Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Kathie Ann Whipple today announced the appointment of Tania A. Shand as Director of the Office of Congressional Relations.

Shand, a veteran of Capital Hill, possesses a depth of knowledge on the legislative process and with issues affecting the federal workforce. Her work on legislative matters has helped create an environment that attracts and retains talented men and women for the federal civil service.

Shand began her Legislative Branch service in 1998 as a professional staff member with the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Civil Service and Agency Organization Subcommittee. She was intimately involved with a number of quality-of-life legislative initiatives, including the creation of the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. Today, the program provides insurance protection to approximately 224,000 current and former federal employees, and their eligible family members.

She also played an important role in the passage of a bill that increased the amount of leave federal employees are entitled to use to recuperate following organ donation.

Since 2007, Shand has served on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, as Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia. She led in-depth investigations, one of which resulted in the enactment of legislation that reversed personnel policies that were negatively impacting employees at one Legislative Branch agency. Under her direction, the Subcommittee also held significant hearings on federal pay-for-performance systems, diversity, telework, and outsourcing at the U.S. Postal Service.

Before working on Capitol Hill, Shand held positions with the General Services Administration's Congressional Affairs Office, the Office of Governmentwide Policy and Federal Supply Service.

Shand holds a master's of arts in public administration from Howard University and a bachelor's degree in policy studies from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM 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.