Obama Names Denise Turner Roth to Head GSA

The White House on Thursday nominated Denise Turner Roth to lead the General Services Administration. The former city manager and legislative aide who became GSA deputy administrator a year ago, had been acting in the post since the February departure of Dan Tangherlini.

“As acting administrator and deputy administrator, Denise led the General Services Administration to become more efficient, innovative and effective,” Obama said in a statement. “Denise is a capable leader whose experiences in management will serve our nation well.”

Roth called Obama’s move “a vote of confidence in the ability of the men and women of GSA,” saying she is honored to lead the federal government’s landlord in “transforming the way our government serves the American people. Today GSA is smarter and stronger, and I look forward to building on this momentum -- creating new opportunities for the federal government and the nation."

Roth will continue Tangherlini’s efforts to reduce the federal real estate footprint, streamline procurement, and promote more efficient office design. She also will help determine the new location for the FBI headquarters.

Her accomplishments as deputy, according to the agency statement, include helping consolidate the agency’s information technology, human resources, administrative and financial functions, an effort that is expected to save $200 million over the next eight years.

Previously, Roth was city manager in Greensboro, N.C., after a stint as vice president of Governmental Affairs at the Greensboro Partnership. She had been a legislative aide to Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Brad Miller, D-N.C., also serving the latter as campaign manager.

In March, Obama cited her and GSA’s work in confronting climate change by reducing building emissions.