In honor of its 15^th birthday, the Chief Human Capital Officers Council brought together its past and current executive directors to reflect on their greatest challenges and accomplishments, as well as where the council stands today.

The council was created as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The leaders of 24 executive departments and agencies were required to  appoint chief human capital officers to serve as policy advisers on human resources management issues, to select, develop, train and manage a high-quality and productive workforce.

Michael Dovilla, the council’s first leader from 2003-2006, said that starting any new enterprise or initiative is in itself a challenge.

“Putting the structure in place and getting it off to a strong start, in a general sense, is what I would be proud of — specifically the CHCO [Council Training] Academy that we established really bore some fruit right from the beginning,” he said in a video message published Thursday.

Current Executive Director Sara Ratcliff, who has held the position since 2017, said she wants to make sure CHCOs can help agencies keep up with the pace of progress in the private sector.

“In the private sector there is a movement where they’re talking about there’s no business plan without a talent plan, which means CHCOs have got to be at the table,” she said in the video message. “One of the things I’d really like to push and see more is the CHCOs being there as a part of the decision-making process as a model in government for the same type of things that are occurring in the private sector.”

In honor of the milestone anniversary, Council Chair Jeff Pon, director of the Office of Personnel Management, said: “I’m really proud of the great work that we’ve done in the last 15 years and look forward to a great future.”

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