Michael Rigas

Michael Rigas
United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
Presumptive nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentDonald Trump (elect)
SucceedingRichard R. Verma
Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management
In office
18 March 2020 – 20 January 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byDale Cabaniss
Succeeded byKathleen McGettigan
Personal details
Born
Michael John Rigas

1971 or 1972 (age 52–53)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationBoston University
Harvard University

Michael John Rigas (Greek: Μάικλ Ρήγας; born 1971 or 1972)[1] is a Greek-American government official. He is the nominee to serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources and has previously served as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.

Early life

Rigas was born in 1971 or 1972 in Boston, Massachusetts, where he grew up.[1][2] His parents come from Greece, with his father having immigrated to the U.S. in 1948 from Aigio, while his mother came from Sparta.[3] He is one of seven children and he has a twin sister.[3] He attended Boston University, where he earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in economics, and Harvard University, where he studied at the Harvard Kennedy School and received a master's degree in public administration.[4]

Career

Rigas began his career in the private sector, working for Mellon Financial Corporation and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.[1] He also held a position for the United Asset Management Corporation.[5]

Rigas was appointed to the General Services Administration (GSA) during the administration of President George W. Bush.[4] He was an associate administrator for the agency and held the positions of senior advisor and deputy administrator.[4] During this time, he was part of an effort to improve the level of government contracting to woman- and veteran-owned businesses.[6]

After his service in the Bush administration, Rigas worked for several Republican organizations.[7] He was an official for the Massachusetts Republican Party and worked for The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.[6] Following that, he worked for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services as chief of staff.[6]

In July 2017, Rigas was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM).[8] On March 7, 2018, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the position, with Rigas thus serving under the OPM's director, Jeff Tien Han Pon.[8][9] On March 18, 2020, Rigas became the acting director of the OPM after the resignation of the then-director, Dale Cabaniss.[10] In this role, he thus became head of the agency in charge for managing "human resources, talent recruitment, development, and policy" for the employees of the federal government.[5]

Soon after, on March 25, Rigas also became the acting deputy director for management for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[11] In July, he added a third role, becoming the acting Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States (CIO) after the resignation of Suzette Kent.[12] The Federal CIO was a position that reported to the deputy director for management of the OMB, a position that Rigas also held.[12]

After Rigas's tenure with the OPM and OMB, he joined the America First Policy Institute in 2022 as the director of the organization's America First Transition Project.[4][5] After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, he announced on December 13, 2024, the nomination of Rigas to serve as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.[1]

Personal life

Rigas married Laura Keehner, a fellow government official, in 2009.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Michael J. Rigas Nominated for U.S. Deputy Secretary of State". The National Herald. December 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ποιος είναι ο Μάικλ Ρήγας, ο ομογενής που πρότεινε ο Τραμπ για αναπληρωτή υπουργό Εσωτερικών" [Who is Michael Rigas, the expat Trump nominated for deputy secretary of the interior] (in Greek). Skai Group. 13 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Athanasatos, Christodoulos (December 15, 2024). "The Rigas Family Moved by Donald Trump's Nomination of Michael J. Rigas". The National Herald.
  4. ^ a b c d "Trump appoints Greek-American Michael Rigas for State Department role". Kathimerini. December 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "America First Policy Institute Launches "American Leadership Initiative"". America First Policy Institute. June 23, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Wagner, Erich (June 23, 2017). "Trump Team Starts to Fill Out OPM Leadership, With Pick for No. 2 Job". Government Executive.
  7. ^ "Michael J. Rigas". American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council.
  8. ^ a b Ogrysko, Nicole (March 8, 2018). "Senate confirmations bring permanent leadership to OPM for first time in more than 2 years". WFED.
  9. ^ "Michael Rigas". Bostonia. Boston University. Winter–Spring 2021.
  10. ^ Edwards, Jane (March 26, 2020). "Michael Rigas Named OMB Acting Deputy Director for Management". ExecutiveGov.com.
  11. ^ Ogrysko, Nicole (25 March 2020). "OPM's Rigas to take on second position as OMB acting deputy". WFED.
  12. ^ a b Nyczepir, Dave (November 16, 2020). "Michael Rigas claims acting Federal CIO role". Fedscoop.com.
  13. ^ "Laura Keehner to Marry Michael Rigas in May". Palisadian-Post. March 12, 2009.