Michael Robertson becomes GSA's chief acquisition officer

Michael Robertson, a longtime adviser to President Barack Obama, is now the General Services Administration’s chief acquisition officer and associate administrator for governmentwide policy, the agency announced today.

In the role as associate administrator, Robertson directs the Office of Governmentwide Policy, which develops policies for managing the government’s internal operations. As CAO, he’s responsible for developing and reviewing acquisition policies and training for GSA and acquisition professionals. He’s also the functional manager of GSA’s own acquisition workforce.

Robertson arrived at GSA in February as the White House liaison and will continue to serve in that capacity.

“It is an honor to work for GSA as the agency plays a significant role in promoting the president's agenda for creating a more transparent, accountable and publicly engaged government,” Robertson said in the announcement.

Robertson has worked closely with Obama since his campaign for the Senate in 2004. Once Obama was elected, Robertson became his legislative coordinator and deputy to the chief counsel. He managed the appropriations process for Obama's office, handled judicial nominations and conducted political outreach to promote Obama’s legislative priorities.

On the Obama presidential campaign, Robertson was the director of congressional affairs, where he worked to secure endorsements and superdelegate support from House and Senate members.

During Obama’s transition to president, Robertson served as the deputy working group lead for the Energy and Environment Agency Review Team.