Washington, D.C. -- Charles "Chuck" Brooks has been named Chair of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Brooks, a retired naval officer and former Peace Corps executive, was selected by OPM Director Linda M. Springer to lead the committee, which oversees and administers the pay system covering nearly 200,000 federal wage-grade employees.

"Chuck has distinguished himself with more than three decades of military service, which he concluded as Deputy Commander, Navy Recruiting Command. He continued his public service as an Associate Director with the Peace Corps," said Springer. "Chuck brings with him a track record of success, which, no doubt, will be carried over to his work with OPM."

Brooks began his 31-year naval career as an aviator; the capstone to this service was as Deputy Commander for all aspects of naval recruitment.

After retiring from the Navy, Brooks managed the Navy Marine Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship program; he later served as Group Director of New Business Development at Planning Systems Inc., in Reston, Virginia.

OPM's Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) studies pay rates of non-salaried workers across the country and advises the OPM Director on the administration of the pay system for blue-collar Federal employees.

The majority of wage-grade employees work with the Department of Defense and occupy a multitude of skilled and semi-skilled positions, including airplane mechanics, craftsmen, warehousemen and maintenance.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.