Busy Week Ahead for OPM and Director James

Washington, D.C. -- The week ahead for OPM Director Kay Coles James and her agency promises to be fast-paced and fulfilling, with personal greetings aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt from friends recently made, and from introductions to young men and women we hope will become part of the "federal family." The week’s activities begin:

• Monday, April 22: Director James delivers the keynote address on the value of public service during the opening of a conference co-sponsored by OPM and the Partnership for Public Service entitled A Call to Serve: Leaders in Education Allied for Public Service. In her remarks, James will make the connection between the teaching of curricula on government and civics and there being greater interest by young people in pursuing public service careers.

• Monday, April 22: Director James issues a memorandum commemorating National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, 2002, encouraging the registration of federal employees as organ and tissue donors. Nearly 23,000 organ transplants were performed in the United States in 2000. The current number of children and adults on transplantation waiting lists totals 79,000.

• Monday - Friday, April 22 - 26: Director James won widespread agency support for the federal government’s first-ever "virtual job fair." The week-long fair targets individuals interested in careers as computer specialists, with sub-specialties in security, systems analysis, network services and many other areas. Applicants will file resumes on-line and receive immediate feedback from the approximately 25 agencies participating in the fair. At this writing, 230 jobs, with salaries ranging from $43,230 to $84,990, are available.

• Thursday, April 25: Director James greets Captain Richard O’Hanlon, Commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, at OPM headquarters in Washington. O’Hanlon will thank the Director and the agency’s 2,800 employees for "adopting" his crew during his ship’s six-month deployment in the Middle East to fight the war on terrorism. The agency’s adoption activities included a letter-writing campaign by employees to crew members, and the sending of gifts, CDs, books and non-perishable foods to boost morale. Children of the crew also received gifts during the December holiday season. OPM is headquartered in the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building in Washington, D.C., and adopted its namesake ship as a way to "do our part" in the war on terrorism.

• Sunday, April 28: Director James, OPM employees and their families have been invited by Captain O’Hanlon to board the USS Theodore Roosevelt for a visit with crew members who want to express their appreciation for the support and encouragement the agency provided during the ship’s deployment. The ship visit runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Norfolk Naval Station, in Norfolk, VA, home of the Roosevelt.

OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.