OPM takes back control of CHCO Council
The move reestablishes Office of Personnel Management's central role in leading governmentwide human resources policy.
The Office of Personnel Management is retaking full control of the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council, the agency announced today.
Under the Trump administration the CHCO Council's function were divided between OPM and the General Services Administration as part of an effort to merge OPM into GSA. That merger was never accomplished in part because of policy riders in appropriations bills blocking the move.
The CHCO Council is chaired by the OPM director and includes the top human resources officials at large federal agencies. The council advises on governmentwide human resources policy and serves as a clearinghouse for information and policy.
The council didn't do much in the past few years, and there was very little involvement from the OPM director. One of the key recommendations of a congressionally mandated report from the National Academy of Public Administration on OPM revitalization was the reassertion of OPM's leadership of the CHCO Council.
"I'm pleased that we are restoring these functions at OPM as part of our commitment to reinvigorating the CHCO Council," OPM Director Kiran Ahuja said in a statement shared by the agency. "The CHCO Council is an invaluable collaborative resource for OPM and the federal government. OPM is committed to partnering closely with CHCOs to help solve critical human capital management challenges that face our federal workforce and I look forward to leading the council as we work to rebuild, strengthen and support the federal workforce."
Margot Conrad, formerly of the Partnership for Public Service, was named executive director of the CHCO Council. The council has also set up working groups designed to implement Biden administration workforce policy goals, including diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and workplace policies with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also a working group, led by Ray Limon, the CHCO for the Department of the Interior, designed to strengthen the operations of the CHCO Council itself.