Washington, D.C. – Today, at her first meeting of the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director and Council Chair, Kiran Ahuja, announced that the CHCO Council’s functions will be restored to OPM, after the Council’s leadership and administration were bifurcated between OPM and General Services Administration (GSA) since 2019.  

This restoration of these functions to OPM will elevate the voices of CHCOs and strengthen the connection between governmentwide human capital strategy and policy development, and agency-level human capital management. In addition, OPM is taking steps to rebuild the Council after the budget and staff were dramatically reduced and Council activity had dwindled in recent years. 

“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.” 

The CHCO Council comprises executive human capital leaders from across the federal government. It is the principal interagency forum to advise and coordinate activities on matters such as modernization of human resources systems, improved quality of human resources information, and legislation affecting human resources operations and organizations. The Director of OPM is designated the Council Chair and the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is designated the Council Vice Chair. Additionally, the council has an Executive Director, employed by OPM, who provides strategic direction and oversees activities of the Council.   

"GSA has enjoyed working with and supporting the CHCO Council these past few years, and we are supportive of reuniting strategic and administrative functions of the CHCO Council,” said GSA Deputy Administrator Katy Kale. “We look forward to building upon our partnership with OPM in other ways as we continue to serve the federal workforce together.” 

Ray Limon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital and Diversity, and Chief Human Capital Officer at the Department of the Interior is currently co-chairing a CHCO Council working group focused on strengthening the Council. The working group is reviewing and proposing changes to the CHCO Council charter, which has not been updated since it was created in 2003, and is supporting the CHCO Council Executive Director in reviewing and improving Council operations, resources, membership, communication and connectivity with other cross-agency councils. 

“As a Chief Human Capital Officer with over 25 years of public service who has served in large and small agencies, and incorporated best practices from various personnel systems, the one common theme that cuts across this federal landscape is that employees perform the best when they have the resources they need; the autonomy to innovate; and the respect of their leaders and their peers,” said Ray Limon. “For CHCOs, there is no better forum than the CHCO Council where we can promote and recommend policies based on our collective experiences and provide feedback to leaders in the Executive and Legislative branches. We are glad that OPM is actively rebuilding the Council and believe this will be aided by the consolidation of CHCO Council operations and leadership under OPM.”  

The Biden-Harris Administration appointed Margot Conrad to serve as Executive Director of the CHCO Council. Conrad is an expert in human capital issues and served previously at the Partnership for Public Service. Since February, the Council has been meeting monthly and Council staff have hosted nine additional briefings or events for the broader CHCO community on executive orders, policy guidance or emerging issues. Several working groups have also been established. Through these working groups, CHCOs are helping advance Biden-Harris Administration priorities around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. CHCOs are also playing a critical role in helping OPM craft personnel policies for reentry and the post-reentry work environment. 

For more information about the CHCO Council, visit the CHCO Council Website.