MSPB Announces New Senior Executive Appointments

The MSPB has announced three senior executive appointments at MSPB headquarters.

Chairman Susan Tsui Grundmann of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) announces three senior executive appointments at MSPB headquarters. James M. Eisenmann became the Executive Director of MSPB on January 2, 2013. He previously served as MSPB’s General Counsel starting in January 2010. Susan M. Swafford became Director of the Office of Appeals Counsel (OAC) on January 6, 2013, and Bryan G. Polisuk is appointed today as General Counsel.

Prior to joining MSPB, Mr. Eisenmann was a founding member of Kraft Eisenmann Alden, PLLC, a labor, employment, and employee benefits law firm established in Washington, D.C. Mr. Eisenmann represented Federal employees in cases before MSPB, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and U.S. District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeal. He is the author of several articles involving Federal employee rights and the co- author of the book entitled Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide. He is a frequent lecturer regarding various aspects of employment law and has served in several capacities with the Labor & Employment Law Section of the D.C. Bar. Between 2001 and 2008,

Mr. Eisenmann served on the Board of Directors for the D.C. Employment Justice Center. Mr. Eisenmann received a Bachelor of Arts degree from West Virginia University and his law degree from the Catholic University of America School of Law.

Susan M. Swafford, the new Director of OAC, has been employed by MSPB since 2001 and served as Acting Director of OAC since March 2012. She previously held the positions of Attorney Advisor, Associate Director, and Deputy Director in OAC. She also served as Acting Chief Counsel to Chairman Grundmann, and Counsel to former Vice Chairman Mary Rose and former Chairman Suzanne Marshall. Prior to joining MSPB, Ms. Swafford was an attorney with Thompson & Waldron and Mitterhoff, Henrichsen, Stuart & Bryton. Ms. Swafford graduated summa cum laude from Missouri State University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree, and received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Bryan G. Polisuk joins MSPB as General Counsel after serving since 2009 as senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, under the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In that position, Mr. Polisuk was a counselor to former Senator and Subcommittee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) on a variety of federal workforce labor and employment issues. Mr. Polisuk assisted Senator Akaka in the drafting and passage of legislation, including the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 and the Hatch Act Modernization Act of 2012, which were signed into law by President Obama in November and December 2012, respectively. Prior to working in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Polisuk practiced employment and labor law, litigating in the U.S. District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeal, with Woodley & McGillivary in Washington, D.C., where he represented employees and labor organizations in constitutional and statutory matters. Mr. Polisuk received his Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and his law degree from The Ohio State University College of Law.

In making these appointments, Chairman Grundmann stated, “Jim, Susan, and Bryan are taking on three of the most crucial roles at MSPB. They are highly qualified to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities presented to them in their new positions. I am delighted to have them on our MSPB team.”

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