Mr. Warrington comes to the embattled agency with decades of experience running transit agencies.

Sachs is paying a quick call on the Russian privatization agency), both to keep Boiko abreast on the latest monetary machinations and to lend moral support to the embattled agency.

"As she leaves, it's still an embattled agency," Mr. Thompson said.

Whatever the real reason, Dr. Crawford's departure offers an opportunity for improvement at the embattled agency.

NASA Goals Beyond 1995 When Dr. Fletcher took over the embattled agency a year ago, he appointed Sally K. Ride, the astronaut, to direct studies of what NASA's goals should be beyond 1995.

The Newark Housing Authority has signed an agreement with federal regulators that averts a takeover as long as the embattled agency enacts sweeping changes in how it spends taxpayer dollars, hires and trains employees, and manages property.

President Bush today named Mark W. Everson, deputy director of the White House budget office, to run the Internal Revenue Service, reflecting the administration's belief that the embattled agency needs management help more than tax-policy expertise.

This most recent jolt to Governor McGreevey's attempts to find someone to head the state police is symptomatic of the difficulty in providing stable leadership for the embattled agency.

She spoke briefly at a news conference here announcing the changes, but left without taking questions about the embattled agency and its efforts to deflect an attempt by some in Congress to abolish it.

In a possible preview of the difficulties that would await General Hayden on Capitol Hill, several Republicans, including some with close ties to the White House, said President Bush should find someone else to run the embattled agency.