Management

OPM staffs up, reshuffles senior leadership

A little more than a month into Katherine Archuleta's tenure at the Office of Personnel Management, the agency is staffing up and reshuffling a handful of leade...

Jack Moore

December 19, 2013 2:52 pm

2 min read

A little more than a month into Katherine Archuleta’s tenure at the Office of Personnel Management, the agency is staffing up and reshuffling a handful of leadership positions.

Archuleta, who most recently worked as the national political director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection effort, is bringing on board two fellow campaign staffers to serve as top advisers.

Ann Marie Habershaw, the former chief operating officer of Obama’s reelection effort, has been hired to serve as Archuleta’s chief of staff. Chris Canning, also a 2012 campaign veteran, will serve as a senior adviser to Archuleta.

The agency is also getting a new chief operating officer from within the ranks of the agency. Angela Bailey, the former associate director of employee services, has been named the agency’s new COO. Bailey also previously served as the agency’s chief human capital officer, where she spearheaded many of OPM’s governmentwide HR initiatives.

Mark Reinhold will assume both of Bailey’s previous roles, as both acting associate director for employment services and the agency’s acting CHCO.

Chuck Grimes, the former COO, will shift to the Healthcare and Insurance operation, where he’ll serve as deputy director, a role that was previously vacant.

Justin Johnson, who formerly served as deputy chief of staff to the director will become Bailey’s chief of staff.

In addition, OPM has hired Donna Seymour, former deputy chief human capital officer for the Defense Department, to serve as the agency’s chief information officer. Seymour’s prior tech experience includes a stint as associate chief information officer for information technology policy oversight at the Transportation Department and as the CIO of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. Chuck Simpson had served as acting OPM CIO beginning in February.

Kamala Vasagam, who previously served as special assistant to the president for presidential personnel, takes over as OPM’s general counsel. The Senate confirmed Elaine Kaplan, the agency’s former chief lawyer, to a spot on the U.S .Court of Federal Claims last month. Kaplan also served as acting director of the agency for more than six months following former director John Berry’s departure to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia.

Loida Tapia, another former Obama 2012 campaign staffer, will serve as director of scheduling and advance.

Sergio Gonzalez, a former aide for Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), will serve as Archuleta’s deputy chief of staff.

The round of leadership musical chairs follows an announcement this week from the executive director of the OPM CHCO Council, Kathryn Medina, that she was stepping down from her post next month for a job in the private sector.

No word yet on who will fill that position. The No. 2 deputy director spot also remains vacant.

Archuleta looks to ‘forge a new pathway’ to better engage federal workforce

Senate approves Archuleta to head OPM