Janice R. Lachance served as this year’s Schar School of Policy and Government Harold Gortner Distinguished Speaker. Hon. Lachance, who is a former Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Appointed to this position by President Bill Clinton and unanimously confirmed by a bi-partisan U.S. Senate, Lachance provided policy and program leadership for 1.8 million federal employees. During her tenure, Clinton advanced the post of OPM Director to Cabinet status, giving her the standing and support needed to elevate human capital issues to the highest possible priority in the United States. The Hon. Lachance graduated from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York and earned her Juris Doctor degree at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is currently a Fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration and has served on their Board of Directors. She is the current President Elect of the American Society for Public Administration.