OPM director announces imminent departure

Kiran Ahuja, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has announced that she will step down from her position in the coming weeks.

OPM serves as the federal government’s human resources office and recruits and employs more than 2.2 million federal employees.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve in the Biden-Harris administration and support the 2.2 million federal employees who work so dedicatedly to serve the American people,” Ahuja said in a statement Tuesday. “We have accomplished a lot during his three years at OPM, but what I am most proud of is the friendship and bond we built together in public service.”

Under Ahuja’s leadership, President Biden’s OPM introduced a $15 minimum wage for federal employees, enacted rules prohibiting the use of non-federal pay history in setting pay, and introduced criminal history requirements when hiring. It enacted regulations prohibiting the requirement of , equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Confirmed in June 2021, Ahuja is the agency’s longest-serving director in more than a decade and the first Asian American woman confirmed to lead the agency.

Mr. Ahuja previously worked as a civil rights attorney at the Department of Justice, served as executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under former President Obama, and served as OPM’s chief of staff during the Obama administration. Served.

She then served as CEO of Philanthropy Northwest and was a member of Biden’s presidential transition team before being named to that position. The firm has not disclosed who will replace Ahuja.