Nani Coloretti

At first glance, this year’s results of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey might not show many significant improvements. But several large and small agencies, including the Housing and Urban Development Department and the Office of Special Counsel, made noticeable improvements in employee engagement this year.

Nani Coloretti, the HUD deputy secretary, said the 8 point increase in the 10th annual Best Places to Work rankings can be traced to listening to employees and communicating changes.

She’s served the Obama administration since the beginning, but has a strong background in municipal in state government. Nani Coloretti, now the deputy secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is one of the newest fellows at the National Academy of Public Administration. But, she told Federal Drive with Tom Temin that she’s non-committal on a preference for state, local or federal government.

For the first time in four years, federal employee satisfaction and commitment improved among the workforce, according to the Partnership for Public Service’s 2015 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.

Deputy secretaries and other COOs give lackluster reviews to the President’s Management Agenda and President’s Management Council in a new report by the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton.

She manages Housing and Urban Development’s day-to-day operations, including a $45 billion annual budget and approximately 8,500 employees. As Women’s History Month comes to a close, she’s been sharing her experiences to help other women build successful careers in government. Nani Coloretti is the Deputy Secretary at HUD. On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, she recounted growing up under the mild skies in Hawaii.

It’s fast times for the Housing and Urban Development Department. Secretary Julian Castro has established priorities for both internal operations and policy. Much of the execution falls to the new deputy secretary. Nani Coloretti was confirmed last month. She joined the Obama administration in the Treasury Department in 2009. She spoke with Tom Temin on the Federal Drive about her new post and agenda.

The Senate left Washington without confirming several of President Barack Obama’s nominees for the executive branch, including Carolyn Colvin, his choice to lead the Social Security Administration.

The White House will release an updated list of agency high-priority goals and cross-agency priority goals with the annual budget request to Congress in March. Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget detailed agency successes over the last two years in meeting current goals.