Washington, D.C. – Voice of America’s Asian American Changemakers series premiered its final episode recently featuring the work of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the leadership of Director Kiran Ahuja. Asian American Changemakers is a character driven docuseries highlighting the lives and experiences of Asian Americans in the political and public arena.   

“Once Kiran was confirmed, from day one she established that OPM was going to be a force in this administration. She understands that OPM’s mission is critical for the success of all Federal agencies,” said Rob Shriver, OPM Deputy Director.   

After more than two decades in public service and executive nonprofit work, including serving as OPM Chief of Staff from 2015-2017, Director Ahuja was nominated by President Biden for her current role, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2021.   

“The kind of leader I want to be doesn’t always fit well in Washington, D.C,” said Kiran Ahuja, OPM Director.  “You constantly are battling against the kind of imposter syndrome – [thinking] you’re not the most assertive or the loudest. Oftentimes it is the quiet leadership that I think gets overlooked. That has been an issue in the Asian American community. We need people of all shapes, sizes, and stripes in the federal government.”  

In her role, Director Ahuja leads OPM in its work to recruit and the hire top talent to serve the American public.  

“As much as I care about the work that we do, I care about the experiences of the people that I work with. I have fought for really being able to center diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility because that’s been my life experience,” says Ahuja. “Whether you want to cure diseases, protect and preserve our national parks, combat climate change, or embark on missions to discover new galaxies, the Federal government is full of opportunity for the best and brightest to serve our country.”  

In June 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order (EO) 14035, a government-wide initiative to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal workforce. Since EO 14035 was released, OPM and partnering agencies have worked on programs and initiatives to break down barriers to serve and help build a Federal government that draws from the strength and diversity of its people.  

“At the end of the day, as OPM Director, [Kiran understands] people are the secret sauce to everything we are trying to do,” said Gautam Raghavan, former member of the Obama White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders.   

Watch the full Asian American Changemakers episode here and learn more about opportunities to serve at opm.gov.