# Michael Rigas

Michael John Rigas (Greek: Μάικλ Ρήγας; born 1971 or 1972) is a Greek-American government official. He is the nominee to serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources and has previously served as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.

## Early life

Rigas was born in 1971 or 1972 in Boston, Massachusetts, where he grew up. His parents come from Greece, with his father having immigrated to the U.S. in 1948 from Aigio, while his mother came from Sparta. He is one of seven children and he has a twin sister. He attended Boston University, where he earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in economics, and Harvard University, where he studied at the Harvard Kennedy School and received a master's degree in public administration.

## Career

Rigas began his career in the private sector, working for Mellon Financial Corporation and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. He also held a position for the United Asset Management Corporation.
Rigas was appointed to the General Services Administration (GSA) during the administration of President George W. Bush. He was an associate administrator for the agency and held the positions of senior advisor and deputy administrator. During this time, he was part of an effort to improve the level of government contracting to woman- and veteran-owned businesses.
After his service in the Bush administration, Rigas worked for several Republican organizations. He was an official for the Massachusetts Republican Party and worked for The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Following that, he worked for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services as chief of staff.
In July 2017, Rigas was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM). On March 7, 2018, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the position, with Rigas thus serving under the OPM's director, Jeff Tien Han Pon. On March 18, 2020, Rigas became the acting director of the OPM after the resignation of the then-director, Dale Cabaniss. In this role, he thus became head of the agency in charge for managing "human resources, talent recruitment, development, and policy" for the employees of the federal government.
Soon after, on March 25, Rigas also became the acting deputy director for management for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In July, he added a third role, becoming the acting Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States (CIO) after the resignation of Suzette Kent. The Federal CIO was a position that reported to the deputy director for management of the OMB, a position that Rigas also held.
After Rigas's tenure with the OPM and OMB, he joined the America First Policy Institute in 2022 as the director of the organization's America First Transition Project. After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, he announced on December 13, 2024, the nomination of Rigas to serve as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.

## Nomination as US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources

Michael Rigas was appointed Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources by Donald Trump on December 12, 2024. Trump called him a “conservative warrior who knows how government works”. He had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 4, 2025. The Committee voted 16-6 in favor of his nomination on March 12, 2025.

## Personal life

Rigas married Laura Keehner, a fellow government official, in 2009.