Public service has always been a calling for me and my family. I’ve taken great pride in serving America since 1985. Now, as Chief of Staff for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), I help run human resources policy for over 1.9 million federal workers. My daughter, Elisa, a lawyer by training, serves at Peace Corps headquarters, also as an Obama administration appointee. My husband, David served for 32 years in the Federal government. My son, David Jr., was an appointee during the Clinton administration and served in the U.S. Air Force for seven years. I am so proud of all of them. As a Latina, working to better our local community, our country, and our world are deeply held values in my family. I imagine many of you feel the same way. I feel very much at home as a Fed, because I was raised to have a strong work ethic.

Despite the attacks we’ve all heard over the years, I can tell you firsthand that an overwhelming majority of the Feds around me share that reverence for hard work, live it every day, and do a great job for the American people.

If you want to create positive change in our country and our world - if you want to build our clean energy future, help small businesses succeed, or work in the White House, come join us. I’ve had the privilege of doing all these things, from working alongside some of the world’s most brilliant scientists at Los Alamos National Labs, to helping the President choose people for some of our top jobs. And the worst-kept secret is: I’ve had a ball. It’s not just that I only could have done this in America; I only could have done this for America. And if fun isn’t reason enough, we also have competitive salaries and benefits, and family-friendly flexible schedules.
Recruiting diversity is key to President Obama’s vision for a 21st century Federal workforce, because we need a government that looks like America to truly serve all Americans. This Administration has made a strong start, appointing record-breaking numbers of Latinas and Latinos, including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

Now, OPM is reinvigorating the federal government’s outreach and recruitment to be sure that we reach all parts of our society, including Latinos. There has been some progress in recent years, but we’ve still got a long way to go. OPM’s Deputy Director Christine Griffin is tackling diversity head on. As a former member and acting Vice-Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she’s well aware of the need to recruit, hire, retain, and promote qualified Latinos, and Americans of all backgrounds, to positions from senior management on down. As someone who lost the use of her legs in an accident, she’s passionate about fighting discrimination in all forms, whether it’s because of disability, skin color, or any other factor that’s irrelevant to job performance.

We have a wonderful team here at OPM, but we need your help. Even if you’re not looking for a job, I encourage you to go to our newly refreshed website, www.USAJOBS.gov. We’ve made it simple and easy for you to use. If you see a job posting that you think might be good for a niece or a friend, it’s easy to email or tweet, or put it on Facebook.

We’re also reaching out and recruiting face-to-face. Last year, I attended the LULAC, NOMAR, and NHLI annual conferences, and my staff attended other conferences. So if you see me, or any OPM team member at a conference, please don’t hesitate to say hi.

In proclaiming Hispanic Heritage Month, President Obama wrote that members of our community “have made invaluable contributions through their service to our country.� Each member of my family approached service to America with different perspectives and goals. But we each found fulfillment of our shared passion to help Americans, to better our world, and to bring opportunity to places that have been passed by. And we have a great time doing it each and every day.

“If you share that passion, I hope you’ll come join us.�
By Elizabeth Montoya
Chief of Staff, US Office of Personnel Management