DorobekINSIDER EXCLUSIVE: GSA’s Jim Williams to retire from government after 30-plus years
Jim Williams, the widely respected head of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, has told staff that he will leave government...
Jim Williams, the widely respected head of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, has told staff that he will leave government on April 3.
Williams has had a remarkable government career, most recently as the first commission of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, which was tasked with bringing together the former Federal Supply Service and Federal Technology Service. But he has also served as the director of U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program (US-VISIT) at the Homeland Security Department, and in several senior leadership posts at the Internal Revenue Service.
Williams does not have any current plans for when he leaves government, sources confirmed. He is exploring his options, insiders said.
The note Williams sent to staff today:
Today, I let Administrator Martha Johnson know that I am retiring from government service on April 3, 2010, but I am planning for my last day in the office to be March 31st.
I feel like I have been incredibly blessed and fortunate to have been able to serve our great nation for over thirty years and do so with so many people around the world that I like and respect.
I also believe our country’s future is bright because of the dedicated and fantastic people that I have had the opportunity to serve with and to have been part of teams of people, many still serving government, that work hard to deliver positive results for the American people, our military and law enforcement personnel, and all other parts of government.
For people who have recently come into government, I hope they experience and feel how tremendously fulfilling a public service can be. Across several government agencies and most recently GSA, DHS, and IRS, I know the successes that I am proud to have been a part of have all been due to great leaders and teams of people coming together from the public and private sector to best serve our country and make the world a better place.
There is no adequate way to say thank you to my family, friends around the world, and co-workers for all the support provided to me during my career, but I hope they know I am very grateful.
At this point, I do not know where I will be working after I leave government. I will see what options there are after I leave, but, wherever I end up, what does matter to me is that I want to stay in touch with friends. Thank you to you all for your friendship and support that helped make my career such a wonderful and rewarding experience.
Best wishes,
Jim Williams
James A. Williams returned to the position of Commissioner, Federal Acquisition Service on January 22, 2009. He was designated Acting Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration on August 30, 2008. As Acting Administrator, Williams presided over the leading acquisition agency for the federal government. He was responsible for the management of nearly 12,000 employees and more than one-fourth of the government’s total procurement dollars. As Administrator he influenced the management of $500 billion in assets including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings. He also was steward of more than 425 historic properties and 208,000 vehicles.
During his leadership as Acting Administrator, Williams was responsible for a very successful presidential transition; and for gaining approval of the 4.5 million square foot Master Plan for the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus in Washington, DC to be the new permanent home of the Department of Homeland Security. He also provided leadership in the sustainable design of energy efficient buildings; managed various “green” initiatives that provide environmentally friendly products, services and technology to federal agencies; and continued the implementation of fuel-efficient vehicles within federal and GSA’s vehicle fleets.
Before becoming Acting Administrator, Williams served as Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service. Here he provides strategic direction-setting, performance management and leadership for the efficient and effective program execution necessary to provide best value for the government and for taxpayers, proactive customer assistance and simplified procedures. His organization is responsible for nearly $50 billion annually in acquisition revenues covering the GSA Schedules Program, information technology, vehicles, furniture, supplies to the warfighter, property disposal, travel and transportation contracts and assisting customer agencies with life cycle acquisition support.
Prior to this, Williams served as Director of the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program (US-VISIT) at the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, he served in several executive leadership positions at the Internal Revenue Service, including Deputy Associate Commissioner for Program Management, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Procurement and later as Director of Procurement at the IRS.
Earlier in his career, Williams was director of the Local Telecommunications Procurement Division at GSA, where he was responsible for all nationwide local telecommunications purchases for the agency.
A native of Virginia, Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s in business administration from The George Washington University.
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