Washington, D.C. - During her address at the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program's 33rd Annual Conference and Award Ceremony, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James thanked the participants for their dedication and hard work in implementing the President's Management Agenda.

"You accepted the President's challenge to improve the management and performance of our government and in a short time, you have made tremendous accomplishments," said James. "You are achieving the bottom-line results the President expects."

In her remarks, James delivered an impassioned challenge to the audience of senior financial managers, auditors, and analysts to continue their efforts to improve financial management and performance. She also discussed a major concern related to the management of the federal government.

"We must improve management and performance of the federal government for the taxpayers - it's their money," said James. "And with your help, we are. However, there is work to be done. We must solve the problem surrounding the federal government's hiring process - the issue of reducing the time it takes to hire excellent candidates."

OPM advocates an overhaul of the HR process - instituting major reforms in the area of hiring, including streamlined candidate assessments and even "on-the-spot" appointments. Recently, James issued a memo outlining the "top ten" ways to improve the hiring process.

Closing out her address, James said: "Each of you, in your own agency, has proven that we can do what many short-sighted people believe is impossible. You have accepted President Bush's challenge to simplify and unify, to take advantage of economies of scale, and to reduce redundancies."