Zients to become acting OMB director
Jeffrey Zients will again take over as the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, the White House announced Jan. 17.
Zients has been the OMB deputy director for management since 2009 and he's the first chief performance officer. He served as acting OMB director once before, from July to November in 2010.
“Since day one, Jeff has demonstrated superb judgment and has provided sound advice on a whole host of issues,” President Barack Obama said today in a White House announcement.
On Jan. 9, Obama said he had picked Jacob Lew to be his new White House chief of staff after William Daley resigned the position.
Zients has 20 years of business experience as a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur. He also served as CEO and chairman of The Advisory Board Company and chairman of the Corporate Executive Board. The firms are leading providers of performance benchmarking and management best practices for senior executives at more than 5,000 businesses.
“With decades of experience, Jeff has been a tremendous asset to our team, and I’m confident in his ability to help us rebuild an economy where hard work and responsibility pay off and the middle class has a chance to get ahead,” Obama said.
In his new role, Zients will go before both chambers of Congress in the coming months to answer questions about the president’s budget proposal and the administration's new initiatives for fiscal 2013.
About the Author
Matthew Weigelt is a senior writer covering acquisition and procurement for Federal Computer Week. Follow him on Twitter: @matthewweigelt.