Good Start

So this is why John Berry started his first day early: he spent the first two hours of that day standing in the lobby at the Office of Personnel Management, shaking hands with and introducing himself to his new employees. Folks I talked to said that's a first for a director, and it's certainly consistent with the tone Berry said he wants to set at hist confirmation. Another first: Berry is the first director to arrive with his top leadership team entirely in place at the agency, which should help him off to a fast start. That's been a huge problem at other agencies, noticeably Treasury. Obviously the strains and pressures are different. But Berry and his colleagues at OPM will play a big role in making sure agencies have what they need to spend and oversee stimulus funding effectively, so I'm sure he'll take whatever head start he can get.