The embattled technology head at the Office of Personnel Management announced her retirement on Monday, just two days before she was set to testify on the agency’s failings before a House committee.
“Leaving OPM at this time was a very tough decision for me, but I feel it is in the agency’s best interest that my presence does not distract from the great work this team does every single day for this agency and the American people,” Chief Information Officer Donna Seymour said in a Monday afternoon message to the agency’s employees.
Seymour’s resignation comes more than seven months after former Director Katherine Archuleta’s departure. Their leadership came under question after the agency was breached by hackers linked to the Chinese government, which resulted in the theft of data on more than 22 million people involving applications for security clearances from the federal government.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, expressed his approval in a statement, calling it “good news and an important turning point for OPM.” He added, “While I am disappointed Ms. Seymour will no longer appear before our Committee this week to answer to the American people, her retirement is necessary and long overdue.”
“On her watch, whether through negligence or incompetence, millions of Americans lost their privacy and personal data. The national security implications of this entirely foreseeable breach are far-reaching and long-lasting. OPM now needs a qualified CIO at the helm to right the ship and restore confidence in the agency,” Chaffetz said.
The oversight committee canceled a hearing on the breach that was scheduled for Wednesday. The committee has subpoenaed the agency for a range of documents related to its technical failings.
