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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release April 7, 1997

          PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES JAMES B. KING AS DIRECTOR OF
                THE U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

The President yesterday recess appointed James B. King to be the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). He was nominated for re-appointment on March 6, 1997, and his nomination is currently pending before the Senate.

James B. King, of Ludlow, Massachusetts, has served as Director of OPM since April 6, 1993. Under his leadership, OPM has carried out a series of reforms that have reshaped the agency and provided government wide leadership in reinvention. Mr. King's major initiatives at OPM include reducing salaries and expenses by 33%, reducing the full-time workforce by 47%, implementing an aggressive program of career-transition assistance for departing employees, and creating the federal government's first Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). In addition, Mr. King has given strong support to veterans preference, with the percentage of veterans hired during the Clinton administration increasing by 50% over the three previous years. Prior to his service at the OPM, Mr. King worked for Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy.

Mr. King was a Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Director of the Office of Personnel Management provides leadership in developing federal personnel policies that protect and enhance the merit system of government and the veterans preference law. The Director is also charged with ensuring compliance with personnel laws and regulations, and providing guidance and support to agencies in operating human resources programs, including development of Government-wide career transition policies. The Director also serves as Chair of the National Partnership Council, is a member of the President's Management Council, and manages the Interagency Advisory Group of federal personnel directors. This recess appointment will ensure continuity of leadership at OPM and will enable Mr. King to continue his duties and fulfill his responsibilities as Director of OPM without interruption.

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