Circuit

The churn at the General Services Administration continues, and in recent weeks, the agency lost one of its longtime leaders. , known to almost everyone as Marty, announced he will leave GSA Jan. 31.Wagner is well-respected within and outside GSA. A 31-year fed, he was most recently called on to help GSA create the Federal Acquisition Service by merging the Federal Supply Service and the Federal Technology Service.Throughout Wagner’s 16-year tenure at GSA, he has been a proponent of using technology to help agencies perform their missions more effectively. Before coming to FAS, he was GSA’s associate administrator of governmentwide policy. In that role, he became the force behind e-commerce, which was a precursor to e-government.People who know Wagner say they — and GSA — will miss his artful and classy style when dealing with difficult issues. One friend said Wagner has a way of ensuring that everyone knows their voices are heard. Although he solicits others’ opinions, he has always been one to make decisions in the best interest of the organization.Wagner said he hasn’t determined what he will do next. He said he plans to take the next two to three months “to decompress, look at options, talk to people and figure out what to do next.” But he said he would not just go into the sunset and lie on a beach. “I may do that for a week at some point in that process,” he added.He stressed GSA’s important role and its current efforts to help federal agencies. “The role [of GSA] is there,” he said. “There are a lot of very strong, good people there. There have been some problems in the past, but I have confidence that with the good value proposition and the good people here, we’re going to continue to deliver more value” to agency customers.We offer a tip of the hat to an honorable man.Wagner’s impending departure isn’t the only change at GSA. , GSA’s chief acquisition officer, has announced that she will return to the private sector after less than two years at the agency. She will join law firm Miller and Chevalier.Murphy will help the firm develop advisory services for government contractors to add to its legal services offerings, said , a partner at the firm. Murphy will work with Styles, former administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in the government contracting division of the firm.