The White House on Friday announced the appointment of Margaret Weichert as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), replacing Jeff Pon at the helm of the agency.
The move comes as the Trump administration moves forward with aspects of a wide-ranging agency reorganization plan announced in June, which includes moving many of OPM’s responsibilities to the General Services Administration (GSA), a move which both agencies have said would support IT modernization efforts. During his confirmation hearing, Pon called IT modernization his top priority, citing the need to provide government with IT capabilities in line with the private sector.
Friday’s announcement from the White House also noted that Weichert would retain her duties as deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in addition to her new duties as acting director of OPM.
As deputy director at OMB, Weichert has been one of the more public faces of the agency reorganization plan, appearing in front of Congress to advocate for the plan. Weichert has also been involved in IT modernization efforts, most notably in helping to develop the President’s Management Agenda.
In statements to numerous outlets, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney expressed his support for Weichert, and said “I know she will hit the ground running to ensure the federal workforce has the right skills and tools to deliver the proper services to the American people.”