The Senate has confirmed Dr. Jeff Pon to lead the Office of Personnel Management.
Pon was originally nominated in September of last year, however, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) threatened to hold up the nomination until OPM complied with his request to provide information regarding making monetary contributions towards lawmakers’ health insurance. Johnson eventually subpoenaed OPM for the information, but he allowed the nomination to advance after he said the agency finally complied with his request.
OPM has been without a permanent director since Katherine Archuleta resigned in 2015 over the massive data breaches that occurred at the agency that left the personal information of millions of current and former federal employees exposed.
“I’m both honored and thrilled to serve as the Director of OPM, and I am excited to get to work immediately on advancing the ambitious agenda the White House has set forth for our agency, including streamlining the Federal workforce to put our nation’s hard-earned tax dollars to effective use in serving the American people,” said Pon.
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) President Richard G. Thissen said of Pon’s nomination, “With the numerous challenges before the federal community, and the role OPM plays in addressing those challenges, confirmation of an OPM director is long overdue. I was pleased to hear Dr. Pon recognize the importance of federal employees for our nation’s success during his confirmation hearing. We at NARFE expect him to continue that recognition as OPM Director, and we’re eager to work with Dr. Pon to strengthen the federal workforce.”
About Dr. Jeff Pon
Dr. Pon most recently served as the Chief Human Resources and Strategy Officer for the non-profit professional membership organization, the Society for Human Resource Management as well as the Chief Operating Officer for Futures Inc., an organization dedicated to helping transitioning military explore careers, find jobs, and transition to civilian jobs.
He previously served as a Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. in the consulting service areas of Human Resources, IT, and Change Management and as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Chief Human Capital Officer. He also was the Deputy Director of eGovernment at the U. S. Office of Personnel Management where he and his teams brought about HR Shared Service Centers, Payroll Modernization, and the stand-up of USAJobs.
Dr. Pon is a graduate of the University of Southern California, and holds a Ph. D. and Masters of Science degree from the California School of Professional Psychology. He is the recipient of the Grace Hopper Award, Fed 100, and multiple secretarial Distinguished Service Awards.
