President Trump Nominated a New Chairman, Vice Chairman and Member of MSPB Hearing Board: Andrew F. Maunz, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board for the term of seven years expiring March 1, 2025, vice Mark A. Robbins, term expired. Julia Akins Clark, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board for the term of seven years expiring March 1, 2021, vice Anne Marie Wagner, term expired. And Dennis Dean Kirk, of Virginia, to be Chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, vice Susan Tsui Grundmann. See, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/nominations. Best I can tell, the latest action was the hearing before Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in July 2018. E.g. see https://www.congress.gov/nomination/115th-congress/1716 and https://www.congress.gov/nomination/115th-congress/2173?r=9.
If anyone has more current information please email me at billaramony@gmail.com.
Here are their backgrounds from the Opening Statement at the Hearing before the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Thursday, July 19th at 10:00 AM.
Dennis Dean Kirk, originally of Kansas, earned a B.S. from Northern Arizona University and his J.D. from the Washburn University School of Law. Upon graduation, he moved to the Washington area and began working for the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Mr. Kirk left government service to practice law in private practice in Northern Virginia for almost three decades before rejoining the federal government in 2005. From 2005 until 2012, Mr. Kirk worked at the Pentagon for the Department of the Army, where he was recognized with multiple awards including a Special Act or Service Award for saving the Army millions of dollars.
The Honorable Julia Akins Clark is originally from the Shawnee, Oklahoma area. She graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a B.A. in Political Science and then proceeded on to American University’s Washington College of Law, where she earned her J.D. in 1980. After completing law school, Ms. Clark also went to work for the federal government, joining the U.S. Department of Justice. After five years of public service, she went into private law practice here in the area before moving on to work briefly for the National Coalition for the Homeless. Ms. Clark worked as Counsel for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers for over two decades before being nominated and confirmed twice during the Obama Administration to serve as the General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Ms. Clark currently serves in the Congressional Office of Compliance.
Andrew Felton Maunz, of Maryland, is also nominated to serve as a Member of the MSPB. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Maunz received his B.S. from Miami University in Ohio in 2005 and then attended the University of Toledo College of Law, earning his J.D. in 2008. Like his fellow MSPB nominees, Mr. Maunz joined the federal government upon completion of law school. Mr. Maunz has worked as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel of the Social Security Administration since 2008. He currently serves the agency as a senior attorney and has represented the agency in employment litigation
before administrative agencies, including the Merit Systems Protection Board
During Congressional hearings, each nominee promised to reduce the MSPB backlog. Current estimates put the number of appeals on-hold at 1,250. Administrative judges within the agency’s field offices have continued to issue initial decisions, but the boar, not having quorum, has not delivered final decisions on any petitions for review since January 2017.
Mr. Kirk said he would “seek modernization of the workforce, enforce fair treatment and safety for whistleblowers and ensure a workplace free from prohibited personnel practices.” Ms. Clark said she would demonstrate “unqualified commitment to protect the merit system principles. Mr. Maunz said the MSPB “fulfills its mission best when it applies the relevant legal authorities as they are written and does not stray beyond its statutory mandates.”
On August 29, 2018, the AFL-CIO opposed the nominations of Dennis Dean Kirk and Andrew Maunz to serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and supported the nomination of Julia Clark to serve as a member of the MSPB. NTEU sent a letter in support of Julia Clark, given her prior work experience at a federal employee labor organization and more recently as General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
Nothing follows for now. Please email me if you have current information.
William Aramony, Law Offices 