James B. King - Director
April 7, 1993 - September 1, 1997
James B. King, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, has been involved in policymaking and administration in local, state and national government, and at major universities, for more than 25 years.
King was born in Ludlow, Massachusetts, graduated from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and early in his career taught school and worked in community action.
In 1977 he left his position as a director of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to enter the White House as a Special Assistant to President Carter for Presidential Personnel. In October 1977, he was appointed to the National Transportation Safety Board and later became its chair, a post he held until January 1982.
King returned to Massachusetts to be an Associate Vice President at Harvard University, and later became a Senior Vice President at Northeastern University in Boston.
He has been a senior advisor to Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Harvard School of Business Administration's program for senior government managers, has been a fellow of Harvard's Institute of Politics, and has been president of the Massachusetts Cultural Alliance. He is a past commander of Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 94, Ludlow, Massachusetts.
King's nomination by President Clinton to serve as the government's top personnel officer was confirmed by the Senate on April 2, 1993. In addition to serving as OPM Director, King is chair of the National Partnership council, a member of the President's Management Council, and a member of the President's commission on White House Fellows.