Organization
OGE is headed by a Director who is appointed to a five-year term by the President. As noted in the organizational chart and staff directory, in addition to the Office of the Director, OGE is divided into four divisions, guided by senior leadership, that work in concert to carry out OGE's mission.
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.
Program Counsel Division
The Program Counsel Division (PCD) is responsible for (1) coordinating and conducting outreach between OGE and its many stakeholders such as Congress, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), government watchdog groups, and the public; (2) developing and providing training to agency ethics officials; (3) carrying out initiatives that reach across executive branch agencies such as e-filing; (4) providing agency-specific legal support to OGE; (5) managing OGE’s budget, performance, and legislative affairs programs; and (6) supporting agency ethics officials, through its Desk Officer program, in carrying out the executive branch ethics program.
Legal, External Affairs and Performance Branch
The Legal, External Affairs and Performance Branch (LEAP) provides agency specific legal support to OGE. LEAP manages OGE’s strategic initiatives including efiling, performance management, budget, communications, and legislative affairs programs. LEAP serves as OGE’s liaison to the Federal Register and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the OMB and oversees OGE’s Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, and Records Management programs.
Agency Assistance Branch
The Agency Assistance Branch (AAB) provides vital services and support to agency ethics officials throughout the executive branch. Through its Desk Officer program, AAB provides timely and accurate advice to ethics officials in response to questions regarding unique or emerging ethics-related issues. In addition to responding to requests for advice, AAB Desk Officers actively reach out the ethics community to address issues and challenges that are of common interest in order to arrive at and share collaborative solutions.
AAB develops and provides substantive training to agency ethics officials and OGE staff to help them attain the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out the duties of their position.
Key Staff
Shelley K. Finlayson, Chief of Staff and Program Counsel
Elizabeth D. Horton, Acting Chief, Legal, External Affairs and Performance Branch
Nicole Stein, Chief, Agency Assistance Branch
General Counsel & Legal Policy Division
The General Counsel and Legal Policy Division (GCLPD) is responsible for (1) establishing and maintaining a legal framework for the executive branch ethics program, (2) providing assistance to the President and Senate in the Presidential appointment process; and (3) managing the incumbent public financial disclosure program.
Ethics Law and Policy Branch
The Ethics Law and Policy Branch (ELPB) develops, drafts, and issues all executive branch ethics regulations. ELPB also reviews agency-specific regulations supplementing executive branch ethical standards. When appropriate, ELPB drafts recommendations for changes in the conflicts of interest and ethics statutes. ELPB sets forth executive branch-wide policy and interpretive guidance of the executive branch ethics laws and regulations. ELPB also publishes written guidance in the form of Legal Advisories to promote consistent interpretation and application of the ethics laws, regulations, and policy guidance across the entire executive branch.
Presidential Nominations Branch
The Presidential Nominations Branch (PNB) works closely with the White House and agency ethics officials to help prospective Presidential nominees to Senate-confirmed positions comply with the extensive financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act. PNB carefully evaluates the nominee’s financial disclosure report and works with the agency ethics official to prepare an individualized ethics agreement to avoid and resolve potential conflicts of interest before the nominee enters government service. PNB also reviews the financial disclosure reports of the most senior White House staff members.
For copies of certified public financial disclosure reports and ethics agreements of Presidential nominees and appointees transmitted to OGE, click here.
Incumbent Financial Disclosure Branch
The Incumbent Financial Disclosure Branch ensures that executive branch leaders who have been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, as well as Designated Agency Ethics Officials (DAEOS), remain free of conflicts of interest after they take office by collecting and analyzing their annual, termination, and periodic transaction public financial disclosure reports. IFDB reviews each report to ensure completeness and to resolve potential conflicts of interest. IFDB posts these reports to OGE’s website.
Key Staff
Maura K. Leary, Acting Chief, Ethics Law and Policy Branch
Deborah Bortot, Chief, Presidential Nominations Branch
Megan Granahan, Chief, Incumbent Financial Disclosure Branch
Compliance Division
The Compliance Division (CD) 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) managing elements of the public financial disclosure program; and (3) supporting OGE’s administrative operations.
Program Review Branch
The Program Review Branch (PRB) exercises systemic oversight of the executive branch ethics program through ethics program reviews. Ethics program reviews are designed to ensure consistent and sustainable ethics program compliance with established executive branch ethics laws, regulations and policies, and to provide recommendations for meaningful program improvement. To learn more about ethics program reviews, see Ethics Program Reviews.
PRB also monitors compliance with ethics agreements made by Presidential Appointees during their Senate confirmation process to ensure commitments made to resolve potential conflicts of interests are timely met and appropriately resolved.
Additionally, PRB is responsible for reviewing agency requests to institute alternative financial disclosure procedures and exempt Schedule C employees from public financial disclosure requirements.
Administrative Operations Branch
The Administrative Operations Branch (AOB) is responsible for providing overall administrative and legal compliance support to OGE. AOB is responsible for (1) ensuring compliance with administrative requirements for agencies; (2) overseeing human resources functions; (3) purchasing and contracting; and (4) property management and other administrative programs. The Deputy Director for Compliance 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, Program Review Branch
Information Technology Division
The Information Technology Division (ITD) is responsible for maintaining OGE’s information technology systems, equipment, and security, as well as creating and operating network applications.
Key Staff
Ty Cooper, Chief Information Officer