Patrick Pizzella

Labor
Patrick Pizzella
Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management,
Chief Information Officer,
Chief Acquisition Officer,
Chief Human Capital Officer

Patrick Pizzella holds the enviable position of being the top management adviser at the Labor Department, the first agency to earn top marks in all five areas of the President's Management Agenda score card-the equivalent of a 4.0 grade point average. "That's quite an accomplishment for the department," he says. "I was glad to play a role in it."

Pizzella credits Secretary Elaine Chao's leadership, but observers cite his influence as a powerful factor. Serving as CIO, CHCO and CAO as well as assistant secretary, Pizzella has overseen such improvements as the development of a uniform performance management system for all employees, an outreach program to recruit MBAs, and the launch of GovBenefits.gov, an Internet portal that helps citizens access government benefits. He describes his management style as "lead, follow or get out of the way."

Pizzella began his career in government after working on Ronald Reagan's first campaign, landing a job as special assistant to the administrator at the General Services Administration. He also served in the Small Business Administration, the Education Department and the Federal Housing Finance Board. He left government from 1996 until 2001, working as a lobbyist with Preston Gates and Ellis.

The challenges facing the Labor Department, Pizzella says, include completing a strategic plan for information technology that will help the agency meet new e-government requirements, and managing real property, one of the newer initiatives of the President's Management Agenda. The department also will "have to continue to be vigilant" in order to maintain its high rating in the five primary areas of the score card, he says. "You just can't kick back."