Janice R. Lachance
November 12, 1997 - January 20, 2001
Janice R. Lachance is the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Appointed initially to the position of Deputy Director by President Bill Clinton, she was confirmed in that position by the U.S. Senate on July 3 1, 1997. With the departure of Director James B. King in late August, 1997, she served as Acting Director until the Senate confirmed her nomination as OPM director by unanimous consent on November 9, 1997.
OPM provides human resources management leadership and high-quality services based on merit principles in partnership with federal agencies and employees. As Director, Ms. Lachance oversees an agency work force of 3,700 employees and an operating budget of $376 million. She also chairs the senior executive management team responsible for strategic planning and agency management.
An attorney, Ms. Lachance has 17 years of experience working with federal agencies, Capitol Hill and labor unions.
In 1996, Ms. Lachance was named OPM's Chief of Staff. In 1993, she was appointed OPM's Director of Communications. She served as the agency's Director of Communications and Policy from 1994 - 1996. In that position, she was the agency's primary spokesperson with national and local media, and directed media relations, public affairs, marketing and internal communications, overseeing a staff of 24 and a budget of $2.8 million.
From 1987 until she came to OPM, Janice Lachance served as the Director of Communications and Political Affairs for the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, where she directed the political, media, and public affairs programs for the nation's largest federal employee union.
Her early career includes extensive Congressional experience, including Communications Director for Congressman Tom Daschle (D-SD), Administrative Assistant to Congresswoman Katie Hall (D-IN), Staff Director and Counsel for the House Small Business Subcommittee on Antitrust and Restraint of Trade. She also served as the principal in J.R. Lachance Associates where she provided strategy development, media planning and management support for political and non-profit organizations.
In 1996, Ms. Lachance was the Staff Director of the Democratic National Convention's communications operation. In 1992, she was involved in the Clinton-Gore election campaign, followed by an appointment to the Clinton-Gore transition team, where she worked on the confirmations of Cabinet officers and OPM's transition. Ms. Lachance is also a member of the President's Interagency Council on Women.
Born in Biddeford, Maine, Ms. Lachance holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Manhattanville, College, Purchase, New York, and a S.D. from Tulane University School of Law, New, Orleans Louisiana.