Organization
OGE is headed by a Director who is appointed to a five-year term by the President. In addition to the Office of the Director, OGE is divided into four divisions.
On this page:
Office of the Director
The Office of the Director provides overall direction to the executive branch ethics program and is responsible for ensuring that OGE fulfills its congressional and Presidential mandates. The Director is appointed to a five-year term by the President and is confirmed by the Senate. The Director is a member of the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and the Integrity Committee of the CIGIE, which reviews allegations of misconduct against inspectors general. The Director also serves as a member of the Administrative Conference of the United States.
Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff is a career civil servant and is the designated First Assistant. The Chief of Staff directs OGE’s overall operations and finances, leads the agency’s strategic planning and performance management, and supervises OGE’s executives and managers. OGE’s Chief of Staff also serves as the Chief Counsel and leads the Ethics Transparency and Assistance Division whose responsibilities include: strategic planning; monitoring ethics program performance; supporting agency ethics offices through OGE’s Desk Officer program; overseeing the training of thousands of ethics officials; ensuring OGE’s legal compliance; developing and implementing OGE’s external communication strategy; managing OGE’s congressional affairs; and spearheading strategic initiatives, including the development and maintenance of Integrity, OGE’s executive branchwide electronic filing system for public financial disclosures.
Key Staff
Eric Ueland, Acting Director
Shelley K. Finlayson, Chief of Staff
Ethics Transparency and Assistance Division
Ethics Transparency and Integrity Branch
The Ethics Transparency and Integrity Branch (ETIB) is responsible for (1) providing agency specific legal support to OGE; (2) managing OGE’s budget and legislative affairs programs; (3) coordinating and conducting outreach between OGE and its many stakeholders, such as Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), government watchdog groups, and the public; (4) ensuring OGE is compliant with legal and policy requirements; (5) representing and liaising with the Department of Justice on all agency litigation; (6) overseeing OGE’s Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, and Records Management programs; (7) serving as OGE’s liaison to the Federal Register and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the OMB; (8) participating in U.S. government anti-corruption efforts at the request of the Department of State; (9) purchasing and contracting; and (10) property management and other administrative programs.
ETIB is also responsible for operating Integrity, the executive branchwide electronic filing system for public financial disclosure filers.
Ethics Assistance Branch
The Ethics Assistance Branch (EAB), through its Desk Officer Program, is responsible for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating complex issues, providing information about how other agencies are implementing ethics requirements, and giving guidance on OGE’s policies regarding program activities. Through its Institute for Ethics in Government, the branch is also responsible for developing ethics program leaders and providing professional development opportunities to agency ethics officials at all levels. In addition, the branch also creates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration between ethics officials across executive branch agencies and administers the Annual Agency Ethics Program Questionnaire.
Key Staff
Shelley K. Finlayson, Chief Counsel
Elizabeth D. Horton, Acting Chief, Ethics Transparency and INTEGRITY Branch
Nicole Stein, Chief, Ethics Assistance Branch
Ethics Law and Disclosure Division
Ethics Law Branch
The Ethics Law Branch (ELB) is responsible for (1) developing, drafting, and issuing executive branch ethics regulations; (2) establishing executive branchwide ethics policies (3) issuing interpretive guidance and resources; (4) consulting on conflict of interest waivers; (5) reviewing and issuing certificates of divestiture; (6) reviewing supplemental ethics regulations; and (7) supporting the vital work of the ethics enforcement communities, including the Inspectors General, through training and technical assistance.
Ethics Disclosure Branch
The Ethics Disclosure Branch is responsible for (1) providing assistance to the President and Senate in the Presidential appointments process; (2) tracking documentation of senior agency leaders’ compliance with their individual ethics commitments; (3) conducting expert second-level reviews of senior agency leaders’ annual, periodic, and termination financial disclosure reports; (4) maintaining uniform financial disclosure forms; and (5) providing guidance and resources on the public and confidential financial disclosure programs.
Key Staff
Maura K. Leary, Acting Chief, Ethics Law Branch
Deborah Bortot, Chief, Ethics Disclosure Branch
Ethics Compliance Division
Ethics Compliance Branch
The Ethics Compliance Branch (ECB) is responsible for (1) monitoring and reviewing agency ethics programs to ensure compliance with applicable ethics requirements established by statutes, rules, regulations, and Executive Orders; (2) issuing recommendations and conducting follow-up reviews; (3) collecting information on potential ethics violations by executive branch employees (Form 202); (4) making inquiries to agencies when its employees appeared to OGE to be out of compliance with ethics requirements; (5) reviewing agency requests for alternative financial disclosure procedures; and (6) exempting Schedule C employees from public financial disclosure requirements, as warranted.
ECB is also responsible for overseeing human resources functions. OGE is supported by a Human Resources Officer and specialists in the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service and other agencies that perform services through interagency shared services agreements.
Key Staff
Stephanie Bonhomme, Chief, Ethics Compliance Branch
Ethics Technology Division
The Ethics Technology Division (ETD) is responsible for (1) maintaining OGE’s information technology systems, equipment, and security; (2) creating and operating network applications; (3) data governance; and (4) maintaining OGE’s website.
Key Staff
Ty Cooper, Chief Information Officer