News Release

Washington, D.C. – During a speech tonight before hundreds at the Marriott Wardman Park, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James stressed the need for the federal government to continue to reach out to women so that it can maintain a strong, vital work force.

“We have a tremendous need for new talent, new energy, and new creativity to do the work of government in the 21st Century,” said James. “And it is the women I see before me that I know can handle the job.”

The address came during the 35th Anniversary Gala for Federally Employed Women, an organization dedicated to the needs and concerns of female federal employees.

In addition to reminding the audience that the government needs them, James recalled the history of women in government. “It should come as no surprise that, while women made up 34 percent of the federal work force in 1968, those women were concentrated in the lower grades. In the upper echelons of our government, women were almost invisible. Contrast that with the image of the President’s Cabinet as they entered the House chamber this year for the State of the Union. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman; Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton; Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao; and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Christine Todd Whitman. In these unsettled times, I find it reassuring to know we have so many outstanding women taking their place at the table where executive decisions are made.”

James also stressed the need to honor and recruit the women who have fought for our freedom. “One source of recruits should be the brave women who answered duty’s call and are part of the campaign against tyranny in Iraq and wherever they are needed. I believe that the fighting men and women of our country who stood in line to sign up and protect our freedoms deserve to go to the head of the line when it comes to government jobs. So I have encouraged all federal department and agency heads to join me in extending every effort to recruit and hire these bold and courageous women who are veterans of military service into the civil service.”

In closing, James stated, “I look across this room and I see women who are literally breaking the mold and shattering glass ceilings each and every day. So, I salute FEW on its 35th birthday: for all you have done over the past three and a half decades and all you will do in the tomorrows that lie ahead. Thanks to you, our daughters can look forward to a future full of possibilities. We have come a long way indeed.”

- end -

OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also 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.

Other Current News  |   What's New on Our Site  |   Speeches  |   Events