PERSONNEL CHANGES AT OPM TO FURTHER REINVENTION EFFORTS

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Jim King today announced several key personnel changes within the agency that will continue OPM's progress in making government work better and cost less.

"Each person taking on a new assignment has served OPM or another federal agency with distinction and accomplishment," said Jim King. "I am confident that these moves will enable us to continue on the road of reinvention, transforming OPM into an agency with expert advisory capabilities in human resources management, and away from its old role of central control of personnel policy."

The appointment of J. Gilbert Seaux as OPM's Chief Financial Officer, effective August 1, is the only action that involves a newcomer to the agency. Mr. Seaux, an Air Force Colonel, will have overall responsibility for fiscal management within the agency, to include agency-level budgeting, accounting and related financial management activities. He currently serves as the Director of Financial Management and Comptroller for the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where he has financial oversight of more than $30 billion.

In other moves, Director King announced the appointment of Curtis J. Smith as Director of the Federal Executive Institute (FEI), in Charlottesville, Virginia. Previously the Associate Director for the Retirement and Insurance Group (RIG), Smith will oversee the activities of government's primary educational institution for executives. He began his OPM career in 1977, with a one-year interruption in 1984 to serve at the Office of Management and Budget. He has received the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, and served on the Administration's Health Reform Working Group. Smith has a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Dee W. Henderson becomes the Assistant Director of Human Resources Development Group (HRDG) for Office of Training Operations. In his new role, Henderson will oversee the development and delivery of a full range of training programs and developmental services for federal executives and managers world-wide. Previously, he was the Director of the FEI. Henderson has had a distinguished and varied professional career, including service as Director of the Department of Personnel for the State of Washington and member of the Governor's Executive Cabinet. He also has served as a professor and Associate Director at Brigham Young University, and Assistant and Acting Director of the Graduate School of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has a Ph.D. from The American University.

Judy M. Jaffee, previously HRDG Assistant Director for the Office of Training Operations, has been named Deputy Director of HRDG which administers training and development activities on a national level. She will work closely with the Director of HRDG on their expanded responsibility for training service delivery. Before joining OPM in 1991, Jaffee was the Director of the Office of Human Resources in the Office of Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service. She began her federal career with the U.S. Office of Education in 1967, designing and implementing nationwide training systems. She later transferred to the Department of Housing and Urban Development where she was the Director of offices on training, employment and classification, and management consulting staff. Jaffee has a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.

Finally, William E. (Ed) Flynn III assumes the role of OPM's Associate Director of the Retirement and Insurance Group. Flynn will oversee operations of the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees Retirement System, and the health and life insurance programs of federal civil servants and their dependents. Previously, he served as RIG's Assistant Director for Financial Control and Management, a position that oversaw the payment of $45 billion annually to federal beneficiaries and health and life insurance companies participating in benefit programs administered by OPM. In addition, he is credited with building OPM's successful Career Transition Office which assists employees find other employment following the agency's recent downsizing. From 1989 to 1992, Flynn was a partner and Executive Vice President of a firm that provided outplacement services corporate executives. He also has served OPM in executive positions as Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director in Atlanta and Chicago.

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