month was named to the auto industry task force. Even so, he has a fairly low public profile, which some think could be an asset.
As Chaison put it, "He doesn't bring much baggage with him."
EDWARD MONTGOMERY
* Age: 53
* Home: Fulton, Howard County
* Family: Wife, Kari, and three children
* New job: Director of recovery for auto communities and workers
Professional experience
* 2003-present: Dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park (Montgomery will take a leave of absence starting April 11)
* July 2002-July 2003: Senior associate dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park
* May 1999-January 2001: Deputy secretary and acting deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Labor
Dow rally ends with demands for new GM, Chrysler givebacks. PG 12
