The Trump administration has nominated its picks to lead the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management.
The nominee for GSA administrator is Emily Murphy, currently the senior adviser to the GSA administrator.
“A procurement policy expert, Ms. Murphy’s career includes appointments at the U.S. Small Business Administration and at the GSA, where she served as its first chief acquisition officer. Additionally, she served under three Chairmen of the House Small Business Committee,” according to a White House announcement. “Her private-sector experience includes five years in executive positions at a technology startup company engaged in Federal contracting and three years as a government contracts attorney with two top D.C. law firms.”
Murphy is a 1995 graduate of Smith College and a 2001 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.
Jeff Tien Han Pon is the nominee for OPM director. Pon most recently served as chief human resources and strategy officer for the Society for Human Resource Management, as well as chief operating officer for Futures Inc., which helps soldiers leaving the service find civilian jobs. Pon was also deputy director of OPM’s eGovernment office, “where he and his teams brought about HR Shared Service Centers, Payroll Modernization, and the stand-up of USAJobs,” the White House said.
Pon is a graduate of the University of Southern California, and holds a Ph.D. and MS degree from the California School of Professional Psychology.
Pon’s nomination drew support from Partnership for Public Service President Max Stier. ”Fixing the federal government’s broken personnel system requires a director of the Office of Personnel Management who can drive bold changes and understands the challenges that agencies face in attracting and retaining talented people,” Stier said. “Fortunately for federal employees and those who care about an efficient and effective government, Dr. Jeff Pon’s deep experience, leadership skills and first-hand experience with government’s talent issues make him a well-qualified nominee.”
