Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has added eight new external hires to its Center for Financial Services (CFS). The action is in line with OPM Director Kay Coles James' commitment to hire "top-notch" employees committed to an aggressive internal management reform agenda. The new hires come from the federal and private sectors, and with years of experience.

In recent comments, James has reiterated the importance of building expert teams equipped with the skills necessary to fully implement the common sense goals of the President's Management Agenda. "The new additions to Team OPM are equipped with the skills necessary to view tough issues as opportunities for improvement. I am committed to improving OPM operations and I am pleased to add more professionals to the team who are dedicated to rooting out and fixing problems."

OPM's CFS provides financial oversight of OPM's administrative funds and $650 billion in trust funds and it directs the financial management activities of the programs and operations of the agency. In addition, the CFS supports OPM's chief financial officer in his mission to provide strategic decision-making and internal support systems, to recommend solutions for issues of significant sensitivity and governmentwide impact, and to maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

"The effort to improve OPM's financial management services is one of the steps of a larger initiative aimed at fully overhauling all of the agency's systems as envisioned in our agency restructuring effort," said James. "We are truly responsive to the needs of our customers, and will retool and reform our systems to meet their needs."

The Team OPM hires deal directly with the CFS' responsibility to integrate OPM's budget and performance goals, and to improve its integrated financial performance within specific areas of responsibility.

Those hired include:

PATRICIA PINNEY joins OPM from the private sector. Her background includes systems development, database management and fund management at the Washington Hospital Center where she was a budget analyst. Pinney's expertise will allow OPM to fully revamp the modeling software used for OPM's Trust Fund portfolio.

DIANE SANVIDO joins OPM from the Department of State where she was a budget analyst on several major programs. She also was with the U.S. Navy for 15 years. Sanvido's background will be an immediate asset to OPM's Salaries and Expense organizations.

BILL SMITH relocated from Los Angeles, CA, where he worked as a private consultant on financial management and budgeting activities for several major engineering companies. Smith will work on OPM's Trust Fund administration.

CHRISTINE KENT comes from the Department of Transportation's Office of the Chief Financial Officer.  Her background includes extensive experience in all aspects of financial management, including financial policy, financial systems, accounting operations, cash management, and related disciplines. Kent has over 28 years of experience in federal financial management. In addition, Kent is a certified government financial manager.

KATHRYN YEAGER comes from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) with over 30 years of federal government experience in a variety of administrative and analytical roles. Yeager served as a financial management analyst and was responsible for oversight for NARA's Trust and Gift Fund budgets. She has also served as the project leader for nationwide agency studies, and as the manager of several major agency programs.

JENNIFER R. JONES joins OPM after a successful career with NARA. She is a systems accountant, with concentrations in accounting operations, financial systems, financial reporting, and budget execution.  She also has extensive knowledge with revolving funds, including working capital funds, U.S. Standard General Ledger, accounting policies and procedures and overall knowledge of the central regulatory agencies.

DONNA DEEMER is a returning employee to OPM. She has 24 years of federal government service, with extensive experience in accounts payable, credit card management and financial reports and analysis. Deemer will become OPM's Authorized Certifying Officer.

ELIZABETH J. HERRING joins the CFS team from the U.S. Department of State, Office of Departmental Allotment Accounting. Herring has over 17 years of federal financial management experience which she brings to the CFS Salaries and Expenses Business Unit, Accounts Payable Team.