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U.S. Merit System Protection Board

Data Governance Body Charter

April 21, 2020

Mission: The Merit Systems Protection Board’s (MSPB) Data Governance Body (DGB) 

provides executive leadership and oversight for the development and implementation of the 

policies and processes which govern the collection or creation, management, use, and 

disclosure of MSPB data.

Authority: MSPB’s DGB fulfills the requirements of the Federal Data Strategy, and the 

Foundations of Evidenced-based Policymaking Act.

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Guiding Principle: MSPB’s DGB will ensure intra-agency data transparency to promote the 

efficient and appropriate use of, and investment in, agency data resources, which includes 

adjudication, studies, finances, information technology, etc. Data transparency includes:

 Openness: Promoting and facilitating the open sharing of knowledge about MSPB 

data, including an understanding how and where agency data are collected or created, 

stored, managed, and made available for analysis.

 Communication: Promoting partnerships across the MSPB enterprise to 

eliminate duplication of effort, stove-piping, and one-off solutiondesigns, in 

favor of data definitions, clear processes and procedures regarding data, and 

consistency of use internally and externally.

 Accountability: Ensuring agency-wide and individual compliance with approved 

data management principles, policies, and procedures. Understanding the objectives

of current and future strategic or programmatic initiatives and how they impact, and 

are affected by, existing data management principles and policies as well as current

privacy and security protocols.

Core Responsibilities:

 Oversight and Decision-making

The DGB provides a forum for executive oversight and approval of MSPB’s data 

management strategies and practices. Data management principles and policies 

endorsed by the DGB apply to all phases of the data lifecycle (including its 

collection or creation, integration, storage, validation and verification, analysis, 

dissemination, and destruction) and to all MSPB offices.

 1 See https://strategy.data.gov/, https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4174/text, and 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/M-19-23.pdf.
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 Resource Allocation

In collaboration with the Chief Information Officer, the Chief Operating Officer 

(COO) (currently the Executive Director) and other MSPB officials, and subject to 

oversight by MSPB’s Chairman or agency head, the DGB sets funding and other 

data-related priorities to maximize the utility of agency data and fully leverage its 

potential within the enterprise.

 Assess and Prioritize Needs

The DGB continually assesses the analytic and reporting needs of the 

enterprise and reflects those needs in policy development and funding 

decisions. It supports stakeholder access to and delivery of MSPB data 

resources.

 Strategic Alignment

The DGB ensures that investments in data-related initiatives, and the principles, 

policies and practices established to govern them, align with the agency’s mission 

and strategic objectives and initiatives as well as current privacy and security 

protocols.

 Issue Resolution

The DGB serves as the penultimate point of escalation for data-related issues and

needs. It clarifies and resolves issues on topics including, but not limited to, 

access, architecture, compliance, data quality, privacy, risk, security, trust, and 

precedent-setting data requests.

 Review Reports and Evaluate Membership

The DGB ensures that groups reporting to it are established and comprised of staff 

members able to proficiently represent their respective offices or positions.

 Facilitate Knowledge Sharing

The DGB ensures its approved policies, procedures, and related decisions are 

documented and made available to agency employees and, where appropriate, 

external entities. Thistransparency enables performance measurement and progress

toward MSPB data governance goals.

 Compliance Monitoring

The DGB monitors application of its approved data management principles and 

policies by data-related initiatives, and acts to compel adherence.

Accountability: The DGB may sponsor or establish internal committees and working groups

to focus on specific tasks. It will review and approve amendments to this Charter that specify 

the tasking, relationship between, and reporting requirements of these entities. The DGB will

continually assess progress by receiving updates from these bodies at DGB meetings.
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Membership: The DGB is comprised of MSPB senior leaders, all of whom have a stake in the

collection or creation, management, use, and disclosure of MSPBdata. Office Directors may 

be represented by Deputy Directors or an appropriately-qualified designee. Specific members 

include:

 Chief Data Officer (Chairman, DGB)

 General Counsel

 Director, Office of Appeals Counsel

 Director, Office of Regional Operations

 Clerk of the Board

 Director, Office of Policy and Evaluation

 Performance Improvement Officer

 Chief Information Officer

 Chief Financial Officer

As of April 2020, these roles are represented by the positions above:

• Chief FOIA Officer

• Senior Agency Official for Privacy

• Senior Agency Official for Records Management

Depending on the topic for discussion, guest subject matter experts may be invited to the 

meetings at the request of their DGB representative or the DGB Chairman.

Chair: The Chief Data Officer (CDO) serves as the Chairman of the DGB. In this role, the 

CDO is responsible for:

 Liaising between the DGB and the COO and MSPB’s Chairman or agency head.

 Chairing and facilitating DGB meetings.

 Defining meeting agendas.

 Providing meeting support, with assistance, by:

o scheduling meetings and disseminating materials;

o taking meeting minutes and disseminating them for review andapproval; and

o managing DGB archives, including posting material at www.mspb.gov/data. 

Meetings: The DGB meets on a regular basis, and as needed, depending upon the type and 

urgency of issues that arise. DGB meetings will occur in person whenever possible but the

DGB can be convened virtually, including for voting.

Procedures: The DGB shall adopt rules as appropriate to guide its work. A shared 

workspace (SharePoint or other similar application) may be used to house DGB artifacts 

(Charter, minutes, reports, background material, etc.).
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Decision Model: The DGB is a decision-making body and strives for consensus when making 

decisions. Each person, regardless of the number of roles they represent, has one vote and 

decisions will be made by simple majority. Members have the right to abstain from voting. 

The CDO will capture members’ votes (including abstentions and cases where a member is not 

present to vote) and record this information in the meeting minutes.

Reporting: The COO will review all decisions made by the DGB. The COO or MSPB’s 

Chairman or agency head may overturn decisions made by the DGB.

Revisions: The DGB approves the Charter by majority vote. The DGB may review and 

revise the Charter as necessary to ensure the DGB’s intended purpose. Changes shall be 

approved by majority vote.