Articles from the CHCO Council

CHCO Council has welcomed Colleen Heller-Stein, former Deputy CHCO at the Department of the Treasury, as the new Executive Director. Following Margot Conrad's departure as Executive Director to Deputy Chief of Staff for OPM, Latonia Page ably served as Acting Executive Director in the interim. With Colleen's arrival, Latonia begins her new role as Deputy Associate Director for Talent Acquisition, Classification, and Veterans Programs within OPM's Workforce Policy and Innovation. Colleen brings a wealth of experience to the Council having previously served as Deputy CHCO, Acting CHCO, and head of HR for Treasury's Departmental Offices during her 14 years at the Department of the Treasury. Colleen has also previously served as a co-chair of the CHCO Council's Recruitment and Outreach Working Group and a Strategy Lead for the Workforce Priority of the President's Management Agenda. A very warm welcome and congratulations are extended to Colleen Heller-Stein!

In accordance with the requirement established through Public Law 107-296, Section 1303(d), on May 3, 2024, the Chief Human Capital Officers Council 2023 Annual Report to Congress was issued. The report reflects on the many accomplishments of the Council in 2023. This past year, the Council continued regular meetings, engaged the Executive Steering Committee (ESC), hosted the CHCO Council 20th Anniversary Awards Ceremony and Celebration, convened the CHCO Council Fall Forum, and held the Annual Public Meeting. The CHCO Council continues to be a critical asset to OPM providing real-time feedback and agency-specific insights to inform OPM policies. We encourage you to learn more in the full 2023 Report to Congress as we already make progress in 2024 on the work ahead.

After more than two and a half years serving as Executive Director of the CHCO Council and Senior Advisor, OPM Director and CHCO Council Chair Kiran Ahuja asked Margot Conrad to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for OPM. Latonia Page will serve as Acting CHCO Council Executive Director. Latonia Page is known to the CHCO Council for her leadership roles with the President's Management Agenda, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Surge hiring effort, and Human Capital Reviews. Latonia Page has a long career at OPM and knows this agency well, serving previously on the Employee Services (now Workforce Planning and Innovation) and Human Resource Solutions teams, as well as her role with Merit System Accountability and Compliance. Congratulations are extended to Margot Conrad in her new role at OPM and a welcome Latonia Page in her Acting role in the CHCO Council.

In accordance with the requirement established through Public Law 107-296, Section 1303(d), on May 4, 2023, the Chief Human Capital Officers Council 2022 Report to Congress was issued. The report reflects on the many accomplishments of the Council in 2022. Among successes, this year the Council held monthly CHCO Council meetings, instituted new Personnel Policy Office Hours, established five working groups and two communities of practice, launched a new website, and held a Fall Forum. Additionally, there is a new required section this year in the report on employment barriers from the CHCO perspective. As OPM Director and CHCO Council Chair, Kiran Ahuja, notes in the report, “As human capital leaders, CHCOs offer critical input. They strengthen our policies and deliver feedback in real-time, allowing us to provide timely support to help Federal agencies deliver on their respective missions.” We encourage you to read the full 2022 Report to Congress and look forward to expanding upon this important work in 2023.

At the June CHCO Council meeting Ashley Harrington, Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer, Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid reminded CHCOs about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Temporary Overhaul. For a limited period of time, federal student loan borrowers may receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. The change expires October 31, 2022. After that, normal PSLF rules will apply. This benefit is valuable to the federal workforce and CHCOs were encouraged to send this information to their agency employees and to connect the with Department of Education to host special webinar sessions on the temporary overhaul for employees. Questions on PSLF can be answered on the Federal Student Aid website.

With the valuable feedback of CHCOs and the Executive Steering Committee (ESC), the CHCO Council has established four priorities for 2022. These priorities reflect key issues CHCOs would like to shape and align with OPM's Strategic Plan and the President's Management Agenda. The four priorities are:

1. Inform Human Capital Policy Development

2. Build HR Workforce Capacity and Capability

3. Improve Human Capital Data Collection and Use

4. Foster Strategic Partnerships to Elevate Human Capital

Working Groups will be established soon to support execution of the work. The CHCO Council looks forward to continuing the partnership with CHCOs to help make the Federal Government a model employer.

At the end of March 2022, the Chief Human Capital Officers Council 2021 Report to Congress was issued in accordance with the requirement established through Public Law 107-296, Section 1303(d). The report included reflections on the 2021 accomplishments of the Council. In 2021 the Council took steps to reinvent itself with successes marked by a strong partnership between OPM, OMB, and CHCOs. As Executive Director of the CHCO Council and Senior Advisor to the Director, Margot Conrad notes in the report, “I am proud of what we achieved and believe we laid the groundwork in 2021 for continued growth and success in 2022.” We encourage you to read the full Chief Human Capital Officers Council 2021 Report to Congress.

OPM has been regularly convening CHCOs and HR staff from the six agencies directly impacted by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). In addition, OPM recently issued a shared announcement for those agencies to hire HR Specialists, as many will immediately begin supporting agencies in implementing the IIJA. HR Specialists serve in essential, mission-driven roles and have the opportunity to help the government achieve a trusted, effective civilian workforce. As part of the job posting, a new short HR video was created by OPM to showcase to showcase what you can do with an HR background and the important work of HR professionals. The IIJA supports projects rebuilding America's roads, bridges and rails; expanding access to clean drinking water; increasing access to high-speed internet; tackling environmental challenges; advancing environmental justice; and investing in communities. This shared job opportunity announcement has initially proven to be a beneficial streamlined effort for each of the IIJA agencies to find qualified candidates from the same centralized job positing.

The CHCO Council has officially convened a new Executive Steering Committee (ESC)! The six-member ESC consists of CHCO Council Executive Director Margot Conrad, General Services Administration CHCO, Traci DiMartini, Department of Justice CHCO, Catherine Emerson, National Science Foundation CHCO, Wonzie Garner, U.S. Trade Representative CHCO and Chair of the Small Agency Human Resources Council, Jamesa Moone, and Department of Veterans Affairs CHCO, Tracey Therit. Members were nominated and selected by their peers, with final approval by the CHCO Council Chair. The concept of an ESC was thoughtfully developed by the "Strengthening the CHCO Council Working Group as part of their charge to rebuild the Council with its return to OPM. The Working Group" drafted a new CHCO Council Charter—issued in December 2021 - which articulates the roles of the ESC. Specifically, the CHCO Council Charter states that "…at the request of the Chair, the Executive Director may lead an Executive Steering Committee for the CHCO Council. The ESC is responsible for advising the Council Leadership on the Council's strategic direction and priorities and fostering a strong relationship between OPM and the Council."

The ESC is a diverse body, with members representing varied backgrounds and experiences, agencies of different sizes and mission areas, and lengths of tenure. Committee members, including the Executive Director of the CHCO Council, will serve two-year terms. More information about the ESC Members can be viewed on the Committees and Working Groups page.

The CHCO Council is pleased to share its new charter! The charter is a product of the "Strengthening the CHCO Council Working Group", which began meeting regularly earlier this year to support the CHCO Council Executive Director in reviewing and improving Council operations, resources, membership, communications, and connectivity with other cross-agency councils. The working group drafted updates to the charter after researching other council charters and talking with their leadership. All CHCO Council members were then invited to provide feedback on the updated draft.

The new CHCO Council charter includes a number of changes intended to strengthen and elevate the council, including updated objectives, language clarifying the role and responsibilities of leadership and membership, and a new Executive Steering Committee. This was an important, collaborative effort between CHCOs and OPM, since the charter hadn't been updated since it was created in 2003. We believe these changes will strengthen the council and set it up for success in the future.

On December 14, 2021 the CHCO Council hosted its first annual public meeting since the functions of the Council were reinstated at OPM. During the meeting, CHCO Council Chair and OPM Director Kiran Ahuja shared her vision for the future of the federal workforce and highlighted the importance of the CHCO Council partnership in achieving that vision. The meeting also included an overview of CHCO Council accomplishments in the past year, updates from council working groups, special CHCO member recognition, and presentation of a new model for attracting cyber talent for the future. We encourage you to view Director Ahuja's full remarks to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council at the Public Meeting and join us at our 2022 annual public meeting.

The President's Management Agenda (PMA) launched on November 18, 2021 is President Biden's plan to create an effective, equitable, and accountable government that delivers results for all Americans. This kicks off a multi-stage, multi-year, Administration-wide effort to advance management priorities across the entire federal government. The first priority of the PMA is "Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce." The CHCO Council provided feedback on key workforce priorities, which helped inform the development of the PMA. In the coming months, a number of CHCOs and their staff will be tapped to serve on cross-agency teams to further the development and implementation of the four strategies related to recruiting and hiring, employee engagement, the future of work and building the personnel system and support required to sustain the federal government as a model employer.

Visit Performance.gov for more on the PMA.

OPM issued Additional Guidance on Post-Reentry Personnel Policies and Work Environment to agencies. The guidance included a set of frequently asked questions covering telework, remote work, and other human resources policies related to reentry and a fact sheet providing guidance and example scenarios for determining official worksites, location-based pay entitlements, and travel benefits for employees under telework and remote work arrangements. Special thanks to the CHCO Council working group on the future of work, which has been meeting weekly since early spring and contributed to the development of this guidance. Thanks, as well, to GSA for their partnership on the fact sheet.

At her first CHCO Council meeting, OPM Director and CHCO Council Chair, Kiran Ahuja, announced that the CHCO Council administrative functions have been officially reinstated at OPM after the leadership and administration were bifurcated between OPM and GSA since 2019. The move signals OPM's commitment to engaging and elevating CHCOs as strategic human capital partners. In a statement issued that day, Ahuja said "I'm pleased that we are restoring these functions at OPM as part of our commitment to reinvigorating the CHCO Council," said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. "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."

View OPM's full press statement on the OPM website.