Washington, D.C. - U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director Dan G. Blair delivered the keynote address at the African American Federal Executive Association's (AAFEA) First Annual Leadership Development and Training Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

AAFEA is a private nonprofit professional organization of federal supervisors, managers, and executives founded in 2002 to promote the professional development and advancement of African Americans into and within the senior ranks of the federal government.

"In the coming years, a large number of senior government executives may retire," Blair said.  "In response to that, OPM launched a governmentwide project, the Federal Candidate Development Program (Fed CDP), which is designed to address projected retirements and to answer President George W. Bush's call to create a federal workforce that draws upon the diversity of America."

Succession planning and leadership development are critical elements of the President's Management Agenda.  Today, of the 6,800 SES members 12 percent are minorities and 27 percent are women.  As incentive to facilitate diversity in the SES ranks, OPM will offer a temporary increase in an agency's SES position allocation in order to support their participation in Fed CDP. 

"We'll soon select our inaugural Fed CDP class, and we intend to set a high standard and demonstrate to other agencies how well it can work," Blair added.  "In addition, we're planning long range by creating an ‘Executive Readiness' program that will begin to prepare high potential GS 13-15 candidates who are a few years away from CDP."

In January 2005, OPM sent a memo to all Chief Human Capital Officers governmentwide making them aware of AAFEA's conference and some of the key topics of discussion.