Former Office of Personnel Management Director Janice Lachance will now head the committee that advises the government on “blue collar” federal employee pay rates.

Lachance will chair the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), OPM announced March 8. The committee advises the OPM director on pay rates for trade, craft and laboring federal employees via the Federal Wage System, ensuring those rates are aligned with prevailing wages at the local level.

“Janice is the right person at the right moment to lead this pivotal work to make sure critical federal employees are valued and paid fairly as they serve the American people, and we’re excited to welcome her back to OPM,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja in a statement. “Janice brings tremendous institutional knowledge, consensus-building ability, and a strong understanding of labor law to this role. Her proven track record as a fair arbiter and experience navigating the specific rules and regulations that govern federal pay will inform her success as FPRAC Chair.”

Lachance served as the director of OPM from 1997 to 2001. Prior to that, she served as the office’s chief of staff, director of communications, and director of communications and policy. Before joining OPM in 1993, Lachance worked as the director of communications and political affairs for the American Federation of Government Employees, or AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States.

“I am honored and pleased to have been asked to once again join OPM, where I look forward to working with Director Ahuja and the OPM staff to ensure a Federal Wage System that is grounded in fairness and equity,” said Lachance in a statement. “Working in partnership with employee unions and federal agencies, I am confident we can make real progress on President Biden’s promise to provide additional economic security and dignity to these dedicated workers who provide important services to our nation.”

Nathan Strout was the staff editor at C4ISRNET, where he covered the intelligence community.

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